[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 208 (Friday, October 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-26692]
[Federal Register: October 28, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Record of Decision for Realignment of Naval Training Center Great
Lakes, Illinois
Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969 and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for
implementing NEPA procedures (40 CFR 1500-1508), the Department of the
Navy announces its decision to implement realignment of Naval Training
Center (NTC) Great Lakes, Illinois.
In accordance with the legislative requirements of the Base Closure
and Realignment Act of 1990 (Public Law [P.L.] 101-510), the 1993
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC-93) recommended
the closure of NTC Orlando, Florida and NTC San Diego, California. The
majority of naval training at these bases will be relocated to NTC
Great Lakes, Illinois. In addition, Naval Technical Training Center
(NTTC) Treasure Island, and Combat Systems Technical Schools Command
(CSTC) Mare Island, California, will be closed pursuant to the
recommendations of BRAC-93, with some of the training at these commands
relocated to NTC Great Lakes. Also associated with this section is
relocation of the Navy Recruiting Command (COMNAVCRUITCOM) from
Washington, DC.
A Draft Environmental Impact Statement was prepared for the action
and distributed to Federal, State, and local agencies and to interested
individuals and groups. Public comments and Navy responses to those
comments were incorporated into the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) which was distributed to the public for a review
period that ended on October 15, 1994. This review resulted in a single
letter from the Office of the Governor, Illinois State Clearinghouse,
stating that the action is not in conflict with State plans, policies,
and priorities.
The realignment will increase the number of average on-board
service school students by approximately 2,088 between 1993 and 1998.
The number of permanent-party naval personnel necessary to support
service and apprentice school training will increase by approximately
243 over the same period. Twenty-four construction projects are
required to accommodate the realignment at NTC Great Lakes. The
projects include upgrades of existing facilities and new construction
to support new functions and increased number of students and
permanent-party personnel. All associated construction and renovation
projects addressed in the FEIS will occur at NTC Great Lakes, with the
exception of a family housing project. This project will construct 240
family housing units at the Navy-owned Glenview Annex. Another BRAC-93
decision directed closure of Naval Air Station (NAS) Glenview and
allowed for portions of NAS Glenview to be retained by Navy for the
family housing requirements of NTC Great Lakes.
The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act waived certain aspects
of NEPA such that the environmental analysis need not consider the no-
action alternative (no realignment). Alternative means of accommodating
the mandated BRAC-93 realignment at NTC Great Lakes that were
considered and included the use of existing structures and alternative
sites for construction of new facilities. Sites considered at NTC Great
Lakes for the new facilities/renovations avoided environmentally
sensitive areas, then were selected based on the following functional
considerations: adequacy of existing structures for the proposed uses,
availability of utilities, and proximity of the barracks to existing
and related facilities, such as classrooms and the galley. Glenview
Annex is selected as the most environmentally preferred and
functionally desirable alternative considered for the family housing
project.
Construction of the new facilities will convert less than four
acres of lawn area to impervious buildings and pavement surfaces. There
will be no significant impacts to surface water or wetlands. With
erosion mitigation and through sedimentation control described in the
FEIS in place, any potential for localized decreases in the quality of
stormwater runoff during construction will be minimal and temporary.
There will be no significant impacts to groundwater or potable water
resources as a result of the realignment.
The action will cause no significant impact to ambient noise levels
or air quality. Localized, temporary impacts will occur during
construction and demolition activities. Compliance with State (Title
35, Section 228) and Federal regulations, including National Emission
Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS), will be achieved
during removal of asbestos-containing materials. NTC Great Lakes is
located in a non-attainment area for ozone. An applicability analysis
was performed for air pollutant emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX)
and volatile organic material (VOM) in compliance with the Clean Air
Act Amendments of 1990 and 1993 final rule for determining conformity
of federal actions to State or Federal Implementation Plans (40 CFR
Parts 6, 51, and 93). The analysis included construction-related
emissions, mobile-source emissions, and stationary-source emissions
associated with the realignment. Neither NOX nor VOM emissions
estimates for any year of the action exceeded the de minimis levels of
25 tons per year. Therefore, the action is presumed to conform to the
State Implementation Plan (SIP) and is exempted from any further
requirements of the General Conformity Rule.
