Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Delta Wetlands Project in San Joaquin and Contra Costa Counties, CA, Corps Permit Application Number SPK-1901-09804, 13643-13645 [2013-04722]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 40 / Thursday, February 28, 2013 / Notices
tagged, measured, weighed, tissue and
blood sampled and photographed.
Foraging samples would be collected by
lavage from 25 of the green sea turtles
annually. Each year up to 15 of the
juvenile green sea turtles would have an
acoustic transmitter attached to the
carapace for tracking movements. In
addition to captures, green, loggerhead,
hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley, and
leatherback sea turtles would be
counted during vessel surveys in the
nearshore waters of Florida and Georgia.
Dated: February 20, 2013.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–04404 Filed 2–27–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request
Corporation for National and
Community Service.
ACTION: Notice.
The Corporation for National
and Community Service (CNCS), as part
of its continuing effort to reduce
paperwork and respondent burden,
conducts a pre-clearance consultation
program to provide the general public
and federal agencies with an
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing collections of
information in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This
program helps to ensure that requested
data can be provided in the desired
format, reporting burden (time and
financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly
understood, and the impact of collection
requirement on respondents can be
properly assessed.
Currently, CNCS is soliciting
comments concerning its proposed
renewal of the Learn and Serve Progress
Report. The Learn and Serve grantees
submit this progress report via eGrants.
Copies of the information collection
request can be obtained by contacting
the office listed in the addresses section
of this Notice.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted to the individual and office
listed in the ADDRESSES section by April
29, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by the title of the information
collection activity, by any of the
following methods:
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19:12 Feb 27, 2013
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CNCS is
particularly interested in comments
that:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of CNCS, including whether
the information will have practical
utility.
• Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used.
• Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected.
• Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are expected to respond, including the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology
(e.g., permitting electronic submissions
of responses).
Background: The Learn and Serve
grantees submit this progress report via
eGrants. The Learn and Serve program
staff will use the information to monitor
progress, and to respond to requests
from Congress and other stakeholders.
Current Action: CNCS seeks to renew
the current information collection. The
information collected in the Grantee
Progress Report may be used by the
Corporation’s Office of Public Affairs to
promote service. Learn and Serve
program staff will use the information to
monitor progress, and to respond to
requests from Congress and other
stakeholders. Some information
provided in the Progress Report may be
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
AGENCY:
SUMMARY:
(1) By mail sent to: Corporation for
National and Community Service, Office
of Field Liaison/LSA. Attention: Sylvie
Mortimer, Field Liaison Specialist; 1201
New York Avenue NW., Washington,
DC, 20525.
(2) By hand delivery or by courier to
the CNCS mailroom at Room 8100 at the
mail address given in paragraph (1)
above, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
(3) By fax to: (202) 606–3475,
Attention: Sylvie Mortimer, Field
Liaison Specialist.
(4) Electronically through
www.regulations.gov. Individuals who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TTY–TDD) may call 1–800–833–
3722 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sylvie Mortimer, (202) 606–6749
number, or by email at
smortimer@cns.gov.
PO 00000
Frm 00026
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
13643
used by the Corporation’s Office of
Public Affairs to promote service.
Program staff also use the information to
identify trends and issues that may lead
to changes in policies and procedures,
allocation of training and technical
assistance, or opportunities for peer
learning.
The information collection will
otherwise be used in the same manner
as the existing application. CNCS also
seeks to continue using the current
application until the revised application
is approved by OMB. The current
application is due to expire on 7/31/
2013.
Type of Review: Renewal.
Agency: Corporation for National and
Community Service.
Title: Learn and Serve Progress Report
Information Collection.
OMB Number: 3045–0089.
Agency Number: None.
Affected Public: The public affected
are the beneficiaries of the Learn and
Serve grants and their broad
communities.
Total Respondents: Twenty-three
grantees will respond to this
information request.
Frequency: One final progress report
for each grantee.
Average Time per Response: Averages
30 minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 11.5
hours.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):
None.
Total Burden Cost (operating/
maintenance): None.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for Office of
Management and Budget approval of the
information collection request; they will
also become a matter of public record.
Dated: February 19, 2013.
Mike Berning,
Director, Office of Field Liaison.
