[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37768-37769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15542]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-NCR-NACA-14983; PPNCNCROL0, PPMPSPD1Y.M000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Potomac River Tunnel in the National Capital Region

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102 (2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy

[[Page 37769]]

Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service) and DC 
Water as co-lead agencies are preparing an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Potomac River Tunnel in the National Capital Region. 
The area affected is within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National 
Historical Park, Rock Creek Park, and National Mall and Memorial Parks 
in Washington, DC. The purpose of this EIS is to analyze the impacts of 
constructing a tunnel and supporting infrastructure for capture, 
conveyance, and storage of combined sewer overflows when the combined 
sewer system capacity is exceeded.

DATES: The NPS will accept comments from the public through September 
2, 2014. The NPS intends to hold a public scoping meeting during the 
scoping period. Details regarding the exact times and locations of 
these meetings will be announced through local media at least 15 days 
before the meetings. Information about public meetings will also be 
provided on the three parks' planning Web site:  http://parkplanning.nps.gov/NCRO (click on the link to the Potomac River 
Tunnel EIS).

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment 
online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/NCRO and at all three park 
headquarters listed below.

Office of the Superintendent, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National 
Historical Park, 1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100, Hagerstown, Maryland 
21740, Telephone: (301) 714-2201.
Office of the Superintendent, Rock Creek Park, 3545 Williamsburg Lane 
NW., Washington, DC 20008, Telephone: (202) 895-6004.
Office of the Superintendent, National Mall and Memorial Parks, 900 
Ohio Drive SW., Washington, DC 20024, Telephone: (202) 485-9880.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Moussa Wone, DC Clean Rivers Project, 
(202) 787-4729 or Joel Gorder, National Park Service Regional 
Environmental Coordinator, (202) 619-7405.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This planning effort is needed because 
combined sewer overflows (CSOs) cause or contribute to water quality 
degradation in the receiving waters of the Potomac River. In addition, 
the project is required by a Federal Consent Decree entered into by DC 
Water, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United 
States Department of Justice and the District of Columbia. The Federal 
Consent Decree identifies a completion milestone of 2025 for a series 
of projects designed to reduce discharges of CSOs into the Anacostia 
River, Potomac River, and Rock Creek. For the Potomac River Tunnel 
project, the Federal Consent Decree requires an underground storage 
tunnel be constructed to provide 58 million gallons of CSO storage and 
a dewatering pump station sufficiently sized to dewater the tunnel 
within 59 hours.
    While DC Water is the agency tasked with the construction and 
operation of the Potomac River Tunnel, the majority of the associated 
infrastructure is to be built on or below NPS administered properties, 
including Rock Creek Park; Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National 
Historical Park; the National Mall and Memorial Parks; and the bed of 
the Potomac River.
    A scoping newsletter will be prepared that details the issues 
identified to date and include the purpose, need, and objectives of the 
Environmental Impact Statement. Copies of that information may be 
obtained online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/NCRO or at one of the 
three parks' headquarters addresses above.
    If you wish to comment on the purpose, need, objectives, 
alternatives, or on any other issues associated with the EIS, you may 
submit your comments via the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/NRCO (preferred method) or by mail or hand-delivery to any of the 
addresses listed above.
    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: May 20, 2014.
Stephen E. Whitesell,
Regional Director, National Park Service, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 2014-15542 Filed 7-1-14; 8:45 am]
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