[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 124 (Friday, June 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36556-36557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15106]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[RR06230000, 14XR0680A1, RN076949980000501]
Notice of Availability of the Northwest Area Water Supply Project
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement; Burke, Bottineau,
Divide, McHenry, McLean, Mountrail, Pierce, Renville, Ward, and
Williams Counties, North Dakota
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation has completed the Northwest Area
Water Supply Project Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
(Draft SEIS). It is now available for public review and comment. The
Draft SEIS describes the potential environmental effects of the No
Action Alternative and four action alternatives to complete the
Project, which would provide a reliable high quality water supply to
local communities and rural water systems in northwestern North Dakota,
including the City of Minot. Cooperating agencies assisting in the
preparation of the Draft SEIS include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, North Dakota State Water
Commission, City of Minot, and Garrison Diversion Conservancy District.
DATES: Send written comments on the Draft SEIS on or before August 11,
2014.
One public hearing will be held on the following date:
Wednesday, July 23, 2014, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Minot,
North Dakota.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments or requests for copies to Ms. Alicia
Waters, Project Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 1017,
Bismarck, ND 58502, or via email to [email protected]. The Draft SEIS is
also accessible from the following Web site: http://www.usbr.gov/gp/dkao/naws/.
The hearing location is:
Comfort Inn, 1515 22nd Ave. SW., Minot, ND 58701.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Alicia Waters, Project Manager,
701.221.1206; or by email at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft SEIS documents the potential
direct, indirect, and cumulative physical, biological, and
socioeconomic environment effects that may result from the completion
of a municipal, rural, and industrial water system in
[[Page 36557]]
northwestern North Dakota. The Project would supply water to specific
delivery points. Each community or rural water system would be
responsible for connecting to the distribution line and delivering
water through their water system to end users.
The Draft SEIS evaluates the construction and operation of the
components required to complete the proposed action (i.e., the
Project). The purpose of the Project is to provide a reliable source of
high quality water to communities and rural water systems in
northwestern North Dakota for municipal, rural, and industrial uses;
the Project is sized to serve projected population growth up to the
year 2060. The water provided by the Project would be treated to meet
the primary drinking water standards established by the Safe Drinking
Water Act.
Project construction began in April 2002 after Reclamation
completed an environmental assessment and finding of no significant
impact. The Province of Manitoba, Canada, filed a lawsuit in October
2002 against the U.S. Department of the Interior in the U.S. District
Court in Washington, DC. The Province challenged the adequacy of the
environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact and
requested an injunction prohibiting expenditure of federal funds on the
Project.
In 2005 the U.S. District Court ordered Reclamation to revisit the
finding of no significant impact after completing further environmental
analysis. The order stated that additional analyses should consider
potential impacts associated with not fully treating Missouri River
water at its source, as well as the impacts of pipeline leaks and
possible failure of water treatment systems. The court also partially
denied the plaintiff's request for an injunction, allowing Project
construction to continue with some restrictions. In response to the
court order, Reclamation prepared an environmental impact statement
(EIS) on water treatment in consultation with other federal, tribal,
state and local government agencies, which also included public input.
The EIS evaluated a wide range of methods for treating water from Lake
Sakakawea in the Missouri River basin prior to conveyance of treated
water via buried pipeline to users within the Hudson Bay basin. The EIS
also evaluated environmental impacts that could occur due to pipeline
leaks and failure of the water treatment systems. A Final EIS on Water
Treatment was published in 2008, and Reclamation signed a Record of
Decision in 2009.
Shortly thereafter, the Province of Manitoba filed a supplemental
complaint contending the Final EIS on Water Treatment was insufficient.
The State of Missouri also filed a complaint against the U.S.
Department of the Interior and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the
same District Court. The State of Missouri alleged Reclamation's Final
EIS was insufficient and that the Corps of Engineers failed to complete
a separate National Environmental Policy Act assessment of the Project.
These two complaints were combined by the District Court. In March
2010, the court remanded the case to Reclamation and stated that the
injunction imposed in 2005 remained in effect. The court's remand
focused on two specific issues: (1) Cumulative impacts of water
withdrawals on Lake Sakakawea and on the Missouri River, and (2) the
consequences of transferring potentially invasive species into the
Hudson Bay basin. This Draft SEIS evaluates these issues, takes a hard
look at potential impacts to other resources, examines the purpose and
need for the Project, and evaluates a full range of alternatives to
meet the purpose and need.
The geographic scope of analysis varies by resource but generally
covers the Missouri and Souris river basins. The geographic scope for
the aquatic invasive species analysis extends into Canada as directed
by the court. The Hudson Bay basin, which includes Canada's Lake
Winnipeg and the surrounding communities, is within the scope of study.
The Lake Winnipeg area is included because the Souris River flows north
into Manitoba where it meets the Assiniboine River, which flows into
the Red River and eventually terminates in Lake Winnipeg.
Authority
The Project was authorized by the Garrison Diversion Reformulation
Act of 1986 and the Dakota Water Resources Act of 2000 as part of the
Municipal, Rural, and Industrial (MR&I) Grant Program.
Public Review of Draft SEIS
Copies of the Draft SEIS are available for public review at the
following locations:
1. Bureau of Reclamation, Dakotas Area Office, 304 East Broadway
Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58501.
2. Bureau of Reclamation, Great Plains Regional Office, 2021 4th
Avenue North, Billings, MT 59101.
3. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office Library, Building 67, Room
167, Denver Federal Center, 6th and Kipling, Denver, CO 80225.
4. Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849
C Street NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, DC 20240-0001.
5. Bismarck Public Library, 515 North 5th Street, Bismarck, ND
58501.
6. Bottineau City Hall, 115 West 6th Street, Bottineau, ND 58318.
7. Minot Public Library, 516 2nd Avenue SW., Minot, ND 58701.
8. Mohall Public Library, 115 Main Street West, Mohall, ND 58761.
9. North Dakota State Library, 604 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck,
ND 58505.
Special Assistance for the Public Hearing
If special assistance is required at the public hearing, please
contact Ms. Patience Hurley, Bureau of Reclamation, Public Affairs
Office, at [email protected]. Please notify Ms. Hurley 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.
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: June 19, 2014.
John F. Soucy,
Deputy Regional Director, Great Plains Region.
[FR Doc. 2014-15106 Filed 6-26-14; 8:45 am]
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