Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 24 / Thursday, February 5, 2004 / Notices 5515

DATES: File written objections by April 

5, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael D. Rausa, U.S. Army Research 

Laboratory, Office of Research and 

Technology Applications, ATTN: 

AMSRL–DP–T/Bldg. 459, Aberdeen 

Proving Ground, MD 21005–5425, 

Telephone: (410) 278–5028.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Anyone 

wishing to object to the granting of this 

license has 60 days from the date of this 

notice to file written objections along 

with supporting evidence, if any.

Luz D. Ortiz, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 04–2497 Filed 2–4–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–08–M

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare a General 

Reevaluation Report/Supplemental 

Environment Impact Statement/

Environmental Impact Report for the 

Merced County Streams Project, 

Merced County, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) and the California 

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the 

Sacramento District, U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (Corps) is preparing a draft 

General Reevaluation Report/

Supplemental Environment Impact 

Statement/Environmental Impact Report 

(GRR/SEIS/EIR) to evaluate the 

opportunities to reduce flood damages 

and to restore riparian habitat in the 

City of Merced in Merced County, 

California. The Merced County Streams, 

California, project was authorized by 

Section 201 of the Flood Control Act of 

1970 (Pub. L. 91–611). The authorized 

plan includes the construction of new 

reservoirs, enlargement of existing 

reservoirs, and levee and channel 

modifications on three stream groups in 

the vicinity of Merced. The non-Federal 

sponsor for this study is the California 

Reclamation Board (Board). Cosponsoring the project with the Board is 

Merced County.

DATES: Submit comments regarding the 

study by March 13, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and 

suggestions concerning this study to 

Donald Lash, U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, Sacramento District, Attn: 

Planning Division (CESPK–PD–R), 1325 

J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Donald Lash, E-mail at 

Donald.w.lash@usace.army.mil

telephone (916) 557–5172, or fax (916) 

557–5138.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Public Involvement: The study will 

be coordinated between Federal, State, 

and local governments; local 

stakeholders; special interest groups; 

and any other interested individuals 

and organization. The Corps held a 

public meeting to discuss the scope of 

the draft GRR/SEIS/EIR in January 2004. 

The meeting place, date and time was 

advertised in advance in local 

newspapers, and meeting 

announcement letters were sent to 

interested parties. The purpose of this 

meeting is to involve local stakeholders 

and the public early in the study 

process. The meeting collected public 

input regarding the study scope, historic 

and current problems, and potential 

opportunities. All public comments 

were documented for future 

consideration and reference. Written 

comments may also be submitted via 

mail (see DATES) and should be directed 

to Donald Lash at the address listed 

above. The Corps intents to issue the 

draft GRR/SEIS/EIR in the summer of 

2007. The Corps will announce 

availability of the draft document in the 

Federal Register and other media, and 

will provide the public, organizations, 

and agencies with an opportunity to 

submit comments, which will be 

addressed in the final GRR/SEIS/EIR. 

2. Project Information: The Merced 

County Streams Project is located in the 

eastern portion of the San Joaquin 

Valley, between the Merced and 

Chowchilla Rivers, in Merced and 

Mariposa Counties, California. The 

study area lies east and north of the city 

of Merced, with downstream channels 

along Fahrens and Black Rascal Creeks, 

downstream to Santa Fe Drive. Existing 

flood control facilities consist of flood 

retention dams on Burns, Bear, Castle, 

Owens, and Mariposa Creeks, Black 

Rascal and Owens Diversion Canals, 

and channel improvements on 

associated streams. These facilities 

protect 16,000 acres of land from 

flooding and reduce the peak flood 

flows into the San Joaquin River. 

3. Proposed Action: The project is 

undergoing a general reevaluation study 

to (1) redefine the flood problems and 

risks in the Merced County Streams 

project area by updating hydrology and 

flood plains, physical, biological and 

socioeconomic conditions; (2) 

reevaluate alternatives for reducing 

flood damages in the area; and (3) 

reaffirm the Federal interest by 

recommending a plan that is 

economically feasible. The results of 

this study will be presented in the GRR/

SEIS/EIR. The formulation and 

evaluation of alternatives, benefits and 

costs, and implementation requirements 

will be presented in the GRR/SEIS/EIR. 

4. Alternatives. In addition to the No 

Action, other potential alternatives to 

reduce flood damages include a 

combination of the following 

components: Raise Bear Dam; install a 

series of detention basins/seasonal 

wetland habitat near Fahren’s Creek, 

Cottonwood Creek and/or Black Rascal 

Creek; raise the existing levees along 

Black Rascal and Fahren Creeks 

confluence and/or Bear Creek; build 

setback levees on Black Rascal Creek; 

improve existing channels along Black 

Rascal and Fahren’s Creeks confluence 

and/or Bear Creek, and install a bypass 

channel off of Bear creek to divert 

excess flows into wetlands south of 

Merced.

Luz D. Ortiz, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 04–2498 Filed 2–4–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–EZ–M

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Pearl River Watershed, MS, Project

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The primary study area 

comprises the Pearl River Basin between 

River Mile (RM) 270.0 just south of 

Byram, MS, and RM 301.77 at the dam 

of Ross Barnett Reservoir. 

Municipalities within the study area 

include Jackson, Flowood, Pearl, and 

Richland, MS. The study area includes 

parts of three counties—Madison, 

Hinds, and Rankin. Major tributaries of 

the Pearl River within the study area 

include Richland, Caney, Lynch, Town, 

and Hanging Moss Creeks. The primary 

focus of the project is to alleviate 

flooding in the study area, determine 

the feasibility of continued Federal 

involvement in developing and 

implementing a solution, and evaluate 

features designed to alleviate water 

resource problems in the study area. 

The local cost-sharing project sponsor is 

the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and 

Drainage Control District.