[Federal Register: April 10, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 68)]
[Notices]
[Page 17932-17933]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10ap07-101]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
South Coast Conduit Secondary Pipeline, Santa Barbara County,
California
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR).
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Cachuma
Operation and Maintenance Board (COMB) are planning to prepare a
combined EIS/EIR for the proposed construction of a second pipeline
adjacent to the South Coast Conduit (SCC) between the South Portal of
the Tecolote Tunnel (SPTT) and the Corona Del Mar Water Treatment Plant
(CDMWTP) for the purposes of increasing the operational flexibility,
reliability, and the conveyance capacity of the SCC, accommodating peak
demand levels, and allowing maintenance of the pipeline.
The project site is located in Glen Annie Canyon, north of the City
of Goleta, in Santa Barbara County, California. The project site
encompasses the area surrounding the existing SCC between the SPTT and
the CDMWTP.
DATES: Reclamation and COMB will hold a scoping meeting to seek public
input on topics, issues, and alternatives to be considered in the EIS/
EIR. The scoping meeting will be held on May 17, 2007 from 7 p.m. to 9
p.m. in Santa Barbara, California.
Send written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to
be considered to Mrs. Laura Myers at the below address by close of
business Friday, June 15, 2007
ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held at the COMB office, 3301
Laurel Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, California.
Send written comments on the scope of the EIS/EIR to Mrs. Laura
Myers, Bureau of Reclamation, 1243 N Street, Fresno, California 93721.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Laura Myers, Reclamation, at the
above address, (559) 487-5179 or Mr. Brett Gray, Cachuma Operations and
Maintenance Board, 3301 Laurel Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105-
2017; telephone: (805) 687-4011, fax: (805) 569-5825.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The increase in operational flexibility,
reliability, and capacity are intended to accommodate peak demand
levels and to allow maintenance of the pipeline. The limitations and
age of the original equipment, significant system modifications, and
increased demands constrain the ability of the SCC to function at the
system's original design capacity. Because of these limitations, COMB
is forced to rely on water stored in Lauro, Ortega, and Carpinteria
reservoirs to meet regional water needs. In addition, no redundant
supply or pipeline exists to convey Cachuma Project water or State
Water Project (SWP) water to the South Coast if the Tecolote Tunnel or
the Upper Reach of the SCC is out of service due to scheduled and/or
unexpected repairs.
As the Upper Reach of the SCC has the largest demand deficit and is
located upstream from the sources of demand, the proposed action would
allow more water flow farther along the pipeline to improve the level
of service and reliability. The proposed action would also provide COMB
the ability to perform regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance
to one pipeline while the second is operational. Operational
flexibility would increase due to the ability to provide higher flow
rates to CDMWTP and increased flow rates to facilities downstream of
the CDMWTP during times of peak demands. The total amount of water
delivered per year, however, would not increase.
Potential alternatives include different alignments of the pipeline
which would still meet the purpose and need, as well as pumping
structures and or disinfection facilities. A no action alternative
would include construction of site improvements and operational
activities that could occur without issuance of Federal permits.
The EIS/EIR will evaluate the potential impacts of the project on
Indian Trust Assets (ITAs), which are held in trust by the U.S.
Government for Indian Tribes or individual Tribal members. Potential
ITAs include water rights, lands, minerals (i.e., oil, gas, sand), and
hunting and fishing rights.
If special assistance is required for these meetings, please
contact Mrs. Laura Myers at (559) 487-5179. Please notify Mrs. Myers as
far in advance of the meeting as possible to allow Reclamation to
secure the needed services. If a request cannot be honored, the
requester will be notified. A telephone device for the hearing impaired
(TDD) is available at 916-978-5608.
Comments received in response to this notice will become part of
the administrative record and are subject to public inspection. Our
practice is to make comments, including names, home addresses, home
phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents, available for
public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold
their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider
withholding this information, you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your comments. In addition, you must present a rationale
for withholding this information. This rationale must demonstrate that
disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy.
Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of
exceptional, documentable circumstances, this information will be
released. We will always make submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
[[Page 17933]]
organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their
entirety.
Dated: April 4, 2007.
Robert Eckart,
Acting Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. E7-6747 Filed 4-9-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P