59122 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 185 / Friday, September 23, 2011 / Notices 

grouted riprap, ungrouted riprap, and 

gunite lining); utility crossings; 

activities associated with construction 

of a Water Reclamation Plant adjacent to 

the Santa Clara River and required bank 

protection; water quality control 

facilities (sedimentation control, flood 

debris, and water quality basins); 

regular and ongoing maintenance of all 

flood, drainage, and water quality 

protection structures and facilities on 

the RMDP site (such activities would 

include periodic inspection of 

structures and monitoring of vegetation 

growth and sediment buildup to ensure 

that the integrity of the structures is 

maintained and that planned 

conveyance capacity is present, routine 

repairs and maintenance of bridges and 

bank protection, and emergency 

maintenance activities); and temporary 

haul routes for grading equipment and 

geotechnical survey activities. 

As a Federal agency, the Corps 

prepared the Final GCD in compliance 

with Section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act 

and for the issuance of a Corps Section 

404 Permit for the discharges of fill 

material into waters of the United 

States. Direct and indirect air emissions 

for all pollutants related to the Federal 

action are not below specified de 

minimis Federal thresholds (40 CFR 

93.153(b)). 

On 31 August 2011, the Corps 

completed its environmental review and 

finalized the GCD, executed the ROD, 

and issued a provisional Section 404 

Standard Individual Permit for the 

LEDPA. The Corps considered and 

responded to all comments received in 

finalizing the EIS/EIR, Final GCD, ROD, 

and issuing the provisional permit. The 

public can request copies of the Final 

General Conformity Determination 

document or the ROD from the Corps at 

the address listed below. In addition, 

copies of the Final General Conformity 

Determination document are available 

for review during the next 30 days at the 

following libraries: County of Los 

Angeles Newhall Branch, Castaic 

Branch, Sylmar Branch, Valencia 

Branch, and the County of Ventura 

Fillmore Branch. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Questions or requests concerning the 

Final General Conformity Determination 

or the ROD should be directed to: Dr. 

Aaron O. Allen, Chief, North Coast 

Branch, Regulatory Division, U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, 2151 Alessandro 

Drive, Suite 110, Ventura, California 

93001, (805) 585–2148. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: None. 

Dated: September 19, 2011. 

David J. Castanon, 

Chief, Regulatory Division, Los Angeles 

District. 

[FR Doc. 2011–24509 Filed 9–22–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Notice of Availability of a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement in 

Cooperation With the North Carolina 

Department of Transportation for 

Improvements to the US 17 and Market 

Street (US 17 Business) Corridor in 

Northern New Hanover and Southern 

Pender Counties, NC 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (COE), Wilmington District, 

Wilmington Regulatory Division is 

issuing this notice to advise the public 

that a State of North Carolina funded 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

(DEIS) has been prepared describing 

proposed improvements to the 

transportation system starting at 

Military Cutoff Road in New Hanover 

County to north of Hampstead along 

US 17, Pender County, NC (TIP Projects 

U–4751 and R–3300). 

DATES: Written comments on the Draft 

EIS will be received until November 1, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: Mr. Brad Shaver, Regulatory 

Project Manager, Wilmington Regulatory 

Field Office, 69 Darlington Ave., 

Wilmington, NC 28403 or Ms. Olivia 

Farr, Project Development Engineer, 

North Carolina Department of 

Transportation (NCDOT), 1548 Mail 

Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699– 

1548. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Questions about the proposed action 

and DEIS can be directed to Mr. Brad 

Shaver, COE—Regulatory Project 

Manager, telephone: (910) 251–4611 or 

Ms. Olivia Farr, NCDOT—Project 

Development Engineer, telephone: (919) 

733–7844, ext. 253. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE 

in cooperation with the North Carolina 

Department of Transportation has 

prepared a DEIS on a proposal to make 

transportation improvements to the US 

17 and Market Street (US 17 Business) 

corridor in northern New Hanover and 

southern Pender Counties. Two North 

Carolina Department of Transportation 

Improvement Program (TIPs U–4751 

and R–3300) projects are being 

evaluated as part of the US 17 Corridor 

Study. 

