[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 165 (Wednesday, August 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51787-51788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21133]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project; Intent To 
Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Scoping Meeting

AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean 
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement; 
Scoping meeting.

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SUMMARY: A permit application has been submitted by California American 
Water Company (CalAm) to Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) 
to construct and operate a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination 
facility project (Project) in Monterey County, California. The permit 
review process will be conducted concurrently with a public process 
conducted pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). NOAA is soliciting information and comments on 
the range of issues and the significant issues to be analyzed in depth 
related to the Project proposed within MBNMS boundaries.

DATES: Comments must be received by October 2, 2015. A public meeting 
will be held as detailed below:
    Date: September 10, 2015.
    Location: Sally Griffin Active Living Center.
    Address: 700 Jewell Avenue, Pacific Grove 93950.
    Time: The meeting will begin at 2:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by either of the following 
methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-2015-0105, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields and enter or attach 
your comments.
     Mail: MBNMS Project Lead for CalAm Desalination Project, 
99 Pacific Ave., Bldg. 455a, Monterey, CA 93940.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NOAA. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. ONMS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Grimmer at 99 Pacific Ave., 
Bldg. 455a, Monterey, CA 93940 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background Information

I. Background

    A permit application has been submitted by CalAm for construction 
and operation of its proposed Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project 
(MPWSP or Project). The purpose of the MPWSP is to replace existing 
water supplies for CalAm's Monterey District service area.
    The MPWSP comprises various facilities and improvements, including: 
A sub-surface seawater intake system; a 9.6-million-gallons-per-day 
(mgd) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant; desalinated 
water storage and conveyance facilities; and expanded Aquifer Storage 
and Recovery (ASR) facilities.
    The desalination facility would be capable of producing 10,627 
acre-feet per year (AFY) of potable water on a 46-acre site located 
north of the City of Marina on unincorporated Monterey County property. 
The MPWSP proposes ten subsurface slant wells to draw seawater from 
beneath the ocean floor in Monterey Bay to produce the source water for 
the desalination plant. The subsurface slant wells would be located 
primarily within the City of Marina, in the active mining area of the 
CEMEX sand mining facility. The slant wells would be approximately 700 
to 1000 feet in length, with well tips located at approximately 200 to 
220 feet below mean sea level. Up to 24.1 mgd of source water would be 
needed to produce 9.6 mgd of desalinated product water.
    The desalination plant would generate approximately 13.98 mgd of 
brine, including 0.4 mgd of decanted backwash water. The brine would be 
discharged into Monterey Bay via a 36-inch diameter pipeline to a new 
connection with the existing Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control 
Agency's (MRWPCA) outfall and diffuser located at the wastewater 
facility.

II. Need for Action

    This notice of intent (NOI) to prepare a draft environmental impact 
statement

[[Page 51788]]

and conduct scoping is published in accordance with: Section 102(2)(C) 
of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended; 
and the White House Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (CEQ NEPA Regulations).
    The Project was subject to a Draft Environmental Impact Report 
(EIR), under the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act 
(CEQA), published by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) 
in April 2015. The NEPA environmental documentation will include an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which may be issued as a stand-
alone document or as a joint draft CEQA/NEPA (EIR/EIS) document with 
the CPUC.
    The environmental document will identify and assess potential 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed Project and a range 
of alternatives. Federal agencies would use the EIS to consider related 
permits or other approvals for the Project as proposed. Possible 
alternatives could include not approving the Project, approving a 
reduced size Project, or approving the Project with additional 
modifications identified as part of the terms and conditions of a 
permit or other approval.
    Publication of this notice initiates the public scoping process to 
solicit public and agency comment, in writing or at the public meeting, 
regarding the full spectrum of environmental issues and concerns 
relating to the scope and content of the EIS, including:
     Analyses of the human and marine resources that could be 
affected;
     the nature and extent of the potential significant impacts 
on those resources;
     a reasonable range of alternatives to the proposed action; 
and
     mitigation measures.

III. Process

    This NOI is published by NOAA/MBNMS, the lead federal agency. MBNMS 
has requested CPUC to re-issue the Project EIR as part of a joint draft 
CEQA/NEPA document. If the CPUC, as CEQA lead agency, determines that a 
joint CEQA/NEPA document is appropriate, the two agencies will prepare 
a joint draft EIR/EIS after completion of the federal scoping process. 
The NEPA scoping session begins at 2:00 p.m., on Thursday, September 
10, 2015 at Sally Griffin Active Living Center in Pacific Grove, CA.

IV. Federal Consultations

    This notice also advises the public that NOAA will coordinate its 
consultation responsibilities under section 7 of the Endangered Species 
Act (ESA), Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) under the Magnuson Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA, 16 U.S.C. 470), and Federal 
Consistency review under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), along 
with its ongoing NEPA process including the use of NEPA documents and 
public and stakeholder meetings to also meet the requirements of other 
federal laws.
    In fulfilling its consultation responsibility under the ESA, MSA, 
NHPA, CZMA and NEPA, NOAA intends to identify consulting parties and 
involve the public in accordance with NOAA's NEPA procedures, and 
develop in consultation with identified consulting parties alternatives 
and proposed measures that might avoid, minimize or mitigate any 
adverse effects on endangered species, essential fish habitat, historic 
properties, or coastal zone management issues, and describe them in any 
environmental assessment or draft environmental impact statement.

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.

    Dated: August 20, 2015.
John Armor,
Acting Director for the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
[FR Doc. 2015-21133 Filed 8-25-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P