[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76389-76392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-31344]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Meeting on the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Basewide Water Infrastructure and Stuart Mesa Bridge 
Replacement at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section (102)(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] Sections 
4321-4370h); the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for 
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 40 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 1500-1508); Department of the Navy 
Procedures for Implementing NEPA (32 CFR part 775); and Marine Corps 
NEPA directives (Marine Corps Order P5090.2A), the Marine Corps (USMC) 
has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) a Draft Environmental Impact Statement

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(EIS) that evaluates the potential environmental consequences that may 
result from implementing the Basewide Water Infrastructure and Stuart 
Mesa Bridge Replacement projects at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton 
(MCBCP). The proposed action would involve the construction, operation, 
and maintenance of infrastructure upgrades, expansions, and 
improvements to the Basewide water system and replacement of a critical 
link in the Base roadway system. The projects would include a northern 
Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) plant and associated facilities, 
connection of the Base's northern and southern water systems, and 
replacement of the bridge on Stuart Mesa Road over the Santa Margarita 
River (Stuart Mesa Bridge). A Notice of Intent to prepare this EIS was 
published in the Federal Register on March 31, 2010 (Vol. 75, No. 61, 
p. 16080).
    With the filing of the Draft EIS, the Department of the Navy (DoN) 
is initiating a 45-day public comment period and has scheduled a public 
open house meeting to receive oral and written comments on the Draft 
EIS. Federal, State, and local agencies and interested individuals are 
invited to be present or represented at the public meeting. This notice 
announces the date and location of the public meeting, and 
supplementary information about the environmental planning effort.

DATES: The Draft (EIS) public review period will begin December 2, 
2011, and end on January 17, 2012. The USMC is holding an informational 
open house style public meeting to inform the public about the proposed 
action and the alternatives under consideration, and to provide an 
opportunity for the public to comment on the Draft EIS. USMC and DoN 
representatives will be on hand to discuss the proposed action, the 
NEPA process and the findings presented in the Draft EIS. The meeting 
will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Ole Hanson Fireside 
Room at the San Clemente Community Center, 100 North Calle Seville, San 
Clemente, California 92672 on January 5, 2012. The Draft EIS was 
distributed to Federal, State, and local agencies, elected officials, 
and other interested parties and individuals on December 2, 2011. The 
document can be viewed online and downloaded from www.marines.mil/unit/basecamppendleton/Pages/BaseStaffandAgencies/Environmental/EAEIS/Home.aspx.
    Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review at the 
following public libraries: Oceanside Civic Center Library, 330 North 
Coast Highway, Oceanside, California 92054; San Clemente Library, 242 
Avenida del Mar, San Clemente, California 92672; and Fallbrook Branch, 
San Diego County Public Library, 124 S. Mission Road, Fallbrook, 
California 92028.
    A copy of the Draft EIS will be made available upon written request 
to Mr. Jesse Martinez, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) 
Southwest, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92132-5190, (619) 532-
3844.

Comments

    Attendees will be able to submit written comments at the public 
meeting; a stenographer will also be present to transcribe oral 
comments. Equal weight will be given to oral and written statements. 
Comments may be mailed to Mr. Jesse Martinez, NAVFAC Southwest, 1220 
Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92132-5190. Comments may be submitted 
during the 45-day public review period. All comments must be postmarked 
or electronically dated on or before January 17, 2012, to be sure they 
become part of the public record. All statements, oral transcription 
and written, submitted during the public review period will become part 
of the public record on the Draft EIS and will be responded to in the 
Final EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jesse Martinez, NAVFAC Southwest, 
(619) 532-3844. Please submit requests for special assistance, sign 
language interpretation for the hearing impaired, or other auxiliary 
aids at the public meeting to Mr. Martinez.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action evaluated in the Draft 
EIS is the construction and operation, including maintenance, of three 
infrastructure projects entirely within MCBCP and funded by Military 
Construction (MILCON) program appropriation. These projects include an 
advanced water treatment plant and associated facilities in the 
northern part of the Base (MILCON Project Number P-1044); connection of 
the Base's northern and southern water systems (P-1045); and 
replacement of the Stuart Mesa Bridge over the Santa Margarita River 
and associated roadway/flood control improvements (P-1039). Each 
project is a separate, distinct, and independently complete and usable 
action. Full environmental analyses for four action alternatives, and a 
No Action Alternative are presented in the Draft EIS.

