[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4302-4303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00505]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project; Notice of 
Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental 
Impact Statement

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft environmental impact report/
environmental impact statement; request for public comments; 
announcement of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: A permit application has been submitted by California American 
Water Company (CalAm) to NOAA's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary 
(MBNMS) to construct and operate a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination 
facility project (Project) in Monterey County, California. The permit 
review process is being conducted concurrently with a public process 
conducted pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA, 
Cal. Pub. Res. Code Sec.  21000 et seq.). NOAA has prepared, in 
cooperation with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), a 
joint draft environmental impact review/environmental impact statement 
(EIR/EIS) that analyzes the potential effects on the physical and human 
environment related to the Project proposed within MBNMS boundaries. 
NOAA is soliciting public comment on the draft EIR/EIS.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 27, 2017. Public 
meetings will be on the following dates:

(1) Wednesday, February 15, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Marina, CA
(2) Wednesday, February 15, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Seaside, CA
(3) Thursday, February 16, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Carmel, CA

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-2016-0156, 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).
    Copies of the DEIR/EIS can be downloaded or viewed on the internet 
at www.regulations.gov (search for docket # NOAA-NOS-2016-0156), or at 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-2016-0156. Copies can 
also be obtained by contacting the person identified under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    The public meeting locations are:

(1) Marina, CA: Marina Public Library, Community Meeting Room, 188 
Seaside Ave., Marina, CA 93933 (February 15, 2017)
(2) Seaside, CA: Oldemeyer Center, Seaside Room, 986 Hilby Ave., 
Seaside, CA 93955 (February 15, 2017)
(3) Carmel, CA: Sunset Center, Carpenter Hall, San Carlos Street, 
Carmel, CA 93921 (February 16, 2017)

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 supplement 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) reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant; desalinated water 
storage and conveyance facilities; and expanded

[[Page 4303]]

Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) facilities.
    The desalination facility would be capable of producing 9.6 million 
gallons per day (MGD) 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 (nine new wells and 
conversion of an existing test well) 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 and extend beneath the coastal dunes, sandy 
beach, and the surf zone, terminating approximately 161 to 356 feet 
seaward of the Mean High Water line and at a depth of 190 to 210 feet 
below the seafloor. Up to 24.1 mgd of source water would be needed to 
produce 9.6 mgd of desalinated product water.
    Under the proposed project, 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 offshore.

II. NOAA Proposed Action

    NOAA is releasing for public comment a draft EIR/EIS that was 
prepared 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). NOAA's proposed 
action would be whether to approve the installation of a subsurface 
seawater intake system, the discharge of brine into MBNMS via an 
existing outfall pipe, and the continued presence of pipelines in MBNMS 
to transport seawater to a desalination facility.
    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 includes an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is issued as a joint draft 
CEQA/NEPA (EIR/EIS) document with the CPUC.
    The EIR/EIS identifies and assesses potential environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed Project, and identifies 6 alternatives, 
plus a no action alternative. Federal agencies would use the EIR/EIS to 
consider related permits or other approvals for the Project as 
proposed. NOAA's preferred alternative (Alternative 5a) is the 
environmentally preferred alternative. Alternative 5a would be 
implemented in conjunction with the Pure Water Monterey Groundwater 
Replenishment Project (GWR), which would offer the same amount of 
freshwater as the proposed project but result in a larger footprint 
than the proposed action alone, yet the pairing of Alternative 5a and 
the GWR project would result in reduced operational energy use and 
reduced GHG emissions compared to the proposed project. In addition, 
the combination of Alternative 5a and the GWR Project result in reduced 
effects on groundwater levels influenced by fewer slant wells and less 
volume of pumping, and the GWR project would provide water to the 
Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project that would benefit the 
groundwater basin. Lastly, Alternative 5a paired with the GWR project 
would be consistent with the 2016 California Action Plan seeking 
integrated water supply solutions, the Governor's drought 
proclamations, the CPUC Water Action Plan goal of promoting water 
infrastructure investment, the California Ocean Plan, and MBNMS 
Desalination Guidelines.

III. Process

    This NOA is published by NOAA, the lead federal agency. NOAA, along 
with the CPUC, as CEQA lead agency, have determined that a joint CEQA/
NEPA document is appropriate, and the two agencies have prepared a 
joint draft EIR/EIS after completion of a federal scoping process. In 
accordance with Section 102(2)(C) of NEPA, NOAA published a Notice of 
Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for the proposed project on August 26, 
2015 (80 FR 51787). During the EIS scoping meeting held on September 
10, 2015, five participants commented publically on the proposed 
project. Twelve written comments were received throughout the public 
comment period. The complete written comments are available for review 
at: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NOS-2015-0105.

IV. Federal Consultations

    This notice also advises the public that NOAA is coordinating its 
consultation responsibilities under section 7 of the Endangered Species 
Act, Essential Fish Habitat under the Magnuson Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, and Federal Consistency review under the Coastal Zone 
Management Act, 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.
    NOAA is seeking public comment on the DEIR/DEIS, which is available 
at http://montereybay.noaa.gov or may be obtained by contacting the 
individual listed under the heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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

    Dated: January 4, 2017.
John Armor,
Director for the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
[FR Doc. 2017-00505 Filed 1-12-17; 8:45 am]
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