[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 210 (Friday, October 30, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66933-66934]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-27716]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR02030700, XXXR0680R1, RR.17529652.MP70012]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement for the Sacramento Regional County 
Sanitation District South County Ag Water Recycling Program

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation, the lead Federal agency, and the 
Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San), the lead 
state agency, will prepare a joint Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the South County Ag Water 
Recycling Program (Project). The Project would deliver approximately 
45,000 acre-feet per year of Title 22 disinfected tertiary treated 
recycled water to about 16,000 acres of irrigated lands in southern 
Sacramento County for agricultural and urban landscape uses and to the 
Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. The Project could also provide an 
additional 5,000 acre-feet per year of recycled water for groundwater 
recharge, for a total recycled water delivery of 50,000 acre-feet per 
year.

DATES: Submit written comments on the scope of the EIR/EIS by November 
30, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on the scope of the EIR/EIS to Mr. 
Jose Ramirez, Project Manager, Sacramento County Regional Sanitation 
District (Regional San), 10060 Goethe Road, Sacramento, California 
95827; or by email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jose Ramirez, Regional San at 
(916) 879-6059, email at [email protected]; or Mr. Douglas 
Kleinsmith, Bureau of Reclamation, (916) 978-5034, email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Project water comes from the Regional 
San Sacramento Regional Water Treatment Plant (SRWTP) located in Elk 
Grove, California. Presently, the SRWTP treats and discharges secondary 
effluent into the Sacramento River and operates a 5-million-gallon-per-
day (mgd) Water Recycling Facility to produce tertiary effluent. In 
December 2010, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board 
adopted new Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) for Regional San. The 
new WDRs require treatment upgrades to be operational by December 2023, 
and have prompted Regional San to evaluate a multitude of technologies 
to produce up to 181 mgd of Title 22 disinfected tertiary recycled 
water or `equivalent' quality effluent. Following a pilot study of 
various technologies, one technology has been selected to treat 
wastewater to Title 22 disinfected tertiary level, which is suitable 
for agriculture.
    Title 22 disinfected tertiary recycled water generated at the SRWTP 
would be conveyed to agricultural and urban customers using a new pump 
station at the SRWTP and through a new network of recycled water 
pipelines (transmission, distribution, and laterals) located within 
public road rights-of-way, private roads, and agricultural land. The 
proposed Project would also include a potential recharge area to 
increase recycled water usage and benefit the local groundwater basin 
through increasing groundwater table levels and recharging the basin; 
with the potential recharge area, the delivery of recycled water could 
increase by approximately 5,000 acre-feet per year. In addition, the 
Project includes provision of recycled water to support wetland habitat 
at the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) to protect the 
sensitive resources at the refuge during drought conditions.
    The average annual recycled water delivered to potential customers 
is approximately 50,000 acre-feet per year. Recycled water would be 
delivered to approximately 16,000 acres of irrigated lands (and some 
limited recharge areas) and to managed wetlands at Stone Lakes NWR. The 
actual monthly demand would vary seasonally with the maximum demand 
occurring during the irrigation season, from May through September. The 
project is designed to deliver up to two-thirds of the maximum month 
demand during the irrigation season. The remaining demand would be met 
by groundwater pumping, the existing source of water supply. As treated 
wastewater would be beneficially reused, there would be a commensurate 
reduction in the discharge of treated wastewater into the Sacramento 
River.

Project Objectives

    The objectives of the proposed Project are as follows:
     Reduce groundwater pumping in the Central Basin by 
supplying recycled water to agricultural and urban customers in south 
Sacramento County.
     Minimize conveyance costs while maximizing demand served.
     Improve environmental resources and benefit habitats and 
ecosystems to
    [cir] Reduce streamflow losses in the Cosumnes River by raising 
groundwater levels.
    [cir] Support improved riparian habitat along the Cosumnes River as 
a result of elevated groundwater levels along the stream margins.
    [cir] Provide recycled water to wetlands.
    The proposed Project consists of the following proposed project 
elements and their level of environmental evaluation in the joint EIR/
EIS:
     New pump station at the SRWTP (project-level evaluation)
     30- to 60-inch transmission pipeline from the pump station 
to Twin Cities Road (project-level evaluation)
     Distribution mainlines from the transmission pipeline and 
lateral service connections to potential customers (agriculture and 
Stone Lakes NWR) (program-level evaluation)
     Potential Recharge Area and wells to produce water to the 
meet the dilution requirements for groundwater recharge (program-level 
evaluation)
    The EIR/EIS will also evaluate the No Project Alternative, an 
alternative that does not include funding by Reclamation, and a 
smaller-scale project alternative that would supply less recycled water 
to a smaller area in South Sacramento County.

Previous Scoping

    Regional San mailed a notice of preparation of a Draft EIR 
regarding the proposed Project to the public on January 30, 2015 and 
held a scoping meeting on February 18, 2015 at the Sacramento Farm 
Bureau in Elk Grove, California.

Public Disclosure

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other

[[Page 66934]]

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: September 21, 2015.
Jason Phillips,
Deputy Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-27716 Filed 10-29-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4332-90-P