[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 98 (Monday, May 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 27089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-12485]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Corps of Engineers
To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)
For the Proposed Rio Grande Floodway, San Acacia to Bosque del Apache,
Socorro County, New Mexico
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS).
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SUMMARY:
1. Proposed Action
The purpose of the study is to reevaluate the plan of flood
protection authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1948 (Public Law 858)
for the proposed Rio Grande Floodway, San Acacia to Bosque del Apache,
Socorro County, New Mexico, in light of newly listed endangered species
and changes in levee design parameters. The proposed action is to
provide increased flood protection from San Acacia to Elephant Butte
Reservoir, New Mexico. The proposed action is to replace the existing
west bank embankment along the Rio Grande with a structurally competent
levee capable of containing high volume, short duration flows up to the
design discharge of 51,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) decreasing to
39,000 cfs at the downstream project terminus, as well as low volume,
long duration flows. Coincident objectives are the preservation,
conservation, and enhancement of biological, recreational, social,
cultural and aesthetic values.
2. Alternatives Considered
Alternatives developed and evaluated during previous studies
consisted of levee reconstruction (50-, 100-, and 200-year flood
frequency levels and the Standard Project Flood), flood and sediment
control dams, local levees, watershed land treatment, floodproofing and
zoning, intermittent levee replacement, and no action.
This reevaluation involves evaluation of project effects on newly
listed endangered species and changes in levee design parameters to
accommodate low volume, long duration floods in addition to the
previous design for high volume, short duration floods, and possible
changes in levee alignment.
3. Public Involvement Process
Coordination is ongoing with both public and private entities
having jurisdiction or an interest in land and resources in the middle
Rio Grande valley of New Mexico. These entities include the general
public, local governments, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish,
and the Interstate Stream Commission. A fully coordinated final
environmental impact statement (EIS) addressing the previous
recommendation to construct flood and sediment control dams on the Rio
Puerco and Rio Salado was filed with the Council on Environmental
Quality in 1977. An early public meeting was held in the city of
Socorro in 1979. A supplemental EIS evaluating the effects of the
alternative to rehabilitate the existing levee system was filed with
the Council on Environmental Quality in 1992. Coordination will
continue throughout development of the SEIS through scoping letters,
meetings and field visits, and if requested, scoping meetings. All
interested parties including Federal, state, and public entities will
be invited to submit comments on the draft SEIS when it is circulated
for review.
The planning effort is being coordinated with the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation (Bureau) as a cooperating agency in the NEPA process. The
Bureau was authorized to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for
flood control and water conservation under the Flood Control Acts of
1948 and 1950. The plan includes river channel maintenance activities
throughout the middle Rio Grande and construction of the Low Flow
Conveyance Channel (LFCC) from San Acacia to Elephant Butte Reservoir,
designed to transmit river flows through a critical water-loss area.
The proposed levee rehabilitation project parallels the LFCC for most
of the project area. Close coordination between the Corps and the
Bureau will be maintained throughout project planning.
The planning effort is also being coordinated with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service pursuant to the requirements of the Fish and
Wildlife Coordination Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended. Consultation with the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation and the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer is
ongoing pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
4. Significant Issues to be Analyzed
Significant issues to be analyzed in the development of the SEIS
include the effect of the recommended plan on endangered species,
floodplain development, water quality, riparian biological systems,
wildlife refuge objectives, endangered species, social welfare, human
safety, cultural resources, and aesthetic qualities. Development and
implementation of mitigation measures will be undertaken for any
unavoidable effects
5. Public Review
The estimated date that the draft Limited Reevaluation Report will
be completed and the draft SEIS circulated for public review is
February, 1996.
6. Further Information
Questions or comments regarding the study and the supplemental EIS
may be directed to: Denise Smith, USAED, Albuquerque, P.O. Box 1580,
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103, Phone: (505) 766-6569.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-12485 Filed 5-19-95; 8:45 am]
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