Corps Announces Riverside “SAMP” Public Scoping Meeting
 
LOS ANGELES -- The Corps of Engineers will hold a public scoping meeting January 23, 2003, for the San Jacinto and Upper Santa Margarita Watershed Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) in Riverside County.

The Corps of Engineers is preparing an EIS for a SAMP and associated permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.  SAMPs are designed to be conducted in geographic areas of special sensitivity under intense development pressure. The goal of the SAMP is to achieve a balance between aquatic resource protection and reasonable economic development.
 
Key objectives of the SAMP for these two watersheds in western Riverside County are to: (1) evaluate the extent and condition of existing aquatic resources; (2) develop a comprehensive reserve program for the protection, restoration and management of aquatic resources; and (3) identify and evaluate alternative land development scenarios in the context of the aquatic resource reserve program.
 
Based on the SAMP, the Corps of Engineers will identify potential areas and/or activities suitable for authorization using programmatic permitting procedures under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.  Activities that may be authorized using such programmatic permitting procedures include, but are not limited to, the construction of public infrastructure such as roads, flood control projects and utilities, maintenance of public facilities, and residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational development.

The Corps seeks public comment on the issues to be evaluated in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement associated with the preparation of the SAMP. The document will be prepared as a joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) with the state lead agency, the California Department of Fish and Game.

The Corps of Engineers invites the participation of affected state, federal, and local agencies and other interested persons and organizations in identifying issues of concern that should be addressed in the EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Comments will become a part of the record and will be considered in the development of the Draft EIS/EIR, and ultimately, any permit decisions.

The public scoping meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Simpson Center, 305 East Devonshire Avenue, Hemet, California. If you are unable to attend the meeting, the Corps will be pleased to take written comments until February 7, 2003 at the following address: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District
Regulatory Branch
ATTN: CESPL-CO-R-FT
P.O. Box 532711
Los Angeles, California 90053-2325