[FR Doc. 2013–04609 Filed 2–27–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050–$$–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of
Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Delta Wetlands Project in
San Joaquin and Contra Costa
Counties, CA, Corps Permit
Application Number SPK–1901–09804
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\28FEN1.SGM
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13644
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 40 / Thursday, February 28, 2013 / Notices
Delta Wetland Properties
(Applicant) has applied for a
Department of Army permit under
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act
(CWA) and Section 10 of the Rivers and
Harbors Act of 1899 (R & H A) to
develop two Reservoir Islands (Bacon
Island and Webb Tract). Applications
with the Department of Army under
Section 404 of the CWA for the
discharge of dredged or fill material into
waters of the United States and under
the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA)
Section 10 for activities within
navigable waters were first filed with
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(Corps) in 1987. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued
no-jeopardy Biological Opinions (BOs)
for the project in May and June 2000.
The Corps issued a Department of the
Army Permit under CWA Section 404
(Permit 190109804) for the project on
June 26, 2002. Permit 190109804
required that construction be completed
by December 31, 2007. The applicant is
applying for a new permit for the project
because the previously issued permit
has expired.
The Corps has determined that a
Supplement to the Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Delta
Wetlands Project (prepared in 2001) is
required. Delta Wetland Properties has
applied for a new Department of the
Army permit to fill approximately 2,156
acres of waters of the United States,
including wetlands, to implement the
project.
DATES: The Corps will conduct a public
scoping meeting that will be held on
Monday, March 11, 2013 from 4:00 p.m.
to 7:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting
will be held at the Tsakopoulos Galleria
Library located at 828 I Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Marc Fugler, (916) 557–5255, mailto:
marc.a.fugler@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested
parties are invited to submit written
comments on the permit application on
or before March 20, 2013. Scoping
comments should be submitted within
the next 60 days, but may be submitted
at any time prior to publication of the
Supplemental Draft EIS. To submit
comments on this notice or for
questions about the proposed action and
the Supplemental Draft EIS, please
contact Marc Fugler, 1325 J Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814–4708. Parties
interested in being added to the Corps’
electronic mail notification list for the
proposed project can email a request to
spk-regulatory-info@usace.army.mil and
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SUMMARY:
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19:12 Feb 27, 2013
Jkt 229001
indicate which list you would like your
email address to be added. Please refer
to Identification Number SPK–1901–
09804 in any correspondence.
The Applicant’s Preferred Alternative
is generally the same as described in the
2001 EIS (available at https://
www.deltawetlandsproject.com) and the
Department of the Army permit for the
project issued in 2002. Since 2002, the
applicant has entered into a partnership
with Semitropic Water District Storage
(Semitropic) to develop the project, to
integrate the project into the operation
of the Semitropic Groundwater Storage
Bank and the Antelope Valley Water
Bank, and to provide project water for
agricultural uses within Semitropic’s
service area.
Activities that would result in the
discharge of dredged or fill material into
waters of the U.S. on the Reservoir
Islands interiors consist of the
construction of new intake and
discharge facilities, new boat berthing
facilities adjacent to each intake and
discharge facility, and interior grading
and perimeter levee improvements.
Activities that would result in work in
navigable waters adjacent to the
Reservoir Islands consist of the
placement of new intake facilities and
installation of fish screens, new boat
berthing facilities adjacent to each
intake and discharge facility, and new
pumps and outfalls to discharge water
stored in the reservoirs into the Delta.
Compensation for wetland and wildlife
effects of the water storage operations
on the Reservoir Islands would be
provided by implementing a Habitat
Management Plan (HMP) on two Habitat
Islands (Bouldin Island and the majority
of Holland Tract). Bacon Island and
Bouldin Island are located in San
Joaquin County and Holland Tract and
Webb Tract are located in Contra Costa
County.
A wetland delineation for the project
islands verified by the Corps in April
2002 identified a total of 860.47 acres of
jurisdictional waters. This delineation
expired in 2007 and an updated
delineation was conducted for the
project islands in 2012. The updated
delineation identifies a total of 3,851.70
acres of potentially jurisdictional
features. The primary differences in the
verifications consist of the
reclassification of ‘‘exotic marsh’’ in the
2002 delineation to freshwater marsh
and the addition of two wetland types:
Agricultural wetlands and forested
wetlands. The updated delineation
identifies the following acreages of
potentially jurisdictional waters on the
project islands: Bacon Island 572.69
acres, Webb Tract 1,583.61 acres,
Holland Tract 996.28 acres, and Bouldin
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Island 699.12 acres. The applicant
proposes to fill approximately 2,156
acres of potentially jurisdictional waters
on the Reservoir Islands. Impacts would
be mitigated through implementation of
the HMP which would create or
enhance (net) 1,147 acres of wetlands
and other waters of the U.S. on the
Habitat Islands. In addition, any
wetlands not filled by levee
improvements, intake construction, or
mass grading on the Reservoir Islands
would be converted to seasonally open
water habitat (lacustrine).
