[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30320-30321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-12912]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Public Scoping Meeting and Preparation of Environmental Impact 
Statement for Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project in Liberty County 
and Harris County, TX

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District, has 
received a permit application for a Department of the Army Permit 
pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 
403) and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) from the 
Coastal Water Authority (SWG-2009-00188) for the proposed Coastal Water 
Authority's Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project located in eastern 
Liberty County with the 26.5-mile corridor extending southwestward from 
the Trinity River to a discharge point near the confluence of Luce 
Bayou with Lake Houston. The primary Federal involvement associated 
with the proposed action is the discharge or dredged or fill material 
into waters of the United States, including jurisdictional wetlands, 
and the construction of structures that may affect navigable waters. 
Federal authorizations for the proposed project would constitute a 
``major federal action.'' Based on the potential impacts, both 
individually and cumulatively, the Corps intends to prepare an 
Environmental Statement (EIS) in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act to render a final decision on the permit 
applications.
    The Corps' decision will be to either issue, issue with 
modification or deny Department of the Army permits for the proposed 
action. The EIS will assess the potential social, economic and 
environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the 
interbasin conveyance, associated facilities, and appurtenances and is 
intended to be sufficient in scope to address Federal, State and local 
requirements, environmental issues concerning the proposed action, and 
permit reviews.

DATES: The scoping period will commence with the publication of this 
notice. The formal scoping period will end 60 days after the 
publication of this notice. Comments regarding issues relative to the 
proposed project should be received.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods: 
Mail: Jayson M. Hudson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory 
Branch, P.O. Box 1229, Galveston, TX 77553-1229; Fax: (409) 766-3931 or 
E-mail: [email protected]. Emailed comments, including 
attachments, should be provided in .doc, .docx, .pdf or .txt formats. 
Documents pertinent to the proposed project may be examined at http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/reg/eis.asp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jayson Hudson, (409) 766-3108.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Galveston District intends to prepare a 
DEIS on the proposed Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project which is 
the proposed transfer of water from the Trinity River in Liberty County 
to Lake Houston in Harris County, TX. The Coastal Water Authority 
proposed this project and is the applicant for the Department of the 
Army permit (DA) SWG-2009-00188.
    1. Project Background: The Coastal Water Authority is proposing to 
convey up to 400 million gallons of water per day (MGD) under gravity 
in accordance with the City of Houston's existing water rights permit 
from the Trinity River to Lake Houston, a distance of approximately 
26.5 miles. The Trinity River water would be conveyed from the proposed 
pump station through large diameter pipelines to a sediment storage and 
settling basin and then through an earthen canal to outfall at the Lake 
Houston discharge point. The canal would have side berms and there 
would be an access road, drainage ditches, and perimeter fencing 
surrounding the water conveyance canal. The proposed project consists 
of the following:
    a. A new water pumping station will be constructed on the Trinity 
River at Capers Ridge approximately 10 miles north of Dayton, TX.
    b. Dual, 108-inch diameter force mains will be constructed 
extending from the Capers Ridge pump station approximately 3.5 miles to 
the west and southwest to outfall to the sedimentation settling basin.
    c. An approximate 20-acre sedimentation settling and storage basin.
    d. An approximate 23.5 mile clay-lined earthen canal with 4:1 side 
slopes within a 300-foot easement that would include access roads, 
berms, chain link perimeter fencing, flow control structures, and 
metering stations.
    e. Box culverts at canal and roadway crossings and multiple bawl-
ground siphons constructed to facilitate wildlife movement and maintain 
existing hydrology along the canal conveyance system.
    f. An approximate 10-acre maintenance facility located 
approximately 6 miles north of Dayton, TX.
    g. Discharge structure along the southeastern shoreline of Lake 
Houston.
    2. Scoping and Public Involvement Process: A Public Notice was 
published on April 19, 2010 to initiate the public scoping process for 
the proposed project. At that time, based on information provided by 
the Applicant, a preliminary review indicated that an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) was not required. However, based on continuing 
permit assessment and information brought forth during the initial 
coordination process, areas of potential significant impact on the 
human environment have been identified. Therefore, the EIS process is 
being implemented so that the permit application can be fully evaluated 
and a permit decision can be made. All comments received to date, 
including those provided for review during the initial scoping process, 
will be considered by the Galveston District during EIS preparation. 
The purpose of the EIS scoping meeting is to gather information on the 
subjects to be studied in detail by the EIS.
    3. Purpose and Need. The basic purpose of the proposed action is to 
provide drinking water for the City of Houston and surrounding area. 
The overall purpose is to provide drinking water utilizing water rights 
currently held by the City of Houston in the Trinity River. The Corps 
recognizes that there is a public and private need for drinking water.
    4. Alternatives. An evaluation of alternatives to the Applicant's 
preferred alternative initially being considered includes a No Action 
alternative, alternatives that would avoid, minimize and compensate for 
impacts to the aquatic environment within the project right-of-way, 
alternatives that would avoid, minimize and compensate for

[[Page 30321]]

impacts to the aquatic environment outside of the right-of-way, 
alternatives utilizing alternative practices, and other reasonable 
alternatives that will be developed through the project scoping process 
which may also meet the identified purpose and need.
    5. Public Involvement. The purpose of the public scoping process is 
to determine relevant issues that will influence the scope of the 
environmental analysis and EIS alternatives. General concerns in the 
following categories have been identified to date: potential direct 
effects to waters of the United States including wetlands; water 
quality; aquatic species; air quality; environmental justice; 
socioeconomic environment; archaeological and cultural resources; 
recreation and recreational resources; energy supply and natural 
resources; hazardous waste and materials; aesthetics; public health and 
safety; navigation; erosion and accretion; invasive species; cumulative 
impacts; public benefit and needs of the people along with potential 
effects on the human environment. All parties who express interest will 
be given an opportunity to participate in the process.
    6. Coordination. The proposed action is being coordinated with a 
number of Federal, State, regional and local agencies including but not 
limited to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States 
(U.S.) Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. National Marine Fisheries 
Service, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas 
General Land Office, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Other 
agencies, including the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, Texas 
Water Development Board, and the Texas Department of Transportation, 
may also comment during the scoping process.
    7. Availability of the Draft EIS. The Corps currently expects the 
Draft EIS to be made available to the public by December 2011. A public 
scoping meeting will be held at the Dayton Community Center in Dayton, 
Texas. The Corps will announce the public scoping meeting through local 
news media and the Corps' webpage at 
http:[sol][sol]www.swg.usace.army.mil/reg at least 15 days prior to the 
first meeting.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-12912 Filed 5-24-11; 8:45 am]
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