The purpose of the US 17 Corridor 

Study project is to improve the traffic 

carrying capacity and safety of the US 

17 and Market Street corridor in the 

project area. The project study area is 

roughly bounded on the west by I–40, 

on the north by the Northeast Cape Fear 

River, Holly Shelter Game Lands to the 

east, and Market Street and US 17 to the 

south. 

This project is being reviewed 

through the Merger 01 process designed 

to streamline the project development 

and permitting processes, agreed to by 

the COE, North Carolina Department of 

Environment and Natural Resources 

(Division of Water Quality, Division of 

Coastal Management), Federal Highway 

Administration (for this project not 

applicable), and the North Carolina 

Department of Transportation and 

supported by other stakeholder agencies 

and local units of government. The 

other partnering agencies include: U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service; N.C. Wildlife 

Resources Commission; N.C. 

Department of Cultural Resources; and 

the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning 

Organization. The Merger process 

provides a forum for appropriate agency 

representatives to discuss and reach 

consensus on ways to facilitate meeting 

the regulatory requirements of Section 

404 of the Clean Water Act during the 

NEPA/SEPA decision-making phase of 

transportation projects. 

In 2006 the project was presented to 

Federal and State Resource and 

Regulatory Agencies to gain 

concurrence on the purpose and need 

for the project. The aforementioned 

purpose and need of the project was 

agreed upon by participating agencies in 

September of 2006. In January 2007, the 

project was again presented to 

participating agencies regarding the 

preliminary corridor screening process 

in an attempt to decide which 

alternatives would be carried forward 

for detailed analysis. In August of 2007, 

the alternatives to carry forward were 

identified. The COE has worked closely 

with NCDOT and its representatives to 

identify jurisdictional resources within 

the alternatives carried forward. Upon 

completion of the DEIS, NCDOT 

submitted a request to the COE to solicit 

comment from the public in order to 

identify the Least Environmentally 

Damaging Practicable Alternative 

(LEDPA) for the project. This 

determination is expected in late 2011. 

Citizen public hearings are being 

scheduled by NCDOT for the Fall of 

2011 at which time citizens will be able 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 185 / Friday, September 23, 2011 / Notices 59123 

to voice their opinions on the LEDPA 

decision. 

The DEIS is available on the COE Web 

site at: http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/ 

Wetlands/Projects/HampsteadBypass 

and also available on the NCDOT Web 

site at: http://www.ncdot.org/projects/ 

US17HampsteadBypass/. Any person 

having difficulty in viewing the 

document online can contact the COE 

project manager or the NCDOT project 

manager for a CD copy of the document. 

After distribution and review of the 

Draft EIS and Final EIS, the Applicant 

understands that the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers in coordination with the 

North Carolina Department of 

Transportation will issue a Record of 

Decision (ROD) for the project. The ROD 

will document the completion of the EIS 

process and will serve as a basis for 

permitting decisions by Federal and 

State agencies. 

To ensure that the full range of issues 

related to this proposed action are 

addressed and all significant issues 

identified, comments and suggestions 

are invited from all interested parties. 

Comments or questions concerning this 

proposed action and the EIS should be 

directed to the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers at the address provided. The 

Wilmington District will periodically 

issue Public Notices soliciting public 

and agency comment on the proposed 

action and alternatives to the proposed 

action as they are developed. 

Dated: September 15, 2011. 

S. Kenneth Jolly, 

Chief, Wilmington Regulatory District. 

[FR Doc. 2011–24485 Filed 9–22–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Puyallup River General 

Investigation Study, Pierce County, 

WA 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: The Seattle District, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will 

prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement (DEIS) pursuant to Section 

102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, 

for a proposed flood-risk management 

project in the Puyallup River Basin 

including the Puyallup River 

downstream of Electron Dam to 

Commencement Bay, the Carbon River 

and the White River downstream of 

Mud Mountain Dam. This study was 

requested by Pierce County (the local 

sponsor), Washington, because of the 

potential for significant flooding within 

the Puyallup River Basin. 

A DEIS is being prepared because of 

the potential for impacts on 

environmental resources, particularly 

salmonid habitat, and the intense public 

interest already demonstrated in 

addressing the flooding problems of the 

Puyallup, Carbon and White Rivers. 

