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[Federal Register: January 15, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 10)]
[Notices]               
[Page 2517]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15ja10-43]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Army Corps of Engineers

 
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact 
Statement and Environmental Impact Report for the Lower San Joaquin 
River Feasibility Study

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The action being taken is the preparation of a joint 
environmental impact statement/environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) 
for the Lower San Joaquin River Feasibility Study (LSJRFS). The EIS/EIR 
will be prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will serve as lead agency for 
compliance with NEPA, and the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency 
(SJAFCA) will serve as lead agency for compliance with CEQA. The LSJRFS 
will evaluate alternatives, including a locally preferred plan, for 
providing flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration along the 
lower (northern) portion of the San Joaquin River system in the Central 
Valley of California. The approximate area of the proposed action and 
analysis is identified in Figure 1.

DATES: Written comments regarding the scope of the environmental 
analysis should be received at (see ADDRESSES) by February 15, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning this study and requests to be 
included on the LSJRFS mailing list should be submitted to Mr. Doug 
Edwards, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, Attn: 
Planning Division (CESPK-PD-R), 1325 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Doug Edwards via telephone at 
(916) 557-7062, e-mail at Douglas.M.Edwards@usace.army.mil, or regular 
mail at (see ADDRESSES).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Proposed Action. USACE is preparing an EIS/EIR to analyze the 
environmental impacts associated with a range of alternatives for 
providing flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration along the 
lower (northern) portion of the San Joaquin River system (Figure 1).
    2. Alternatives. The EIS/EIR will address an array of alternatives 
for providing flood risk management alternatives that are intended to 
reduce flood risk within the project area. Alternatives analyzed during 
the investigation may include, but are not limited to, a combination of 
one or more of the following flood damage reduction measures: adding, 
modifying, and/or re-regulating storage on major tributaries; new 
transitory storage within flood plains, increasing conveyance by 
raising levees; widening channels and floodway areas; dredging; and 
constructing or modifying weirs and bypasses; and various floodplain 
management measures. Ecosystem restoration measures may include, but 
are not limited to, restoring riparian, wetland, and floodplain 
habitats, and/or constructing setback levees for habitat restoration.
    3. Scoping Process.
    a. A public scoping meeting will be held to present an overview of 
the LSJRFS and the EIS/EIR process, and to afford all interested 
parties with an opportunity to provide comments regarding the scope of 
analysis and potential alternatives. The public scoping meeting will be 
held at the University of Pacific, Regent's Dining Room, 3601 Pacific 
Avenue, Stockton, CA on January 27, 2010, from 6-8 p.m.
    b. Potentially significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the 
EIS/EIR include project specific and cumulative effects on hydraulics, 
wetlands and other waters of the U.S., vegetation and wildlife 
resources, special-status species, esthetics, cultural resources, 
recreation, land use, fisheries, water quality, air quality, and 
transportation.
    c. USACE is consulting with the State Historic Preservation Officer 
to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act and with the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service to 
comply with the Endangered Species Act. USACE is also coordinating with 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to comply with the Fish and Wildlife 
Coordination Act.
    d. A 45-day public review period will be provided for all 
interested parties individuals and agencies to review and comment on 
the draft EIS/EIR. All interested parties are encouraged to respond to 
this notice and provide a current address if they wish to be notified 
of the draft EIS/EIR circulation.
    4. Availability. The draft EIS/EIR is currently scheduled to be 
available for public review and comment in 2014.

     Dated: December 29, 2009.
Thomas Chapman,
COL, EN Commanding.
[FR Doc. 2010-686 Filed 1-14-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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