[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 154 (Friday, August 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48716-48717]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19282]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[A10-C382-1000-002-00-0-0, 6270000]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Arkansas Valley Conduit and Long-Term Excess Capacity 
Master Contract, Fryingpan-Arkansas Project; Bent, Chaffee, Crowley, 
Custer, El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, Lake, Kiowa, Otero, and Prowers 
Counties, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 
Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC) and Long-Term Excess Capacity Contract, 
Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, Colorado, is available for public review. 
The Bureau of Reclamation has evaluated comments and is recommending a 
preferred alternative for approval. The proposed Arkansas Valley 
Conduit, conveyance contract for the Pueblo Dam north-south outlet 
works interconnect, and long-term excess capacity master contract to 
store water in available space in Pueblo Reservoir would deliver high-
quality water that would meet Environmental Protection Agency and State 
water quality requirements, and help water providers throughout the 
Arkansas River Basin in Colorado reliably meet existing and future 
water demands.

DATES: The Bureau of Reclamation will not make a decision on the 
proposed action until at least 30 days after release of the Final EIS.

ADDRESSES: The final EIS is available for review at http://www.usbr.gov/avceis. Send requests for an executive summary and compact 
disc to Ms. J. Signe Snortland, Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 1017, 
Bismarck, North Dakota 58502; or by email to [email protected].
    See Supplementary Information section for locations where copies of 
the Final EIS are available for public review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: J. Signe Snortland, Environmental 
Specialist, at (701) 221-1278; or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Three proposed Federal actions by the Bureau 
of Reclamation are analyzed in the Final EIS: (1) Construct and operate 
the AVC and enter into a repayment contract with Southeastern Colorado 
Water Conservancy District; (2) enter into a conveyance contract with 
various water providers for use of a pipeline interconnection between 
Pueblo Dam's north and south outlet works; and (3) enter into an excess 
capacity master contract with Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy 
District to store water in Pueblo Reservoir. While serving similar 
water supply and delivery purposes, the proposed actions are 
independent of each other.
    The AVC was authorized by Congress in the original Fryingpan-
Arkansas legislation in 1962 (Pub. L. 87-590). However, it was not 
constructed with the original project, primarily because of the 
beneficiaries' inability to repay the construction costs. In 2009, 
Congress amended the original legislation in Public Law 111-11, which 
authorized annual Federal funding as necessary for

[[Page 48717]]

constructing the AVC, and included a cost sharing plan with 65 percent 
Federal and 35 percent local funding. The Bureau of Reclamation would 
enter into a 50-year repayment contract with Southeastern Colorado 
Water Conservancy District, which would be responsible for paying the 
local share.
    The AVC would be a water supply pipeline to help meet existing and 
future municipal and industrial water demands of southeastern Colorado 
water providers. Forty towns and rural domestic water providers in 
Pueblo, Crowley, Otero, Bent, Prowers, and Kiowa counties would 
participate in AVC. Water providers are requesting annual water 
deliveries of 10,256 acre-feet to help meet water demands in 2070. 
Fourteen of these water providers are currently under orders by the 
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to remove 
naturally-occurring radioactive contaminants from their surface or 
groundwater source using expensive treatment, or to find another better 
water quality source.
    The interconnection would move water between the existing north and 
south outlet works at Pueblo Dam during emergencies or periodic 
maintenance activities. Interconnect operations would require a long-
term (40-year) contract between AVC, Pueblo Fish Hatchery, Board of 
Water Works of Pueblo, Pueblo West, Southern Delivery System, and 
Fountain Valley Authority.
    The purpose of the excess capacity master contract would be to 
allow use of extra storage space in Pueblo Reservoir to store up to 
29,938 acre-feet of water. A long-term storage contract, rather than 
short-term contracts, is needed by 37 water providers to help meet 
projected demand through 2060 (the term of the contract).
    Some of the resources potentially affected by the proposed actions 
that are evaluated in the Final EIS include: surface water quantity and 
quality in the Arkansas River Basin, groundwater, climate change, 
recreation biological resources, human environment, socioeconomics, 
environmental justice, and historic properties.
    A Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS was published in the 
Federal Register on August 29, 2012 (77 FR 52365). The written comment 
period on the Draft EIS ended on October 30, 2012. The Final EIS 
contains responses to all comments received, and reflects comments and 
any additional information received during the review period.
    Copies of the Final EIS are available at the following locations:
     Bureau of Reclamation, Eastern Colorado Area Office, 11056 
West County Road 18E, Loveland, Colorado 80537
     Bureau of Reclamation, Great Plains Regional Office, 2021 
4th Avenue North, Billings, Montana 59101
     Carnegie Library--Ca[ntilde]on City, 516 Macon Avenue, 
Ca[ntilde]on City, Colorado 81212
     Crowley County Combined Community Library, 1007 Main 
Street, Ordway, Colorado 81063
     Pueblo City-County Library District, 100 East Abriendo 
Avenue, Pueblo, Colorado 81004
     Pikes Peak Library District, 5550 North Union Boulevard, 
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80918
     Pueblo West Public Library, 298 South Joe Martinez 
Boulevard, Pueblo, Colorado 81007
     Frank & Marie Barkman Library, 1300 Jerry Murphy Road, 
Pueblo, Colorado 81001
     Pueblo City-County Library District--Lamb Branch, 2525 
South Pueblo Boulevard, Pueblo, Colorado 81005
     Salida Regional Library, 405 East Street, Salida, Colorado 
81201
     John C. Fremont Library District, 130 Church Avenue, 
Florence, Colorado 81226
     Fountain Branch Library, 230 South Main Street, Fountain, 
Colorado 80817
     Fowler Public Library, 400 6th Avenue, Fowler, Colorado 
81039
     Kiowa County Public Library District, 1305 Goff Street, 
Eads, Colorado 81036
     La Junta-Woodruff Memorial Library, 522 Colorado Avenue, 
La Junta, Colorado 81050
     Lamar Public Library, 102 East Parmenter Street, Lamar, 
Colorado 81052
     Las Animas-Bent County Library District, 306 5th Street, 
Las Animas, Colorado 81054
     Manzanola School-Public Library, 301 Catalpa, Manzanola, 
Colorado 81058
     Rocky Ford Public Library, 400 South 10th Street, Rocky 
Ford, Colorado 81067
     Security Public Library, 715 Aspen Drive, Colorado 
Springs, Colorado 80911
     Swink School-Public Library, 610 Columbia Avenue, Swink, 
Colorado 81077
     Trimble Library, 1111 Academy Park Loop, Colorado Springs, 
Colorado 80910

    Dated: August 1, 2013.
 Michael J. Ryan,
 Regional Director, Great Plains Region.
[FR Doc. 2013-19282 Filed 8-8-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P