Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Whittier Narrow Dam Safety Modification Study, Los Angeles County, California, 64337-64338 [2018-27114]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 240 / Friday, December 14, 2018 / Notices
and recommend a risk management plan
that addresses risk of life loss and
significant economic, social, and
environmental damages associated with
a potential failure of Cherry Creek Dam.
In addition to the No Action
Alternative, Alternatives 2F (raise dam
7.1 feet and spillway to elevation 5610.5
from original design of 5599.8 feet
NAVD88 to prevent overtopping) and
3B (dam raise of 6.2 feet and no
spillway raise) were evaluated in the
final array of alternatives.
Dam Raise Alternative 3B consists of
the FWAC spillway and a dam raise to
contain the PMF. A dam raise height for
this alternative is 6.2 feet and the crest
width was assumed to be approximately
38 feet to allow reconstruction of the
crest road using current road design
standards. Various methods for raising
the dam were considered, including an
earth raise, reinforced concrete wall,
and mechanically stabilized earth. The
most efficient method of raise depends
on several factors including the height
of raise, crest width, availability of onsite materials, and steepness of
embankment side slopes. Earth/rock fill
raises compete well for raises below 4
to 5 feet if the crest width can be
minimized. Reinforced Concrete (RC)
wall raises are clearly more cost
effective for larger raises and when a
wide crest is required to allow
construction of a crest road that meets
modern standards of construction,
therefore, the dam would be raised
using an RC wall if Alternative 3B is
implemented.
Dam Raise Alternative 2F consists of
a RC wall dam raise of 7.1 feet and a
spillway raise to crest elevation 5610.5
feet NAVD88 to prevent overtopping
during the PMF. This spillway crest
elevation of 5610.5 feet was chosen to
minimize non-breach flows in the
spillway impact area. As with
Alternative 3B the dam would be raised
using an RC wall and the crest width
would be approximately 38 feet to allow
reconstruction of the crest road using
current road design standards.
The Draft EIS evaluates the potential
effects on the human environment
associated with each of the alternatives.
Issues addressed include: Land use and
vegetation, social and economic
conditions, recreation, water resources,
air quality, noise, and environmental
justice.
Schedule. The public comment period
will begin December 12, 2018.
Comments on the Draft EIS must be
received by January 28, 2019. The Corps
will consider and respond to all
comments received on the Draft EIS
when preparing the Final EIS. The
Corps expects to issue the Final EIS in
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the summer of 2019, at which time a
Notice of Availability will be published
in the Federal Register.
The public meeting date or location
may change based on inclement weather
or exceptional circumstances. If the
meeting date or location is changed, the
Corps will issue a press release and post
it on the web at https://
www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Media/NewsReleases/ to announce the updated
meeting details.
Public Disclosure Statement. If you
wish to comment, you may mail or
email your comments as indicated
under the ADDRESSES section of this
notice. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or any
other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware
that your entire comment—including
your personal identifying information—
may be made available to the public at
any time. While you can request in your
comment for us to withhold your
personal identifying information from
public review, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018–27115 Filed 12–13–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of
Engineers
Availability of a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement, Whittier Narrow
Dam Safety Modification Study, Los
Angeles County, California
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (Corps) announces the
availability of a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Whittier
Narrows Dam Safety Modification
Study, Los Angeles County, California
for review and comment. Pursuant to
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). The Corps has prepared a Draft
EIS for the Whittier Narrows Dam Safety
Modification Study (DSMS). The Draft
EIS evaluates risk management plans
(alternatives) to remediate safety
concerns such as overtopping and
seepage. The Draft EIS describes and
analyses the impacts of risk
management plans (RMPs) that are
formulated, evaluated and compared
through the DSMS process in order to
identify a recommended RMP that
SUMMARY:
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64337
reduces risks to downstream life-safety
and property associated with dam
failure. Implementation of the
recommended risk management plan
would mitigate the intolerable Dam
safety risk and allow the Dam to safely
function as originally intended and
authorized. Without this action, the
Dam could fail resulting in lifethreatening floods to downstream
communities. The Proposed Action is
needed to provide life-safety to the
communities downstream of the
Whittier Narrows Dam.
DATES: Written comments pursuant to
the NEPA will be accepted until the
close of business on January 28, 2019.
ADDRESSES: The document is available
for review at:
(1) https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/
Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-Studies/
Whittier-Narrows-Dam-SafetyModification-Study/.
(2) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los
Angeles District, 915 Wilshire Blvd., Los
Angeles, CA 90017–3401.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Deborah Lamb, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Los Angeles District, phone
number (213) 452–3798. Questions or
comments regarding the Whittier
Narrows Dam DSMS Draft EIS, contact
Ms. Deborah Lamb by phone or by email
to Deborah.L.Lamb@usace.army.mil. or
Whittier Narrows DSMS EIS Whittier_
Narrows_DSMS@usace.army.mil.
For further information regarding the
Whittier Narrows DSMS, contact Mr.
Doug Chitwood, (213) 452 3587, or by
email to Douglas.E.Chitwood@
usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background Information.
