[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 106 (Monday, June 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33049-33051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13062]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service


Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Green 
River/Tusher Diversion Dam Rehabilitation Project, Emery/Grand County, 
UT

AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4370d, as implemented by the 
Council of Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) 
and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) regulations that 
implement NEPA at 7 CFR part 650, the NRCS Utah State Office announces 
its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
Green River/Tusher Diversion Dam Rehabilitation project.
    The purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties regarding 
the intent to prepare the EIS, to provide information on the nature of 
the proposed action and possible alternatives, and to invite public 
participation in the EIS process (including providing comments on the 
scope of the draft EIS, to announce that a public scoping meeting will 
be conducted, and to identify cooperating agency contacts). The EIS 
process will evaluate alternatives recommended for detailed study as a 
result of previous planning-level studies completed by NRCS and any 
additional (new) alternatives identified during scoping.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the draft EIS, including the 
project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, types of 
issues that should be addressed, associated research that should be 
considered, and the methodologies to be used in impact evaluations 
should be sent to NRCS starting on May 29, 2013 and ending on or before 
June 28, 2013 (5:00 p.m. MDT), to the address listed in the ADDRESSES 
section below. Comments submitted after June 28, 2013 will be 
considered to the extent practicable by the project team.
    Two scoping meetings to present the project and develop the scope 
of the EIS will be held on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, via Tele-
briefings. Participants should call (800) 346-7359 (entry code 840561) 
at least fifteen minutes prior to the meeting and an operator will 
connect you to the Tele-briefing. The first Tele-briefing will start at 
2:00 p.m. (MDT) with a formal presentation and

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last until 2:45 p.m. An informal question and answer period will be 
held from 2:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The second Tele-briefing will start at 
6:00 p.m. (MDT) with a formal presentation and last until 6:45 p.m. An 
informal question and answer period will be held from 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 
p.m. Presentation materials will be available on the project Web site 
(http://www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EWP/index.html) for participants 
to download prior to the meeting.
    Any individual who requires special assistance to participate in a 
scoping meeting, such as hard copy documentation of the meeting or 
other assistance, should contact Mr. Greg Allington, McMillen, LLC, 
(208) 342-4214 or llc.com">greenriver@mcmillen-llc.com by Friday, May 24, 2013 
to allow sufficient time for documents to be mailed or special 
arrangements to be made.
    Scoping meeting presentation materials will be available on the 
NRCS Utah Emergency Watershed Protection Web site (http://www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EWP/index.html) prior to the meeting. 
Electronic copies of the scoping materials may also be obtained from 
Mr. Greg Allington, McMillen, LLC, (208) 342-4214 or 
llc.com">greenriver@mcmillen-llc.com. Representatives of Native American tribal 
governments and of federal, State, regional and local agencies that may 
have an interest in any aspect of the project will be invited to be 
cooperating agencies, as appropriate.