The Supplemental EIS will include
alternatives to the Proposed Action that
will meet NEPA requirements for a
reasonable range of alternatives, and
will also meet the requirements of the
CWA Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines. The
alternatives to be evaluated in the
Supplemental EIS are anticipated to
consist of the following: (1) An
alternative with different operating
criteria for diversion and discharge of
stored water, (2) the project as proposed
in the 404 permit application (i.e., the
Applicant’s Preferred Alternative), (3)
an alternative in which all four islands
would be used as reservoirs with some
compensation habitat provided on
Bouldin Island, and (4) the No Project
Alternative in which the four islands
would continue to be used for intensive
agricultural operations.
The Corps’ public involvement
program includes several opportunities
to provide oral and written comments
on the proposed Delta Wetlands Project
through the NEPA process. Affected
federal, state, regional, and local
agencies, Native American tribes, and
other interested organizations and
parties are invited to participate.
Potentially significant issues to be
analyzed in depth in the Supplemental
EIS include loss of waters of the United
States (including wetlands), and
impacts related to water supply, water
quality, utilities and public services,
traffic and navigation, fish, vegetation
and wetlands, wildlife, land use and
agriculture, recreation, visual resources,
air quality, climate change, and
socioeconomics.
The Corps will reinitiate formal
consultation with USFWS and NMFS
under Section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act for impacts to listed species
that may result from the project. The
Corps will also reinitiate consultation
with the State Historic Preservation
Office under Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act for properties
listed or potentially eligible for listing
on the National Register of Historic
Places, as appropriate.
The Supplemental EIS is expected to
be made available to the public in 2013.
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 40 / Thursday, February 28, 2013 / Notices
Dated: February 13, 2013.
William J. Leady,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer.
clarify information related to the Draft
EIS. The public meetings will be held
between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at each
of the locations and dates listed below:
[FR Doc. 2013–04722 Filed 2–27–13; 8:45 am]
1. Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at Lemoore Civic
Auditorium, 435 C Street, Lemoore,
California 93245.
2. Thursday, March 21, 2013 at Southwest
High School, Multipurpose Room, 2001
Ocotillo Drive, El Centro, California
92243.
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Public Meetings for the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement and
Draft Clean Air Act General Conformity
Determination for U.S. Navy F–35C
West Coast Homebasing
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Pursuant to section 102(2)(c)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 and regulations
implemented by the Council on
Environmental Quality (40 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 1500–
1508), the Department of the Navy
(DoN) has prepared and filed with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). The Draft EIS evaluates
the potential environmental effects that
may result from homebasing the U.S.
Navy F–35C (Joint Strike Fighter)
aircraft at either Naval Air Facility
(NAF) El Centro, California or Naval Air
Station (NAS) Lemoore, California.
In addition, pursuant to the USEPA’s
Clean Air Act (CAA) General
Conformity Regulations (40 CFR part 93,
subpart B), the DoN has prepared a Draft
CAA General Conformity
Determination, which is included in the
Draft EIS, to address air emission
impacts associated with proposed F–
35C homebasing.
With the filing of the Draft EIS
(including the Draft CAA General
Conformity Determination), the DoN is
initiating a 60-day public comment
period beginning on February 15, 2013
and ending on April 22, 2013. During
this period, the DoN will conduct two
public meetings to receive oral and
written comments on the Draft EIS and
Draft CAA General Conformity
Determination. This notice announces
the dates, times, and locations of the
public meetings and provides
supplementary information about the
environmental planning effort.
DATES: Public information and comment
meetings will be held by the DoN to
provide individuals with information on
the Draft EIS and Draft CAA General
Conformity Determination in an open
house format. DoN representatives will
be available at informational poster
stations during the public meetings to
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SUMMARY:
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19:12 Feb 27, 2013
Jkt 229001
Federal, state, and local agencies and
officials, and interested groups and
individuals are encouraged to provide
comments in person at the public
meetings or in writing anytime during
the public comment period. At the
public meetings, attendees will be able
to submit comments in writing and
orally to a stenographer who will listen
to and transcribe comments. All
statements submitted during the public
review period, whether oral or written,
will be given equal consideration,
become part of the public record on the
Draft EIS, and be responded to in the
Final EIS. Comments received on the
Draft General Conformity Determination
during the 60-day public comment
period will be considered fully before
the DoN makes a Final General
Conformity Determination. Written
comments may be submitted via the
U.S. Postal Service or electronically as
described below.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the Draft EIS for
U.S. Navy F–35C West Coast
Homebasing (with the Draft CAA
General Conformity Determination) is
available for electronic viewing or
download at
www.navyf35cwestcoasteis.com.
