Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 143 / Wednesday, July 25, 2012 / Notices 43575 

NOAA, Rm. 11230, 1315 East-West 

Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 

20910. Phone: 301–734–1156, Fax: 301– 

713–1459, Email: 

Cynthia.Decker@noaa.gov. 

Dated: July 18, 2012. 

Terry Bevels, 

Acting Chief Financial Officer/Acting 

Administrative Officer, Office of Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2012–18034 Filed 7–24–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–KD–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

Department of Defense Wage 

Committee; Notice of Closed Meetings 

AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). 

ACTION: Notice of closed meetings. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of 

section 10 of Public Law 92–463, the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, notice 

is hereby given that closed meeting of 

the Department of Defense Wage 

Committee will be held. 

DATES: Tuesday, September 4, 2012, at 

10 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: 4800 Mark Center Drive, 

Room 05K25, Alexandria, VA 22350– 

1100. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Additional information concerning the 

meetings may be obtained by writing to 

the Chairman, Department of Defense 

Wage Committee, 4000 Defense 

Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301–4000. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

provisions of section 10(d) of Public 

Law 92–463, the Department of Defense 

has determined that the meetings meet 

the criteria to close meetings to the 

public because the matters to be 

considered are related to internal rules 

and practices of the Department of 

Defense and the detailed wage data to be 

considered were obtained from officials 

of private establishments with a 

guarantee that the data will be held in 

confidence. 

However, members of the public who 

may wish to do so are invited to submit 

material in writing to the chairman 

concerning matters believed to be 

deserving of the Committee’s attention. 

Dated: July 19, 2012. 

Aaron Siegel, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2012–18097 Filed 7–24–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

Department of Defense Wage 

Committee; Notice of Closed Meetings 

AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). 

ACTION: Notice of closed meetings. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of 

section 10 of Public Law 92–463, the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, notice 

is hereby given that closed meeting of 

the Department of Defense Wage 

Committee will be held. 

DATES: Tuesday, September 18, 2012, at 

10 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: 4800 Mark Center Drive, 

Room 05K25, Alexandria, VA 22350– 

1100. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Additional information concerning the 

meetings may be obtained by writing to 

the Chairman, Department of Defense 

Wage Committee, 4000 Defense 

Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301–4000. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

provisions of section 10(d) of Public 

Law 92–463, the Department of Defense 

has determined that the meetings meet 

the criteria to close meetings to the 

public because the matters to be 

considered are related to internal rules 

and practices of the Department of 

Defense and the detailed wage data to be 

considered were obtained from officials 

of private establishments with a 

guarantee that the data will be held in 

confidence. 

However, members of the public who 

may wish to do so are invited to submit 

material in writing to the chairman 

concerning matters believed to be 

deserving of the Committee’s attention. 

Dated: July 19, 2012. 

Aaron Siegel, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2012–18112 Filed 7–24–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army, Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report for the 

Proposed Ballona Wetlands 

Restoration Project at Ballona Creek 

Within the City and County of Los 

Angeles, CA 

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

Department of the Army, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (Corps) and the California 

Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) 

intend to jointly prepare a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/ 

EIR) for the proposed Ballona Wetlands 

Restoration Project. The proposed 

project is intended to return the daily 

ebb and flow of tidal waters, maintain 

freshwater circulation, and augment the 

physical and biological functions and 

services in the project area. Restoring 

the wetland functions and services 

would allow native wetland vegetation 

to be reestablished, providing important 

habitat for a variety of wildlife species. 

As a restored site, the Ballona Wetlands 

would play an important role to provide 

seasonal habitat for migratory birds. A 

restored, optimally functioning wetland 

would also benefit the adjacent marine 

environment and enhance the quality of 

tidal waters. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

September 10, 2012. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dr. Daniel P. Swenson at (213) 452– 

3414 

(daniel.p.swenson@usace.army.mil), 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los 

Angeles District, P.O. Box 532711, Los 

Angeles, CA 90053–2325. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps 

intends to prepare a joint EIS/EIR to 

assess the environmental effects 

associated with the proposed project. 