The action at NTC Great Lakes will not impact any Department of
Defense Installation Restoration Program (IRP) sites. The action will
not violate any conditions of the NTC Great Lakes Waste Management Plan
or the Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures Plan.
A Remedial Investigation is currently underway at Glenview Annex to
determine the extent of contamination at an IRP site (former fire
fighting training area) where it intersects the eastern portion of the
family housing site. Also, based on a review of historic aerial
photographs as part of the BRAC cleanup plan for the closure of NAS
Glenview, the previous existence of three ordnance magazines and a
trap/skeet range may exist on a portion of the new family housing area.
Contaminated soils that exceed regulatory levels will be remediated
prior to construction in accordance with applicable federal and state
requirements.
The increase in population from the action will be small in
comparison with the existing populations in Lake County and the Chicago
metropolitan area, and will not result in significant impacts to
facilities or services on-base or in the region. The additional
economic activity from the action will result in a net positive effect
on the local economy. The action will not significantly impact existing
land uses at NTC Great Lakes, in the City of North Chicago, or the
Village of Lake Bluff. The action will provide a net increase of 206
new family housing units at the Glenview Annex family housing area
because 34 units of existing family housing will be replaced. The
additional vehicular traffic generated by the action will not be
significant and the cumulative impact is anticipated to be less than
1990 levels.
The action will increase the number of school-aged children by an
estimated 312 students, with an estimated 122 students being dispersed
throughout the local communities as a result of naval personnel living
off-base. The remaining 190 students are expected to reside in the NAS
Glenview family housing. Based on current distribution of naval
personnel living off-base, the 122 additional students will attend
schools in the communities surrounding NTC Great Lakes and the impacts
to individual schools will be minimal. Of the 190 students expected to
reside at NAS Glenview, it is estimated that 38 students will attend
District 225 schools and the remaining 152 students will attend
District 34 schools. District 225 officials consider school capacity to
be sufficient and financial impacts to be negligible. District 34 has
indicated that an additional 152 students would have a negative impact
on district facilities and finances, and could require six to seven new
classrooms. The school district should receive Federal Impact Aid
reimbursement for lost property taxes for each family residing at
Glenview Annex. This will serve to equalize the contribution from
Glenview Annex residents with those of the local community for
education support. Additionally, it is expected that the conversion of
much of the currently non-taxable NAS Glenview property to commercial,
industrial, office, and other taxable property will have a positive
impact on District 34 revenues.
Utilities at NTC Great Lakes and at the NAS Glenview family housing
site have adequate capacity to serve the additional personnel at both
sites. NTC is allowed to discharge up to 10.5 million gallons per day
(mgd) to the local wastewater treatment authority, and the realignment
will bring the total NTC discharge to 2.8 mgd. The wastewater treatment
facility serving Glenview Annex has 180 mgd excess capacity, and will
be able to accommodate the additional 0.2 mgd discharge from the Navy
family housing units. Police and fire protection services are also
adequate to serve the needs of the new facilities. An expansion of the
medical and dental facilities at NTC Great Lakes is programmed to meet
the needs of the additional incoming students and staff population. On-
base community and recreational services and facilities are adequate to
serve the needs of the larger population at both NTC Great Lakes and
the NAS Glenview family housing area.
The action will result in no significant impacts to plant or animal
species listed as threatened or endangered by either federal or state
agencies. Potential impacts to cultural resources at NTC Great Lakes
have been evaluated in compliance with Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Renovations will be undertaken for
four buildings (Building 4, 177, 178, and 179) in the National Historic
District at NTC Great Lakes. However, only building 4 is a contributing
property of major significance within the historic district. All
modifications to this building will be approved by the Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) during the early phases of project
design. The IHPA has determined that no significant historic,
architectural, or archeological resources are located in the Glenview
Annex project area.
Questions regarding the Draft and Final Environmental Impact
Statement prepared for this action may be directed to: Commanding
Officer, Southern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, North
Charleston, SC 29419-9010 (Attn: Mr. Robert Teague, Code 203RT),
telephone (804) 743-0785, fax (803) 743-0993.
Dated: October 21, 1994.
Elsie L. Munsell,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment and Safety).
Dated: October 24, 1994.
L.R. McNees,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 94-26692 Filed 10-27-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-AE-M