Comments on the Draft EIS and Draft
CAA General Conformity Determination
can be submitted electronically via the
project Web site or in writing to: Naval
Facilities Engineering Command,
Southwest, Attn: Code EV21.AK (F–35C
EIS Project Manager), 1220 Pacific
Highway, Building 1, 5th Floor, San
Diego, CA 92132. All written comments
must be postmarked or received online
by April 22, 2013 to ensure they become
part of the official record.
A paper copy of the Executive
Summary or a single compact disc of the
Draft EIS with the Draft CAA General
Conformity Determination will be made
available upon written request to the
address above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Naval Facilities Engineering Command,
Southwest, Attn: Code EV21.AK (F–35C
EIS Project Manager), 1220 Pacific
Highway, Building 1, 5th Floor, San
Diego, CA 92132.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice
of Intent to prepare this Draft EIS was
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
13645
published in the Federal Register on
January 28, 2011 (76 FR 5144). The DoN
proposes to provide facilities and
functions on the West Coast of the
United States to support homebasing F–
35C aircraft in the U.S. Navy Pacific
Fleet. The purpose of the proposed
action is to replace aging DoN Pacific
Fleet FA–18 aircraft with F–35C aircraft
while meeting pilot training and
readiness requirements.
The Draft EIS evaluates the potential
environmental effects of three
alternatives, including the No Action
Alternative and two action alternatives.
Alternative 1 analyzes F–35C
homebasing at NAF El Centro.
Alternative 2 analyzes F–35C
homebasing at NAS Lemoore. The
analysis addresses aircraft replacement
and transition, facility and
infrastructure requirements, personnel
requirements, and aircraft operations in
the airfield environment and in airspace
within the vicinity of each installation.
Significant adverse impacts are
identified for noise, land use,
socioeconomics, and ground traffic and
transportation with implementation of
Alternative 1, Homebasing the F–35C at
NAF El Centro. No significant impacts
are identified for any resource area with
implementation of Alternative 2,
Homebasing the F–35C at NAS
Lemoore. No mitigation measures were
identified during the development of
the Draft EIS.
While no basing decision has been
made, Alternative 2, Homebasing the F–
35C at NAS Lemoore, is the DoN’s
preferred home basing alternative
because it would best meet mission
requirements, would have fewer
environmental effects, and would cost
less.
The DoN F–35C West Coast
Homebasing Draft EIS with the Draft
CAA General Conformity Determination
was distributed to federal, state, and
local agencies, elected officials, and
other interested individuals and
organizations. Copies of the Draft EIS
with the Draft CAA General Conformity
Determination are available for public
review at the following libraries:
1. City of El Centro Public Library, 1140
North Imperial Avenue, El Centro,
California 92243.
2. City of Imperial Public Library, 200 West
9th Street, Imperial, California 92251.
3. Imperial County Free Library, Holtville
Branch, 101 East 6th Street, Holtville,
California 92250.
4. Imperial County Free Library, Heber
Branch, 1078 Dogwood Road, Heber,
California 92257.
5. Imperial County Free Library, Seeley
Library Services provided at the Seeley
Community Church, 1774 West Rio Vista
Street, Seeley, California 92243.
E:\FR\FM\28FEN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 40 (Thursday, February 28, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13643-13645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-04722]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Delta Wetlands Project in San Joaquin and Contra Costa
Counties, CA, Corps Permit Application Number SPK-1901-09804
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 13644]]
SUMMARY: Delta Wetland Properties (Applicant) has applied for a
Department of Army permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act
(CWA) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (R & H A) to
develop two Reservoir Islands (Bacon Island and Webb Tract).
Applications with the Department of Army under Section 404 of the CWA
for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United
States and under the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA) Section 10 for
activities within navigable waters were first filed with the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Corps) in 1987. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued no-jeopardy
Biological Opinions (BOs) for the project in May and June 2000. The
Corps issued a Department of the Army Permit under CWA Section 404
(Permit 190109804) for the project on June 26, 2002. Permit 190109804
required that construction be completed by December 31, 2007. The
applicant is applying for a new permit for the project because the
previously issued permit has expired.
The Corps has determined that a Supplement to the Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Delta Wetlands Project (prepared in
2001) is required. Delta Wetland Properties has applied for a new
Department of the Army permit to fill approximately 2,156 acres of
waters of the United States, including wetlands, to implement the
project.
DATES: The Corps will conduct a public scoping meeting that will be
held on Monday, March 11, 2013 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be held at the Tsakopoulos
Galleria Library located at 828 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Marc Fugler, (916) 557-5255,
mailto:marc.a.fugler@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested parties are invited to submit
written comments on the permit application on or before March 20, 2013.