Purpose and Need

    The proposed action is needed to modernize and expand the capacity 
and capability of MCBCP's aging (1960s era) potable water system and 
roadway infrastructure.
    The current potable water piping and treatment system is outdated 
and undersized. Higher quality drinking water through advanced water 
treatment is needed in the northern portion of the Base because the 
current water treatment processes do not meet the secondary drinking 
water standards for total dissolved solids and may not meet the pending 
Federal Safe Drinking Water Act Stage 2 Disinfectant Byproducts Rule. 
In addition, the two Base water systems, the northern system and the 
southern system, are not connected. The independent systems have 
resulted in service interruptions to portions of the Base during 
maintenance and natural disasters.
    In the case of the roadway system, the Stuart Mesa Bridge, together 
with nearby roadway segments and the adjacent intersection of Stuart 
Mesa Road and Vandegrift Boulevard, represents a critical roadway 
connection on the main internal north-south connector in the southern 
and western portions of MCBCP. The roadway link has been severed in the 
past by flooding, underscoring the need for an all-weather solution.
    The purpose of the proposed action is to enhance the ability of 
MCBCP to efficiently meet its mission by developing new or upgraded, 
reliable, and compliant infrastructure systems necessary to sustain 
military training and operations and quality of life services on MCBCP. 
The purpose is to provide: (1) Improved water treatment capabilities, 
capacity, and drinking water system redundancy to deliver higher 
quality water in the north; (2) water security and a connected, more 
comprehensive system for the delivery of Basewide water services during 
periods of scheduled, unscheduled, and emergency system interruption; 
and (3) improved traffic flow and efficient all-weather traffic 
accessibility to key training and non-training areas in the southern 
portion of MCBCP that are now severed during periodic flooding in the 
vicinity of the Stuart Mesa Bridge.

Alternatives

    The EIS evaluates three MILCON projects (P-1044, P-1045, and P-
1039) and four alternatives for each MILCON for a total of 12 action 
alternatives. As the environmental and engineering assessment developed 
for the proposed action, a combination of alternatives were identified 
as the preferred alternative based on operational, environmental, 
economic, and military sustainability reasons. The preferred 
alternatives are P-1044 Alternative 1;

[[Page 76391]]

P-1045 Alternative 3; and P-1039 Alternative 4. Each is identified and 
discussed below.
    Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) North and Associated Facilities 
(MILCON P-1044). Four alternatives involving a combination of two AWT 
plant sites and two pipeline routes were evaluated. All alternatives 
include construction of an 8.6 million gallon per day AWT facility, new 
and replacement water lines, pump stations with emergency generators, 
connection to existing reservoirs and distribution system, a brine 
disposal system, and plant access improvements. Raw water, treated 
water, and brine would be conveyed via new proposed lines. Raw water 
lines would extend from the existing wells to the AWT facility. Treated 
water lines would extend from the AWT facility to the west to serve the 
San Onofre Housing Areas and the 51 Area (San Onofre), 62 Area (San 
Mateo), 63 Area (Cristianitos), 64 Area (Talega), 52 Area (School of 
Infantry), and 53 Area (Horno). Trenchless construction to extend lines 
beneath San Onofre Creek and San Mateo Creek or suspension of the 
pipelines over the creeks would be incorporated to minimize impacts. 
Following water treatment at the AWT, brine would be disposed via ocean 
outfall and injection wells. The ocean outfall disposal would use the 
existing decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) 
12-foot-diameter, 3,200-foot-long cooling water intake structure 
located on the Pacific Ocean floor. Two deep injection well fields 
(approximately 750 feet deep) would also be used. One would be located 
at the existing San Onofre percolation ponds and the other would be 
located northwest of the San Onofre Surf Beach area of San Onofre State 
Beach. The proposed AWT facility would include micro-filtration and 
liquid granulated activated carbon/reverse osmosis.
    Alternative 1 (Preferred Alternative). Under this alternative the 
AWT facility would be constructed at a location south of San Onofre 
Creek. A portion of the conveyance lines would be located within 
Basilone Road. The brine disposal line would extend from the AWT 
facility to the south to connect to the proposed injection wells and to 
the existing SONGS ocean intake pipeline. The line to SONGS would 
extend beneath Interstate-5 (I-5) via trenchless construction.
    Alternative 2. Under this alternative, raw water, treated water, 
and brine would be conveyed via three proposed new pipelines located 
primarily in El Camino Real instead of Basilone Road as proposed under 
Alternative 1.
    Alternative 3. Under this alternative, the AWT facility would be 
located south of Basilone Road. Water conveyance pipelines would be the 
same as Alternative 1.
    Alternative 4. Under this alternative, the AWT facility would be 
located south of Basilone Road. Water conveyance pipelines would be the 
same as Alternative 2.
    Connection of North and South Water Systems (MILCON P-1045). Four 
alternatives involving different pipeline routes were evaluated.
    Alternative 1. Under this alternative, approximately 188,000 linear 
feet (LF) of potable water lines sized up to 36 inches in diameter 
would connect the northern and southern water systems of MCBCP. The 
water line would start at the new AWT North facility (P-1044) and 
extend south on an alignment using El Camino Real to Stuart Mesa Road. 
Dividing at the junction of Stuart Mesa Road and Las Pulgas Road, one 
branch would run north along Las Pulgas Road to an existing reservoir 
in the 43 Area (Las Pulgas). This lateral pipeline would be 
approximately 10 to 14 inches in diameter. The other branch would 
continue along Stuart Mesa Road before splitting again into two more 
branches. One of these branches would extend northeast on the west side 
of the Santa Margarita River along North River Road, passing east of 
the 32 Area (Marine Air Control Squadron-1) and 33 Area (Margarita) and 
west of the 23 Area (Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton) to 
Basilone Road and on to connect to the AWT South facility at Haybarn 
Canyon as well as several reservoirs along a ridge above the AWT South. 
The second branch would continue south along Stuart Mesa Road, crossing 
under or suspending over the Santa Margarita River and then north along 
Vandegrift Boulevard to an existing pump station and several existing 
reservoirs in the Wire Mountain area. The construction and operation of 
a new 4-million-gallon water reservoir in the Wire Mountain area is 
proposed along with associated water line connections to serve the new 
Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (currently under construction) and the 21 
Area (Del Mar). The pipelines would use trenchless construction under 
or suspended over San Onofre Creek, Las Flores Creek, Aliso Canyon 
drainage, French Creek, and two locations on the Santa Margarita River 
to avoid impacts to these areas. The project would also include the 
construction and operation of three pump stations along the alignment. 
Maintenance access/recreation corridors could also be included.
    Alternative 2. The proposed north-south pipeline would start at the 
new AWT North facility (P-1044) and extend south in El Camino Real to 
Las Pulgas Road and run north in Las Pulgas Road to Basilone Road. The 
water line would extend along Basilone Road to Vandegrift Boulevard and 
run east to connect to the AWT South at Haybarn Canyon as well as 
several reservoirs along a ridge above the AWT South. This alternative 
would require an additional pump station and would be approximately 
165,000 LF.
    Alternative 3 (Preferred Alternative). This alternative would be 
similar to Alternative 1 except it would not include the segment on the 
west side of the Santa Margarita River along North River Road. The new 
4-million-gallon water reservoir and connections to the new Naval 
Hospital Camp Pendleton and the 21 Area (Del Mar) would be included. 
This alternative would be approximately 137,000 LF.
    Alternative 4. This alternative would be similar in alignment to 
Alternative 3, with an additional pipe segment extending further on 
Vandegrift Boulevard east of the 22 Area (Chappo) before connecting to 
the AWT South at Haybarn Canyon as well as several reservoirs along a 
ridge above the AWT South. This alternative would be approximately 
179,000 LF.
    Stuart Mesa Bridge Replacement and Flood Control Improvements (P-
0139). Four alternatives including a combination of two flood control 
methods and the use of a temporary bridge during construction were 
evaluated. All alternatives include demolition of the existing Stuart 
Mesa Bridge and construction of a new four lane bridge and flood 
protection measures.
    Alternative 1. Construction would consist of a new cast-in-place 
prestressed concrete bridge (approximately 1,200 feet long by 56 feet 
wide) with pile foundations, new approach road and bridge abutments, 
earthwork and grading, rock protection and revetment, bridge deck, 
guard rails, night lighting, asphalt pavement, and pavement marking and 
signs. The project includes ``100-year storm'' flood protection control 
measures to protect Stuart Mesa Road and Vandegrift Boulevard. Flood 
control facilities consist of levees, levee scour protection, and a 
storm water drain system. Under this alternative, no temporary 
replacement bridge would be constructed over the Santa Margarita River 
and traffic would need to utilize alternate existing routes during 
construction.

