[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 48253]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22475]


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 INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION


United States and Mexico United States Section; Notice of 
Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact for Channel Maintenance Alternatives at Thurman I 
and II Arroyos in Hatch, NM, Rio Grande Canalization Project

AGENCY: United States Section, International Boundary and Water 
Commission, United States and Mexico (USIBWC).

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment 
(EA).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969; the Council on Environmental Quality Final 
Regulations; and the United States Section, Operational Procedures for 
Implementing Section 102 of NEPA, published in the Federal Register 
September 2, 1981, (46 FR 44083); the United States Section hereby 
gives notice that the Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact for Channel Maintenance Alternatives at Thurman I 
and II Arroyos in Hatch, NM, Rio Grande Canalization Project is 
available. An environmental impact statement will not be prepared 
unless additional information which may affect this decision is brought 
to our attention within 30-days from the date of this Notice.
    Public Comments: USIBWC will consider substantive comments from the 
public and stakeholders for 30 days after the date of publication of 
this Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.
    Please note all written and email comments received during the 
comment period will become part of the public record, including any 
personal information you may provide. 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. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their 
entirety.
    Comments and requests for public hearings should be sent to: 
Elizabeth Verdecchia, Natural Resources Specialist, USIBWC, 4171 N. 
Mesa, C-100; El Paso, Texas 79902. Telephone: (915) 832-4701, Fax: 
(915) 493-2428, email: [email protected].
    Background: The USIBWC is considering constructing sediment control 
projects at Thurman I and II, two ephemeral tributaries of the Rio 
Grande, located within a portion of the Rio Grande Canalization Project 
protective levee system in Hatch, Do[ntilde]a Ana County, New Mexico. 
The USIBWC has the statutory authority to maintain the Rio Grande (Act 
of June 4, 1936, 49 Stat. 1463, Pub. L. 648 and 22 United States Code 
277). USIBWC commissioned a study in 2015 that recommended sediment 
control structures be built on Thurman I and II arroyos, among others, 
to trap sediment and assist in the maintenance of the Rio Grande.
    The purpose is to construct sediment control structures on Thurman 
I and II arroyos with the following objectives:
    (1) Control the inflow of sediment into the Rio Grande mainstem,
    (2) Conduct a pilot study for channel maintenance alternatives, and
    (3) Be accessible for maintenance and minimize operational costs.
    This EA evaluates potential environmental impacts of the No Action 
Alternative and two alternatives. The Alternative A: No Action--Routine 
Sediment Excavation does not call for any construction but would 
require continued routine sediment excavation at the confluence of the 
arroyos and the Rio Grande. Alternative B: Mesh-Based Sediment Traps 
proposes to construct mesh and rebar sediment traps where each mesh 
would trap progressively smaller sediment particles. Alternative C: 
Sediment Basins is the Preferred Alternative, and calls for the 
construction of a sediment basin at each arroyo with a concrete end 
wall. Permits would be required from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
for dredge and fill of Waters of the United States, per the Clean Water 
Act Sections 404 and 401.
    Potential impacts on natural, cultural, and other resources were 
evaluated. Mitigation has been proposed for permits for construction. A 
Finding of No Significant Impact has been prepared for the Preferred 
Alternative based on a review of the facts and analyses contained in 
the EA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Verdecchia, Natural 
Resources Specialist, USIBWC, 4171 N. Mesa, C-100; El Paso, Texas 
79902. Telephone: (915) 832-4701, Fax: (915) 493-2428, email: 
[email protected].
    Availability: The electronic version of the Draft EA is available 
from the USIBWC Web page: https://www.ibwc.gov/EMD/EIS_EA_Public_Comment.html.

    Dated: October 5, 2017.
Matt Myers,
Chief Legal Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2017-22475 Filed 10-16-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7010-01-P