Construction of Whittier Narrows Dam
was completed in 1957 as an integral
component of the Los Angeles County
Drainage Area (LACDA) system of dams
and channelized rivers authorized by
Congress in the Flood Control Act of
1936. The Whittier Narrows Dam
primary purpose is flood risk
management with recreation added in
the Flood Control Act of 1944 (Pub. L.
78–534). Whittier Narrows Dam is
located approximately 11 miles east of
downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles
County, CA. The dam protects over one
million people and reduces economic
damages to the communities
downstream during flood events. The
Corps has classified Whittier Narrows
Dam as very high risk due to the
potential for seepage and hydrologic
issues during rare storms that could lead
to failure. The DSMS and Draft EIS
identify and evaluate alternatives to
address these deficiencies and reduce
the annual probability of failure and the
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amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
64338
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 240 / Friday, December 14, 2018 / Notices
risk to life safety to within the Corps’
tolerable risk guidelines as presented in
Engineering Regulation 1110–2–1156.
A Notice of Intent to prepare the Draft
EIS was published on July 22, 2013 in
the Federal Register. A public scoping
meeting was conducted on September
11, 2013 in the City of Pico Rivera,
California. The Draft EIS is available for
a 45-day review period pursuant to the
NEPA.
2. Risk Management Plans
(Alternatives). In addition to a No
Action Alternative, the Draft EIS
evaluates an array of remediation
alternatives including: (1) Raising the
crest elevation of the dam with a 12 foot
high parapet wall on top of the crest,
constructing an auxiliary labyrinth
spillway adjacent to the existing
spillway, and a trench drain and filter
blanket; (2) placing a 10 foot wide roller
compacted concrete series of steps on
the downstream slope of the Dam
embankments with trench drain and
filter blanket.
3. NEPA Scope of Analysis. The Draft
EIS evaluates the impacts of risk
management plans on environmental
resources and the human environment.
Resources initially identified in the
NEPA scope of analysis as potentially
significant without implementation of
mitigation measures include noise and
vibration and recreation.
Resources initially identified in the
NEPA scope of analysis as potentially
significant without implementation of
mitigation measures include, but are not
limited to: Water quality, noise and
vibration, air quality, socioeconomics
and environmental justice, land use,
recreation, visual and esthetic resources,
traffic and transportation, historical and
cultural resources, vegetation and
wildlife, and special status species.
Public Participation: As part of the
public involvement process, the Corps’
Los Angeles District anticipates the
public meeting will be held in January
2019. The public review meeting will
allow participants the opportunity to
comment on the Draft EIS. Attendance
at the public hearing is not necessary to
provide comments. Written comments
may also be given to the contact listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATON CONTACT
section.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
ADDRESSES:
[FR Doc. 2018–27114 Filed 12–13–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
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[Docket ID ED–2017–IES–0081]
Privacy Act of 1974; System of
Records
Institute of Education Sciences,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of a new system of
records.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Privacy Act of 1974, as amended
(Privacy Act), the Department of
Education (the Department) publishes
this notice of a new system of records
entitled ‘‘Text Ed: A Study of Text
Messaging to Improve College
Enrollment Rates among Disadvantaged
Adults (18–13–41).’’ This system
contains individually identifying
information voluntarily provided by
grantees under the Department of
Education’s (Department’) Educational
Opportunity Centers (EOC) program
which were selected to participate in
the study and adult participants who
receive services from those grantees.
The EOC program is one of the
Department’s TRIO programs and
primarily focuses on disadvantaged
adults. The information in this system
will be used to conduct a rigorous study
of the effectiveness of customized text
messages as an enhancement to EOC
services, examining whether the
messages lead to increased college
enrollment and Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
completion rates among adults receiving
support from EOCs.
DATES: Submit your comments on this
new system of records notice on or
before January 14, 2019.
This new system of records will
become applicable upon publication in
the Federal Register on December 14,
2018, unless the new system of records
notice needs to be changed as a result
of public comment. All proposed
routine uses in the paragraph entitled
‘‘ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS
MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM
INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS
AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES’’ will
become applicable on January 14, 2019,
unless the new system of records notice
needs to be changed as a result of public
comment. The Department will publish
any changes to the system of records or
routine uses that result from public
comment.
SUMMARY:
Submit your comments
through the Federal eRulemaking Portal
or via postal mail, commercial delivery,
or hand delivery. We will not accept
comments submitted by fax or by email
or those submitted after the comment
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period. To ensure that we do not receive
duplicate copies, please submit your
comments only once. In addition, please
include the Docket ID at the top of your
comments.
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
www.regulations.gov to submit your
comments electronically. Information
on using Regulations.gov, including
instructions for accessing agency
documents, submitting comments, and
viewing the docket, is available on the
site under the ‘‘Help’’ tab.
• Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery,
or Hand Delivery: If you mail or deliver
your comments about this modified
system of records, address them to:
SORN Coordinator, Institute of
Education Sciences, U.S. Department of
Education, Potomac Center Plaza, 550
12th Street SW, Room 4126,
Washington, DC 20202.
Privacy Note: The Department’s policy is
to make all comments received from
members of the public available for public
viewing in their entirety on the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov.