ADDRESSES: Formal scoping comments may be submitted via mail, email, 
fax, or oral telephone comment to:
     Contact: Mr. Greg Allington, McMillen, LLC,
     Mail: 1401 Shoreline Dr., Boise, Idaho 83702
     Email: llc.com">greenriver@mcmillen-llc.com
     Fax: (208) 342-4216
     Telephone: (208) 342-4214.
    Details of the public scoping meeting are given above under DATES. 
Comments should be submitted by close-of-business (5:00 p.m. MDT) June 
28, 2013. Respondents should provide contact information if you wish to 
be included on the EIS mailing list. Please note that any respondent's 
entire scoping comment, including their personal contact information, 
may be made publicly available at any time during the EIS process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Bronson Smart, State Conservation 
Engineer, Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, 125 South State Street, 
Room 4010, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1100, or via email at 
[email protected]. Information may also be obtained from Mr. 
Greg Allington, McMillen, LLC, 1401 Shoreline Dr., Boise, Idaho 83702, 
or via email at llc.com">greenriver@mcmillen-llc.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background--The NRCS and Utah Department of Agriculture and Food 
(UDAF) are analyzing alternatives to rehabilitate the Green River/
Tusher Diversion Dam due to damage from the late 2010 and early 2011 
flood events. The dam was constructed in the early 1900's and has been 
modified over the years to maintain the structure. During the 2010/2011 
flood events, flows in the Green River caused severe damage to the 
diversion structure compromising its structural integrity. If the dam 
fails, water delivery to two irrigation canals, a historic irrigation 
water wheel delivery system, and one hydropower plant would be 
eliminated.
    The rehabilitation of the diversion dam would be funded through the 
NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program (CFR, Title 7: 
Agriculture, Part 624--Emergency Watershed Protection) via technical 
assistance and partial construction funding. A National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) Programmatic EIS was prepared by NRCS for the overall 
EWP program in 2004; however, the rehabilitation of this diversion dam 
does not fit within the analysis parameters of the Programmatic EIS. 
Therefore, additional NEPA analysis is required for this project.
    The project started out under the analysis of an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) during the first scoping period that was opened from 
October 30, 2012 to November 30, 2012. A public scoping meeting was 
held on November 15, 2012 at Green River City Hall in Green River, 
Utah. Through additional consultation with the Utah State Historic 
Preservation Office (SHPO) under Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, it was determined that the diversion dam may be 
eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Any 
modifications to the dam may be considered an ``adverse effect'' which 
may make it ineligible for listing after rehabilitation. A wide range 
of alternatives is being considered for the project as listed in the 
Alternatives section below. Some of the impacts to the diversion dam 
from these alternatives may be considered ``significant'' to cultural 
resources and as a result, NRCS has decided to prepare an EIS for the 
project. The EIS will be prepared consistent with Title 390, The 
National Emergency Watershed Protection Program Manual.
    The Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program (Recovery 
Program) is proposing to fund and install a fish barrier in the west 
irrigation and hydropower plant canal to prevent Endangered Species Act 
(ESA) listed fish species from entering the canal and/or hydropower 
plant. As part of the dam repair, upstream and downstream fish passage 
may also be incorporated into the design. These fish protection and 
passage components are proposed for inclusion in the Green River 
diversion rehabilitation project to help reduce mortality of ESA listed 
fish species populations in the Green River.
    Scoping Process--NRCS invites all interested individuals and 
organizations, public agencies, and Native American Tribes to comment 
on the scope of the EIS, including the project's purpose and need, 
alternatives proposed to date, new alternatives that should be 
considered, specific areas of study that might be needed, and 
evaluation methods to be used.
    Background information including the project purpose and need and 
alternatives developed to date will be available prior to the scoping 
meeting on the NRCS Utah EWP Web site (http://www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EWP/index.html). Electronic and hard copies of supporting 
documentation are also available from Mr. Greg Allington, McMillen, 
LLC, (208) 342-4214 or llc.com">greg.allington@mcmillen-llc.com.
    Once the scope of the EIS is confirmed upon the close of scoping, 
NRCS will begin preparation of the draft EIS. A summary of comments 
received during the scoping period will be compiled in a scoping report 
which will be available on the NRCS Utah EWP Web site.
    Project Study Area and Environmental Setting--The proposed project 
is located approximately 6.6 miles north of the city of Green River in 
Emery/Grand Counties, Utah. The project study area includes land that 
is unincorporated on both sides of the Green River. The primary study 
area includes the diversion dam where rehabilitation activities would 
occur. Secondary study areas include areas required for alternatives of 
the project as described in the Alternatives section below such as the 
powerhouse raceway, irrigation canal on the east side of the diversion 
dam, construction staging areas on both sides of the river, and 
potential impacts to the river and riparian area upstream of the 
diversion dam.
    The environmental setting for the project area is primarily located 
in a riverine environment surrounded by a relatively narrow riparian 
plant

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community adjacent to the river. Beyond the riparian community are 
agricultural fields on the east side of the diversion dam and BLM land 
on the west side of the diversion dam that is primarily comprised of 
desert shrubs and grasses.
    Environmental resources consist of the natural and man-made 
environment. Preliminary resource concerns associated with the 
rehabilitation of the diversion dam may include both beneficial and 
negative impacts to water quality and supply, fish, threatened and 
endangered species, cultural, recreation, aesthetics, and public health 
and safety.
    Alternatives--NRCS is analyzing the following conceptual 
alternatives to rehabilitate the diversion dam:
     Repair Existing Diversion Dam: Repair the existing 
diversion to safely pass flood events.
     Replace Existing Diversion Dam: Demolish the existing 
diversion dam and install a new dam in the same location.
     Replace Diversion Dam Downstream: Demolish the existing 
diversion dam and install a new diversion dam downstream.
     Replace Diversion Dam Upstream: Demolish the existing 
diversion dam and install a new diversion dam upstream.
     Diversion Decommissioning: Completely remove the diversion 
dam from the river and stabilize the diversion site. The existing water 
rights at the dam would be supplemented via pumping out of the river or 
other options to provide water to the water rights holders.
     Fish Passage Upstream/Downstream: Construct a passage 
system(s) on the dam to allow safe upstream and downstream passage of 
fish over the diversion dam.
     Electric Fish Barrier: Install an electric fish barrier to 
prevent fish from swimming into the powerhouse and irrigation canal on 
the west side of the diversion dam.
     Fish Barrier: Install a fish barrier to prevent fish from 
swimming into irrigation canal on the east side of the diversion dam.
     Boat Passage Upstream/Downstream: Construct a passage 
system(s) on the dam to allow safe downstream passage of boats past the 
diversion dam.
    NRCS will consider any viable alternatives brought forward during 
scoping if it is substantially different from the alternatives 
described above. NRCS will also study a No-Action alternative which 
would consist of no Federal money used for the rehabilitation of the 
diversion dam.
    Cooperating Agencies--Federal, state, and local agencies that may 
be interested in or affected by the project may request or be requested 
by NRCS to become a cooperating agency in the development of the EIS.

    Signed this 24th day of May, 2013, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
David C Brown,
Utah State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-13062 Filed 5-31-13; 8:45 am]
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