Scoping comments should be submitted within the next 60 days, but may
be submitted at any time prior to publication of the Supplemental Draft
EIS. To submit comments on this notice or for questions about the
proposed action and the Supplemental Draft EIS, please contact Marc
Fugler, 1325 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814-4708. Parties interested in
being added to the Corps' electronic mail notification list for the
proposed project can email a request to spk-regulatory-info@usace.army.mil and indicate which list you would like your email
address to be added. Please refer to Identification Number SPK-1901-
09804 in any correspondence.
The Applicant's Preferred Alternative is generally the same as
described in the 2001 EIS (available at https://www.deltawetlandsproject.com) and the Department of the Army permit for
the project issued in 2002. Since 2002, the applicant has entered into
a partnership with Semitropic Water District Storage (Semitropic) to
develop the project, to integrate the project into the operation of the
Semitropic Groundwater Storage Bank and the Antelope Valley Water Bank,
and to provide project water for agricultural uses within Semitropic's
service area.
Activities that would result in the discharge of dredged or fill
material into waters of the U.S. on the Reservoir Islands interiors
consist of the construction of new intake and discharge facilities, new
boat berthing facilities adjacent to each intake and discharge
facility, and interior grading and perimeter levee improvements.
Activities that would result in work in navigable waters adjacent to
the Reservoir Islands consist of the placement of new intake facilities
and installation of fish screens, new boat berthing facilities adjacent
to each intake and discharge facility, and new pumps and outfalls to
discharge water stored in the reservoirs into the Delta. Compensation
for wetland and wildlife effects of the water storage operations on the
Reservoir Islands would be provided by implementing a Habitat
Management Plan (HMP) on two Habitat Islands (Bouldin Island and the
majority of Holland Tract). Bacon Island and Bouldin Island are located
in San Joaquin County and Holland Tract and Webb Tract are located in
Contra Costa County.
A wetland delineation for the project islands verified by the Corps
in April 2002 identified a total of 860.47 acres of jurisdictional
waters. This delineation expired in 2007 and an updated delineation was
conducted for the project islands in 2012. The updated delineation
identifies a total of 3,851.70 acres of potentially jurisdictional
features. The primary differences in the verifications consist of the
reclassification of ``exotic marsh'' in the 2002 delineation to
freshwater marsh and the addition of two wetland types: Agricultural
wetlands and forested wetlands. The updated delineation identifies the
following acreages of potentially jurisdictional waters on the project
islands: Bacon Island 572.69 acres, Webb Tract 1,583.61 acres, Holland
Tract 996.28 acres, and Bouldin Island 699.12 acres. The applicant
proposes to fill approximately 2,156 acres of potentially
jurisdictional waters on the Reservoir Islands. Impacts would be
mitigated through implementation of the HMP which would create or
enhance (net) 1,147 acres of wetlands and other waters of the U.S. on
the Habitat Islands. In addition, any wetlands not filled by levee
improvements, intake construction, or mass grading on the Reservoir
Islands would be converted to seasonally open water habitat
(lacustrine).
The Supplemental EIS will include alternatives to the Proposed
Action that will meet NEPA requirements for a reasonable range of
alternatives, and will also meet the requirements of the CWA Section
404(b)(1) Guidelines. The alternatives to be evaluated in the
Supplemental EIS are anticipated to consist of the following: (1) An
alternative with different operating criteria for diversion and
discharge of stored water, (2) the project as proposed in the 404
permit application (i.e., the Applicant's Preferred Alternative), (3)
an alternative in which all four islands would be used as reservoirs
with some compensation habitat provided on Bouldin Island, and (4) the
No Project Alternative in which the four islands would continue to be
used for intensive agricultural operations.
The Corps' public involvement program includes several
opportunities to provide oral and written comments on the proposed
Delta Wetlands Project through the NEPA process. Affected federal,
state, regional, and local agencies, Native American tribes, and other
interested organizations and parties are invited to participate.
Potentially significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the
Supplemental EIS include loss of waters of the United States (including
wetlands), and impacts related to water supply, water quality,
utilities and public services, traffic and navigation, fish, vegetation
and wetlands, wildlife, land use and agriculture, recreation, visual
resources, air quality, climate change, and socioeconomics.
The Corps will reinitiate formal consultation with USFWS and NMFS
under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act for impacts to listed
species that may result from the project. The Corps will also
reinitiate consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office
under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act for
properties listed or potentially eligible for listing on the National
Register of Historic Places, as appropriate.
The Supplemental EIS is expected to be made available to the public
in 2013.
[[Page 13645]]
Dated: February 13, 2013.
William J. Leady,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2013-04722 Filed 2-27-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P