Therefore, commenters should be careful to
include in their comments only information
that they wish to make publicly available.
Assistance to Individuals with
Disabilities in Reviewing the
Rulemaking Record: On request, we will
provide an appropriate accommodation
or auxiliary aid to an individual with a
disability who needs assistance to
review the comments or other
documents in the public rulemaking
record for this notice. If you want to
schedule an appointment for this type of
accommodation or auxiliary aid, please
contact the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Teresa Cahalan, Institute of Education
Sciences, U.S. Department of Education,
Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th Street
SW, Room 4126, Washington, DC 20202,
or by email at IES_SORN@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), you may call the
Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877–
8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
The information contained in the
system will be used to conduct a study
of the effectiveness of personalized text
messaging in improving the college
enrollment and FAFSA completion rates
of disadvantaged adults. The messaging
will be implemented as an enhancement
to services provided by Educational
Opportunity Centers. The information
collected will be used to describe the
implementation of the study’s text
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 240 (Friday, December 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64337-64338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27114]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Whittier
Narrow Dam Safety Modification Study, Los Angeles County, California
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announces the
availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Modification Study, Los Angeles County,
California for review and comment. Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Corps has prepared a Draft EIS for
the Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Modification Study (DSMS). The Draft
EIS evaluates risk management plans (alternatives) to remediate safety
concerns such as overtopping and seepage. The Draft EIS describes and
analyses the impacts of risk management plans (RMPs) that are
formulated, evaluated and compared through the DSMS process in order to
identify a recommended RMP that reduces risks to downstream life-safety
and property associated with dam failure. Implementation of the
recommended risk management plan would mitigate the intolerable Dam
safety risk and allow the Dam to safely function as originally intended
and authorized. Without this action, the Dam could fail resulting in
life-threatening floods to downstream communities. The Proposed Action
is needed to provide life-safety to the communities downstream of the
Whittier Narrows Dam.
DATES: Written comments pursuant to the NEPA will be accepted until the
close of business on January 28, 2019.
ADDRESSES: The document is available for review at:
(1) https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-Studies/Whittier-Narrows-Dam-Safety-Modification-Study/.
(2) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, 915
Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017-3401.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Deborah Lamb, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Los Angeles District, phone number (213) 452-3798. Questions
or comments regarding the Whittier Narrows Dam DSMS Draft EIS, contact
Ms. Deborah Lamb by phone or by email to [email protected].
or Whittier Narrows DSMS EIS [email protected].
For further information regarding the Whittier Narrows DSMS,
contact Mr. Doug Chitwood, (213) 452 3587, or by email to
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background Information. Construction of Whittier Narrows Dam was
completed in 1957 as an integral component of the Los Angeles County
Drainage Area (LACDA) system of dams and channelized rivers authorized
by Congress in the Flood Control Act of 1936. The Whittier Narrows Dam
primary purpose is flood risk management with recreation added in the
Flood Control Act of 1944 (Pub. L. 78-534). Whittier Narrows Dam is
located approximately 11 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, Los
Angeles County, CA. The dam protects over one million people and
reduces economic damages to the communities downstream during flood
events. The Corps has classified Whittier Narrows Dam as very high risk
due to the potential for seepage and hydrologic issues during rare
storms that could lead to failure. The DSMS and Draft EIS identify and
evaluate alternatives to address these deficiencies and reduce the
annual probability of failure and the
[[Page 64338]]
risk to life safety to within the Corps' tolerable risk guidelines as
presented in Engineering Regulation 1110-2-1156.
A Notice of Intent to prepare the Draft EIS was published on July
22, 2013 in the Federal Register. A public scoping meeting was
conducted on September 11, 2013 in the City of Pico Rivera, California.
The Draft EIS is available for a 45-day review period pursuant to the
NEPA.
2. Risk Management Plans (Alternatives). In addition to a No Action
Alternative, the Draft EIS evaluates an array of remediation
alternatives including: (1) Raising the crest elevation of the dam with
a 12 foot high parapet wall on top of the crest, constructing an
auxiliary labyrinth spillway adjacent to the existing spillway, and a
trench drain and filter blanket; (2) placing a 10 foot wide roller
compacted concrete series of steps on the downstream slope of the Dam
embankments with trench drain and filter blanket.
3. NEPA Scope of Analysis. The Draft EIS evaluates the impacts of
risk management plans on environmental resources and the human
environment. Resources initially identified in the NEPA scope of
analysis as potentially significant without implementation of
mitigation measures include noise and vibration and recreation.
Resources initially identified in the NEPA scope of analysis as
potentially significant without implementation of mitigation measures
include, but are not limited to: Water quality, noise and vibration,
air quality, socioeconomics and environmental justice, land use,
recreation, visual and esthetic resources, traffic and transportation,
historical and cultural resources, vegetation and wildlife, and special
status species.
Public Participation: As part of the public involvement process,
the Corps' Los Angeles District anticipates the public meeting will be
held in January 2019. The public review meeting will allow participants
the opportunity to comment on the Draft EIS. Attendance at the public
hearing is not necessary to provide comments. Written comments may also
be given to the contact listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATON CONTACT
section.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-27114 Filed 12-13-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
