[Federal Register: June 22, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 120)]
[Notices]
[Page 34476-34477]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22jn07-73]
[[Page 34476]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NV-040-5101-ER-F851; N-79742]
Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for the Kane Springs Valley Groundwater Development Project, Nevada
AGENCY: Lead Agency--Bureau of Land Management, Interior; Cooperating
Agencies--U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior; State of Nevada
Department of Wildlife; Moapa Valley Water District, Overton, Nevada.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), as amended; and the Council on
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Nevada
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a draft environmental
impact statement (DEIS) to consider whether or not to grant a right-of-
way for groundwater development facilities. This notice announces the
opening of the comment period on the DEIS.
DATES: The Kane Springs Valley Groundwater Development Project DEIS
will be available for review for 60 calendar days from the date the EPA
publishes this Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM
intends to hold four public meetings in Nevada during the 60-day
comment period, one each in Alamo, Pioche, Carson City and Las Vegas.
The BLM will announce all public meeting times and locations at least
15 days in advance through public notices, media news releases, or
mailings. In addition, information on public meetings may be posted on
the Internet at http://www.nv.blm.gov.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the DEIS are available upon request from the BLM
Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Blvd., P.O. Box 12000, Reno NV
89520, phone 775-861-6681 or e-mail to: nvgwprojects@blm.gov. You may
request either a hard copy or a computer disc (CD). The document will
be available electronically on the following Web site: http://www.nv.blm.gov.
Copies of the DEIS will be available for public
inspection at the following locations:
Bureau of Land Management, Nevada State Office, 1340
Financial Blvd, Reno, Nevada.
Bureau of Land Management, Ely Field Office, 702 North
Industrial Way, Ely, Nevada.
To receive full consideration, comments must be postmarked no later
than the last day of the written comment period. (The last day of the
written comment period may be identified at the Internet address above,
after publication of the EPA Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register.)
You may submit comments on the DEIS using any of the following
methods:
Mail: Penny Woods, Project Manager, 1340 Financial Blvd,
P.O. Box 12000, Reno, NV 89520.
Fax: 775-861-6689.
E-mail: nvgwprojects@blm.gov.
All public comments, including the names and mailing addresses of
respondents, will be available for public review at the Nevada State
Office in Reno, Nevada during public room hours from 9 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, and may be
published as part of the Final EIS. Before including your address,
telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly
available at any time. While you can ask in your comment to withhold
from public review your personal identifying information, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Penny Woods, Project Manager, BLM
Nevada State Office, P.O. Box 12000, Reno NV 89520-0006, telephone 775-
861-6466. Requests for information may be sent electronically to
nvgwprojects@blm.gov with ``Kane Springs Information Request'' in the
subject line.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS describes and analyzes a proposal
for groundwater development facilities in the Kane Springs Valley
submitted by the Lincoln County Water District (LCWD, or Applicant).
The DEIS assesses the proposal submitted by LCWD, an alternative
alignment (Alternative 1), and the no action alternative. Under the
Proposed Action, the Applicant would develop and convey groundwater in
Kane Springs Valley to private land for community development purposes
in Coyote Springs Valley. The volume of water to be transported through
the proposed facilities could be up to 5,000 acre-feet per year.
The proposed project would be located in unincorporated portions of
southwestern Lincoln County, Nevada, and consists of a 13.2 mile
pipeline, seven production wells, water storage tanks, a 12.5 kV
transmission line, and a fiber optic line.
The water wells would be primarily located within or immediately
adjacent to the utility corridor established by the Lincoln County
Conservation, Recreation and Development Act of 2004--Public Act 108-
424 (LCCRDA). A portion of the electrical/communication lines would be
constructed outside of the LCCRDA corridor on private lands. The 13.2
mile-long water transmission pipeline (up to 24-inch diameter), and
lateral pipelines (up to 12-inch diameter) would connect the
transmission pipeline to the production wells. A 50,000 gallon forebay
tank would be sited adjacent to the existing well and used to normalize
flow pressures in the system as well as provide storage for secondary
lifting if required. A 700,000 gallon terminal storage tank would be
constructed on private lands at the northern boundary of the
development area.
Associated ancillary facilities would include overhead distribution
power lines, buried fiber optic lines, access roads, and temporary
laydown/storage areas. The electric and communication lines would be
placed in the permanent right-of-way easement to provide power and
communication for the project facilities. Depending on final well
siting, access roads approximately 12 feet wide may be needed from the
Kane Springs Road to each well site. Temporary laydown/storage areas up
to 2 acres in size would be spaced approximately 0.5 miles apart along
the construction right-of-way.
The proposed width of the permanent right-of-way for the
transmission pipeline and lateral pipelines is 60 feet. A temporary
right-of-way to accommodate construction activities would be 75 feet
wide.
Scoping of the project occurred from March 31 through May 1, 2006.
Comments were received in the following broad categories: NEPA process
(38%), social resources (22%) and physical/natural resources (40%).
The DEIS addresses the following issues identified during scoping:
NEPA Process (consultation/coordination, proposal description,
alternatives, connected actions/cumulative impacts, and data needs/
validity); social resources (aesthetics, cultural resources, land use,
recreation, and socioeconomic resources); and physical/natural
resources (air quality, biological resources, geology and water
resources).
The key issues identified by individuals, groups and governmental
entities include water supply and use, competing or conflicting land
use, and cumulative impacts and connected actions.
[[Page 34477]]
A map of the proposed project is available for viewing at the
Bureau of Land Management State Office at 1340 Financial Boulevard,
Reno, Nevada, and the Ely Field Office, 702 North Industrial Way, Ely,
Nevada.
Amy Lueders,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. E7-11807 Filed 6-21-07; 8:45 am]
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