The Puyallup River General 

Investigation (GI) DEIS for the Puyallup 

River Basin is being conducted under 

the authority of Section 209 of the Flood 

Control Act of 1962, Public Law 87–874. 

That section authorized a 

comprehensive study of Puget Sound, 

Washington, and adjacent waters 

including tributaries, in the interest of 

flood control, navigation, and other 

water uses and related land resources. 

DATES: Persons or organizations wishing 

to submit study scoping comments 

should do so by October 24, 2011. 

Public comment may also be made at 

the study scoping meeting October 6, 

2011 in Fife, Washington (see Scoping 

Meeting). Notification of scoping 

meeting times and locations will be sent 

to all agencies, organizations, and 

individuals on the project mailing list. 

ADDRESSES: All comments on the 

proposed project, requests for inclusion 

on the mailing list and future 

documents should be sent to: Amanda 

Ogden, Study Environmental 

Coordinator, Seattle District, U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, P.O. 3755, Seattle, 

WA 98124–3755, Attn: CENWS–PM–ER; 

telephone (206) 764–3628; fax (206) 

764–4467; or e-mail 

Amanda.Ogden@usace.army.mil. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

General questions concerning the 

proposed action and the DEIS can be 

directed to: Amanda Ogden, Study 

Environmental Coordinator (see 

ADDRESSES) or C.J. Klocow, Project 

Manager, Seattle District, U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, P.O. 3755, Seattle, 

WA 98124–3755, Attn: CENWS–PM–CP; 

telephone (206) 764–6073; fax (206) 

764–4467; or e-mail 

Charles.J.Klocow@usace.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background. The Puyallup River 

basin encompasses a drainage area of 

approximately 1,040 square miles. 

Major tributaries include the Carbon 

and White Rivers. The Puyallup, Carbon 

and White Rivers drain the northern 

flank of Mount Rainier. The study area 

for the DEIS will be the Puyallup River 

downstream of Electron Dam to 

Commencement Bay, the Carbon River 

and the White River downstream of 

Mud Mountain Dam. 

The purpose of the Puyallup River GI 

study is to better identify the problems 

and opportunities that exist to relieve 

the potential for flooding, reduce flood 

risks and to develop a flood-risk 

management plan that fits Federal law 

and policy and is within the capability 

of the local sponsor to support their 

required share of the total project costs. 

This is a single-purpose flood-risk 

management study. The goal of this 

project is to identify the National 

Economic Development (NED) plan, the 

flood-risk management alternative that 

provides the maximum net economic 

benefits. In accordance with USACE 

policy, minimization of ecosystem, 

cultural, and socio-economic impacts 

will be significant project 

considerations (Reference: ER 1105–2– 

100, Planning Guidance Notebook). The 

local sponsor may request the 

recommendation of a plan other than 

the NED, the Locally Preferred Plan 

(LPP). 

Alternatives. In the reconnaissance 

phase for the Puyallup River GI study, 

USACE identified two alternative 

courses of action for further analysis 

which are outlined below. 

Alternative 1—No Action: Allow the 

current levee system to remain in place 

without a major system-wide levee 

system upgrade. Individual jurisdictions 

would continue to operate, maintain, 

and repair the existing levees, and dams 

on the Puyallup River and White River 

would continue present operations for 

flood reduction. 

Alternative 2: Construct a coordinated 

flood-risk management project that 

would provide critically needed floodrisk management measures at an 

affordable cost in a reasonable 

timeframe and that will subsequently be 

authorized and implemented. 

Pierce County and USACE are in the 

process of developing an array of 

structural and nonstructural measures 

for addressing problems and 

opportunities and for achieving project 

objectives. These measures will be 

presented to the public at several 

workshops in Pierce County and to 

resource and Tribal groups and agencies 

over the course of project development. 

Some or all of the measures will be 

combined to form the range of 

alternatives. In the DEIS, the preferred 

alternative will be selected based on 

screening and evaluation of the range of 

alternatives. 

Scoping. Public involvement will be 

sought during scoping, plan 

formulation, and preparation of the 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES