[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 243 (Friday, December 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79034-79035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31804]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Report and Conduct Scoping Meeting for 
the Corte Madera Creek Flood Control Project General Reevaluation 
Report and Integrated EIS/EIR, County of Marin, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to initiate the scoping process 
for the preparation of an Integrated General Reevaluation Report and 
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) 
for channel modification opportunities to Unit 2, 3 and 4 of the Corte 
Madera Creek Flood Control Project in Marin County, CA.

DATES: A public scoping meeting will be held on January 14, 2016 from 
6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (PST). Submit comments concerning this notice on or 
before February 1, 2016.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting location is: the Marin Arts and Garden 
Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Ross, CA 94957-9601. Mail 
written comments concerning this notice to: U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, San Francisco District, Planning Branch, ATTN: Stephen M. 
Willis, 1455 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1398. Comment 
letters should include the commenter's physical mailing address, the 
project title and the Corps file number in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen M. Willis, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, San Francisco District, Planning Branch, 1455 Market Street, 
San Francisco CA 94103-1398, (415) 503-6861, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Corps 
will address channel modification opportunities to Unit 4 of Corte 
Madera Creek, Marin County, CA, in accordance with the Flood Control 
Act of 1962, Public Law 87-4, 87th Congress, 2nd Session, approved 
October 23, 1962, and amended by Section 204 of Public Law 89-789, the 
Flood Control Act of 1966, and the Water Resources Development Act of 
1986. Modifications to Unit 4

[[Page 79035]]

may also require modifications to Units 2 and 3.
    Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Marin 
County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 9 (MCFCWCD) 
is the lead agency and local sponsor in preparing an Environmental 
Impact Report (EIR). The Corps and MCFCWCD have agreed to jointly 
prepare a Draft EIS/EIR to optimize efficiency and avoid duplication. 
The Draft EIS/EIR is intended to be sufficient in scope to address the 
Federal, state and local requirements and environmental issues 
concerning the proposed activities and permit approvals.
    The USACE's Corte Madera Creek Flood Control Project is consistent 
and compatible with the District's Ross Valley Flood Control Program, 
the purpose of which is to manage flood risk in the Ross Valley 
watershed.
    Project Site and Background Information: Corte Madera Creek drains 
an area of approximately 28 square miles in Marin County, CA and 
discharges into the San Francisco Bay nine miles north of the Golden 
Gate Bridge. Unit 4 extends from downstream of the Lagunitas Road 
Bridge, near the upstream terminus of Unit 3, to the Sir Francis Drake 
Boulevard Bridge right before the Ross/San Anselmo town line. Although 
Units 1, 2, and 3 channel modifications were completed in 1971, public 
concerns led to a delay in the planned actions for Unit 4. In 1996, 
Marin County requested the completion of Unit 4 by the Corps, and 
damages incurred by the December 2005 flood also renewed public 
interest in finding solutions to minimize the risk of future floods.
    Additional studies conducted by the Corps focused on evaluating the 
design performance of Units 3 and 4. These studies identified the 
abrupt transition between Units 3 and 4 created by the existing Denil 
fish ladder, the narrow channel condition on the east and west bank, 
and the Lagunitas Road Bridge as constrictions to flood flow. The Town 
of Ross replaced the Lagunitas Road Bridge in 2010 with a higher bridge 
profile to accommodate a greater flow capacity of approximately 5,400 
cubic feet per second.
    A charrette was held in 2013 to restart the project study under the 
Corps' SMART Planning principles. SMART Planning is intended to be 
Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Risk Informed, and Timely planning 
to complete USACE feasibility studies in a cost-effective and efficient 
manner. More information on the SMART Planning process is available at 
http://planning.usace.army.mil/toolbox/smart.cfm.
    Additional information on this project can be found at http://www.marinwatersheds.org/documents_and_reports/USACECorteMaderaCreekProject.html.
    Purpose and Need: The purpose of the project is to manage flood 
risk from Corte Madera Creek associated with Unit 4. The need of the 
project is to address channel modifications to Unit 4, from the 
upstream end of the existing Unit 3 concrete channel to Sir Francis 
Drake Boulevard at the border of Ross and San Anselmo, which may also 
require modifications to Units 3 and 2. Unit 3 extends from the 
upstream end of the concrete channel in Ross downstream to the College 
Avenue Bridge. Unit 2 extends from College Avenue Bridge downstream to 
Bon Air Bridge in Larkspur.
    Issues: Potentially significant issues associated with the project 
may include: hydrology, geology, land use and planning, population and 
housing, water and air quality, climate change, biological resources, 
transportation, noise, aesthetics, utilities and service systems, 
cultural resources, human health and safety, and social and economic 
effects, as well as cumulative impacts from past, present and 
reasonably foreseeable future projects. Alternative actions will be 
evaluated that will consider fish passage for threatened and endangered 
fish species that migrate through the project area, riparian habitat, 
as well as other potential environmental issues of concern.
    Scoping Process: The Corps is seeking participation of all 
interested Federal, state, and local agencies, Native American groups, 
and other concerned private organizations or individuals through this 
public notice.
    The purpose of the public scoping meeting is to solicit comments 
regarding the potential impacts, environmental issues, and alternatives 
associated with the proposed action to be considered in the Draft EIS/
EIR. The meeting place, date and time will be advertised in advance in 
local newspapers, and meeting announcement letters will be sent to 
interested parties. The Draft Integrated General Reevaluation Report 
and EIS/EIR is expected to be available for public review and comment 
in the Fall of 2016 and a public meeting will be held after its 
publication.

John C. Morrow,
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2015-31804 Filed 12-17-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3720-58-P