[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26807-26808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10914]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-PWR-PWRO-12638; PPPWGOGAY0 PPMPSAS1Z.YP0000]


Vista Grande Drainage Basin Improvement Project, Fort Funston, 
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco County, CA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Sec.  102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15082, the National Park Service, 
together with the City of Daly City, intends to prepare a joint 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report 
(EIR) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of the proposed 
Vista Grande Drainage Basin Improvement Project (Project). The EIS/EIR 
will address proposed improvements to Daly City's infrastructure to 
address storm-related flooding in the Vista Grande Watershed Drainage 
Basin and the effects of coastal erosion. The National Park Service 
(NPS) is the lead agency for the environmental review under NEPA. The 
City of Daly City is the lead agency for the environmental review under 
CEQA.

DATES: All written comments must be postmarked not later than June 7, 
2013.
    Background: The Vista Grande watershed area is located in the City 
of Daly City and unincorporated Broadmoor Village, in northwestern San 
Mateo County. This watershed is approximately 2.5 square miles in area 
and is bordered by San Francisco County to the north, Colma Creek 
watershed to the south and east, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. The 
Vista Grande watershed is drained through the Vista Grande Canal and 
Tunnel, which are located in the City and County of San Francisco, 
adjacent to John Muir Drive and the southwestern shoreline of Lake 
Merced. The Vista

[[Page 26808]]

Grande Tunnel is a sub-surface tunnel beneath Fort Funston, which is 
owned and managed by NPS as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation 
Area (GGNRA). The Vista Grande Tunnel connects the Vista Grande 
watershed to an outfall located on the beach below the Fort Funston 
bluffs, through which stormwater flows are discharged into the Pacific 
Ocean.
    The City of Daly City has proposed the Project to address storm-
related flooding in the Vista Grande Watershed Drainage Basin. The 
existing Vista Grande Canal and Tunnel do not have adequate hydraulic 
capacity to convey peak storm flows. As a result, during storm events, 
flooding periodically occurs in adjacent low-lying residential areas 
and along John Muir Drive. The Project would involve upgrades to the 
Vista Grande watershed collection system upstream of the Vista Grande 
Canal; partial replacement of the existing Vista Grande Canal to 
incorporate a gross-solid screening device, a treatment wetland, and 
diversion and discharge structures to route some stormwater (and 
authorized non-storm water) flows from the Vista Grande Canal to Lake 
Merced; replacement of the existing Vista Grande Tunnel to expand its 
capacity; and replacement of the existing outfall structure at Fort 
Funston.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Along with evaluating a No-Action 
Alternative, the EIS/EIR will consider a range of alternatives, 
including various combinations of facilities, such as alternative 
tunnel alignments and capacities, storm water detention structures, 
lake level scenarios, and groundwater recharge facilities. The Project 
would increase the hydraulic capacity of the canal and tunnel and 
extend its operating life. In addition, the Project would utilize 
stormwater to restore the level of Lake Merced, which declined in the 
late-1980s and early-1990s and has not fully recovered. Under the 
Project, an adjustable-height weir would be used to control the lake 
level and allow water to be diverted back into the Vista Grande Canal.
    The existing outfall, a segment of the Vista Grande Tunnel, and the 
force main segment are presently exposed to the surf and waves, which 
have caused significant damage to the structure. The Project would 
reconfigure these structures to provide protection from the surf and 
waves. The existing Daly City outfall structure would be removed and 
replaced with a low-profile outfall structure set into the existing 
cliff face to reduce future erosion. The existing force main would also 
be removed and replaced with a similar configuration set back into the 
cliff face. The existing submarine outfall pipeline and diffuser would 
be renovated to protect it from erosion and extend its operating life.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Ortega, Golden Gate NRA, Fort 
Mason, Building 201, San Francisco, CA 94123; telephone (415) 561-2841 
or email [email protected].
    Public Scoping and Comment: Notice is hereby given that a public 
scoping process and comment phase has been initiated for the EIS/EIR. 
The purpose of the public scoping process is to elicit public comment 
regarding the full spectrum of issues and concerns, a suitable range of 
alternatives, the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts 
or ecological benefits, and appropriate mitigation strategies that 
should be addressed in preparing a draft EIS/EIR. Preliminary issues to 
be addressed in the EIS/EIR include habitat for fish and wildlife, 
ecosystem conditions and processes, effects on special status plant and 
animal species, hydrology, flood hazards, traffic, air quality, visitor 
access, and visitor experience. Public scoping meetings will be 
scheduled in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Meeting dates, 
times, and locations will be publicized through local and regional news 
media, by email to the park mailing list (to be included on the Project 
email list, please visit: http://ww.nps.gov/goga and click the ``Join 
the Mailing List'' link), and via the Project Web site: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/Vista_Grande. This Project Web site will also 
provide relevant information, including the Project description, 
planning process updates, meeting notices, reports and documents, and 
useful links associated with the Project.
    All written comments should be mailed to the following address: 
Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area; Attn: Vista 
Grande Project; Fort Mason, Building 201, San Francisco, CA 94123. 
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.
    Decision Process: At this time, it is anticipated that the draft 
EIR/EIS will be distributed for public review in late 2013. 
Availability of the document for review will be announced by the 
publication of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, 
through local and regional news media, via the Project Web site, and by 
email to Project email recipients. Additional public meetings will be 
held, and further opportunities for public comment will be provided, 
after the draft EIS/EIR is distributed. Following due consideration of 
all comments received on the draft EIS/EIR, preparation of the final 
document is anticipated to be completed in 2014. Because this is a 
delegated EIS, the official responsible for approval of the Project is 
the Regional Director, Pacific West Region. Subsequently the official 
responsible for implementation of the approved Project is the 
Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

    Dated: March 15, 2013.
Christine S. Lehnertz,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 2013-10914 Filed 5-7-13; 8:45 am]
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