[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 175 (Monday, September 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55497-55498]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22176]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Announcement of Public Scoping Meetings for Continued Operation of the 
Paradox Valley Unit, Montrose County, CO

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended, the Bureau of Reclamation intends to prepare an environmental 
impact statement to identify and evaluate brine disposal alternatives 
to replace or supplement the existing Brine Injection Well No. 1 which 
has a projected remaining useful life of three to five years under 
current operations.

DATES: Comments on the scope of the environmental impact statement 
(EIS) will be accepted from September 10, 2012, to November 26, 2012.
    Three public scoping meetings will be held to solicit public input 
on the scope of the EIS, potential alternatives, and issues to be 
addressed in the EIS. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 
meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the scope and content of the EIS 
should be sent to Mr. Terence Stroh, Bureau of Reclamation, Western 
Colorado Area Office, 2764 Compass Drive, Suite 106, Grand Junction, 
Colorado 81506; telephone (970) 248-0608; facsimile (970) 248-0601; or 
email at [email protected].
    Those not desiring to submit comments or suggestions at this time, 
but who would like to receive a copy of the EIS, should contact Mr. 
Stroh using the information cited above. See the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for locations of public scoping meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Terence Stroh, Bureau of 
Reclamation, 2764 Compass Drive, Suite 106, Grand Junction, Colorado 
81506; telephone (970) 248-0608; email at [email protected]; or Mr. Andy 
Nicholas, Bureau of Reclamation, Paradox Valley Field Office, P.O. Box 
20, Bedrock, Colorado 81411; telephone (970) 859-7214; email at 
[email protected]; or Mr. Kib Jacobson, Bureau of Reclamation, 125 
South State Street, Room 6107, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138; telephone 
(801) 524-3753; email at [email protected].
    Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call 
the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to 
contact the above individual(s) during normal business hours. The FIRS 
is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or 
question with the above individual(s). You will receive a reply during 
normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Paradox Valley Unit was constructed to 
assist in meeting the objectives and standards of the Federal Water 
Pollution Control Act of 1948 (Pub. L. 80-845) and the Colorado River 
Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974, as amended and supplemented (Pub. 
L. 93-320), which authorizes the construction, operation, and 
maintenance of works in the Colorado River Basin to control the 
salinity of water delivered to users in the United States and Mexico. 
Authorized facilities included wells, pumps, pipelines, solar 
evaporation ponds, and all necessary appurtenant and associated works 
such as roads, fences, dikes, power transmission facilities, and 
permanent operating facilities.

Background

    The Paradox Valley Unit is located along the Dolores River in the 
Paradox Valley in Montrose County, Colorado, about ten miles east of 
the Colorado-Utah state line. The Dolores River is a major tributary to 
the Colorado River. Groundwater in the Paradox Valley is highly saline. 
Saline concentrations in this area have been measured in excess of 
250,000 milligrams per liter; by far one of the most concentrated 
sources in the Colorado River Basin. Groundwater then surfaces into the 
Dolores River. Studies show that the Dolores River accumulated more 
than 205,000 tons of salt annually before the Paradox Valley Unit began 
operation.
    The Paradox Valley Unit presently consists of a brine collection 
well field, brine surface treatment facility, brine injection facility, 
a 16,000-foot injection well, and associated roads, pipelines, and 
electrical facilities. Unit operations have been adjusted over time to 
address increased seismic activity and injection pressures. Under 
normal operations, the Paradox Valley Unit averages injection of about 
nine to ten million gallons of brine per month. The Unit currently 
controls about 110,000 tons of salt per year that would have entered 
the Dolores River and, in turn, degraded the water quality of the 
mainstem of the Colorado River.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to identify, evaluate, and implement brine 
disposal alternatives to replace or supplement Brine Injection Well No. 
1 which was built in 1988 and has a projected remaining useful life of 
three to five years, under current operations, provided that acceptable 
seismicity levels and well integrity are maintained.

Need for Action

    The Bureau of Reclamation's Paradox Valley Unit is one of the most 
effective salinity control projects in the Colorado River Basin and 
provides about ten percent of the total salinity control in the 
Colorado River at Imperial Dam. Because the existing brine injection 
well is nearing the end of its useful life, another well or alternative 
brine disposal mechanism is needed for continued enhancement and 
protection of the quality of water available in the Colorado River for 
use in the United States and the Republic of Mexico, and to enable the 
United States to comply with its obligations under the agreement with 
Mexico of August 30, 1973.

[[Page 55498]]

Scoping Information

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Scoping is an 
early and public process for determining concerns to be addressed and 
for identifying significant issues and suggested alternatives related 
to the proposed action. In addition to oral comments provided at the 
scoping meetings, Reclamation also invites written comments during the 
scoping period. To be most effectively considered, written comments 
should be received no later than November 26, 2012.
    When the EIS is complete, its availability will be announced in the 
Federal Register, in the local news media, through direct contact with 
interested parties, and on the project Web site. Comments will be 
solicited on the document at that time.
    If special assistance is required to participate in the public 
scoping meetings, please contact Ms. Justyn Hock at 970-248-0625 or 
email at [email protected]. Please notify Ms. Hock as far in advance as 
possible to enable Reclamation to secure the needed services. If a 
request cannot be honored, the requestor will be notified.

Dates and Addresses of Public Scoping Meetings

    The scoping meeting dates and addresses are:
     Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Paradox 
Valley School, 21501 6 Mile Road, Paradox, Colorado 81429.
     Wednesday, September 26, 2012, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Holiday 
Inn Express, 1391 South Townsend Avenue, Montrose, Colorado, 81401.
     Thursday, September 27, 2012, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Colorado 
Mesa University, University Center--Room 221, 1100 North Avenue, Grand 
Junction, Colorado 81501-3122.

Public Disclosure

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: July 17, 2012.
Larry Walkoviak,
Regional Director--Upper Colorado Region, Bureau of Reclamation.
[FR Doc. 2012-22176 Filed 9-7-12; 8:45 am]
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