[[Page 76392]]

    Alternative 2. Under this alternative, a temporary use bridge would 
be constructed to allow vehicular traffic along Stuart Mesa Road to 
continue to cross the Santa Margarita River. Bridge construction would 
be the same as Alternative 1.
    Alternative 3. Under this alternative, flood walls would be 
constructed rather than levees. The flood walls, while having a smaller 
construction footprint, would provide the same flood control 
protection. No temporary replacement bridge would be constructed over 
the Santa Margarita River. Bridge construction would be the same as 
Alternative 1.
    Alternative 4 (Preferred Alternative). This alternative would be 
similar to Alternative 3, with the exception of a construction phase 
temporary use bridge, which would allow traffic along Stuart Mesa Road 
to continue to cross the Santa Margarita River during demolition of the 
existing bridge and construction of the new bridge.

Environmental Issues

    The Draft EIS evaluates the potential environmental effects 
associated with each of the alternatives. Issues addressed include: 
Geology and soils, hydrology and water quality, biological resources, 
cultural resources, land use, visual resources, socioeconomics and 
environmental justice, traffic, air quality, noise, public health and 
safety, services and utilities, and coastal zone resources, and marine 
resources. Relevant and reasonable measures that could alleviate 
environmental effects have been considered.

Schedule

    A 45-day public comment period will start upon publication of the 
EPA Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. Comments on the 
Draft EIS must be received by January 17, 2012. The DoN will consider 
and respond to all comments received on the Draft EIS when preparing 
the Final EIS. The DoN expects to issue the Final EIS in June 2012, at 
which time a Notice of Availability (NOA) will be published in the 
Federal Register and local print media. A Record of Decision is 
expected in August 2012.

    Dated: November 29, 2011
L.R. Almand,
Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer, Office of the Judge 
Advocate General, U.S. Navy.
[FR Doc. 2011-31344 Filed 12-6-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P