South Coast Conduit/Upper Reach Reliability Project, Santa Barbara County, CA, 77000 [2010-31039]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Reclamation
• Reclamation Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 237 (Friday, December 10, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 77000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31039]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


South Coast Conduit/Upper Reach Reliability Project, Santa 
Barbara County, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement and Environmental Impact Report (Final EIS/EIR).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Bureau of 
Reclamation (Reclamation), the Federal lead agency, and the Cachuma 
Operation and Maintenance Board (COMB), the State lead agency, have 
prepared a Final EIS/EIR for the South Coast Conduit/Upper Reach 
Reliability Project (SCC/URRP). The SCC/URRP involves installation of a 
second water pipeline for improving water supply reliability to Cachuma 
Project (CP) and State Water Project (SWP) customers on the South Coast 
of Santa Barbara County.
    A Notice of Availability of the joint Draft EIS/EIR was published 
in the Federal Register on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 (73 FR 49218). 
The written comment period on the Draft EIS/EIR ended October 3, 2008. 
The Final EIS/EIR contains responses to all comments received and 
reflects comments and any additional information received during the 
review period.

DATES: Reclamation will not make a decision on the proposed action 
until at least 30 days after release of the Final EIS/EIR. After the 
30-day waiting period, Reclamation will complete a Record of Decision 
(ROD). The ROD will state the action that will be implemented and will 
discuss all factors leading to the decision.

ADDRESSES: A compact disc or a copy of the Final EIS/EIR may be 
requested from Ms. Rain Healer, Bureau of Reclamation, 1243 `N' Street, 
Fresno, CA 93721-1831, by calling 559-487-5196, TTY 800-735-2929, or 
via e-mail at rhealer@usbr.gov, or from Ms. Kate Rees, Cachuma 
Operation and Maintenance Board, 3301 Laurel Canyon Road, Santa 
Barbara, CA 93105-2017, by calling 805-687-4011, or at board.org">krees@cachuma-board.org. The Final document is also available on the following Web 
sites: https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=3368 or www.cachuma-board.org.
    See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for locations where copies of 
the Final EIS/EIR are available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Rain Healer, Bureau of 
Reclamation, or Ms. Kate Rees, COMB, at the phone numbers or e-mail 
addresses above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The existing SCC/Upper Reach pipeline 
provides approximately 80 percent of the water supply for communities 
along the South Coast of Santa Barbara County. Reclamation owns the SCC 
facilities and COMB manages the facilities under a Transfer of 
Operations and Maintenance Contract with Reclamation. The SCC operates 
at capacity for extended periods of time, and during peak demands it is 
not able to provide the water needed. No redundant supply or pipeline 
exists to convey CVP or SWP water to the South Coast if the Upper Reach 
of the SCC is out of service due to scheduled and/or unexpected 
repairs. The proposed project would increase the operational 
flexibility, reliability, and conveyance capacity of the SCC between 
the South Portal of Tecolote Tunnel and the Corona Del Mar Water 
Treatment Plant to accommodate peak demand levels and to allow 
maintenance of one pipeline while the other is operational. The total 
amount of water delivered per year, however, would not increase.
    The Final EIS/EIR considered the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
effects on the physical, natural, and human environment that may result 
from the construction and operation of the SCC/Upper Reach second 
pipeline. The Final EIS/EIR addressed potentially significant 
environmental issues and recommends adequate and feasible mitigation 
measures to reduce or eliminate significant environmental impacts, 
where possible. Three alternative pipeline alignments as well as no 
project and no action alternatives were addressed.
    A public meeting was held on September 10, 2008, in Santa Barbara, 
CA.
    Copies of the Final EIS/EIR are available for public review at the 
following locations:
     Bureau of Reclamation, South-Central California Area 
Office, 1243 `N' Street, Fresno, CA 93721-1831.
     Santa Barbara Central Public Library, 40 East Anapamu 
Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
     Goleta Public Library, 500 North Fairview Avenue, Goleta, 
CA 93117.
     COMB office, 3301 Laurel Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 
93105-2017.
    Before including your name, address, phone number, e-mail 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.

    Dated: July 13, 2010.
 Pablo R. Arroyave,
Deputy Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2010-31039 Filed 12-9-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P