CDFG is the state lead agency for the 

EIR pursuant to the California 

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

1. Background. The 600-acre Ballona 

Wetlands Ecological Reserve is located 

in the western portion of the City of Los 

Angeles (partially within 

unincorporated Los Angeles County), 

south of Marina Del Rey and north of 

Playa Del Rey. The project site is 

situated approximately 1.5 miles west of 

Interstate 405 and approximately 1⁄4- 

mile east of Santa Monica Bay. The 

project site is owned by the State of 

California, and is bisected by and 

includes a channelized span of Ballona 

Creek, a component feature of a federal 

flood risk management project. 

2. Project Purpose and Need. A 

substantial portion of California’s 

historic coastal wetlands have been lost. 

Restoration of coastal wetlands is 

needed in order to increase available 

nursery and foraging habitat for wildlife 

and to provide recreational and 

educational opportunities to the public. 

The Ballona Wetlands ecosystem is one 

of the last remaining major coastal 

wetlands in Los Angeles County. It is 

estimated that historically the wetlands 

ecosystem spanned more than 2,000 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
43576 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 143 / Wednesday, July 25, 2012 / Notices 

acres in the vicinity of the site. 

Development occurring over the last 

century greatly reduced the Ballona 

wetland area, now estimated at 

approximately 600 acres. In addition, 

the wetland habitat and natural 

hydrological functions in the area have 

been substantially degraded. The project 

site provides habitat for a diversity of 

plant and wildlife species, but most onsite habitat exhibits relatively low 

physical and biological functions and 

services. 

The proposed project is intended to 

return the daily ebb and flow of tidal 

waters, maintain freshwater circulation, 

and augment the physical and biological 

functions and services in the project 

area. Restoring the wetland functions 

and services would allow native 

wetland vegetation to be reestablished, 

providing important habitat for a variety 

of wildlife species. As a restored site, 

the Ballona Wetlands would play an 

important role to provide seasonal 

habitat for migratory birds. A restored, 

optimally functioning wetland would 

also benefit the adjacent marine 

environment and enhance the quality of 

tidal waters. The proposed project 

would provide the community with a 

valuable educational resource and 

access to a large wetland area. 

The purpose of the project is to 

restore ecological functions of the site, 

in part, by enhancing tidal flow. 

3. Proposed Action. CDFG is 

proposing a large-scale restoration of the 

Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve. 

The proposed project entails restoring, 

enhancing, and establishing native 

coastal wetland and upland habitats in 

the approximately 600-acre Ballona 

Wetlands Ecological Reserve. The 

reserve currently supports large 

expanses of previously filled and 

dredged coastal wetland and upland 

habitat that would be restored by 

increasing tidal flow throughout the 

project area, removing invasive species, 

and planting native vegetation. 

The main components of the 

proposed project are: 

• Habitat restoration of estuarine 

wetland and upland habitats connected 

to a realigned Ballona Creek. 

• Removal of existing Ballona Creek 

levees and realignment of Ballona Creak 

to restore a more meandering channel. 

• Construction of levees along the 

perimeter of the project area to allow 

restoration of tidally influenced 

wetlands in the project area while 

providing flood risk management for 

Culver Boulevard and surrounding 

developed areas. 

• Installation of water control 

structures, including culverts with selfregulating tide gates or similar 

structures, to provide a full range of 

tides up to an elevation acceptable for 

flood risk management and storm 

drainage, while reducing the risk of 

damage from storm events. 

• Maintenance of existing levels of 

flood risk management for areas 

surrounding the Ballona Wetlands site. 

• Provision of erosion protection as 

an integral part of the restoration design. 

• Modification of infrastructure and 

utilities as necessary to implement the 

restoration project. 

• Improving public access by 

realigning existing trails, creating new 

trails, repairing existing fences, 

constructing overlook platforms, and 

providing other visitor-oriented 

facilities. 

• Long-term operations and 

management activities including 

inspections, repairs, clean-up, 

vegetation maintenance, and related 

activities. 

The proposed project requires a 

permit under section 404 of the Clean 

Water Act (CWA) and section 10 of the 

Rivers and Harbors Act to conduct 

dredge and fill activities in waters of the 

United States and for work and (or) 

structures in or affecting navigable 

waters of the United States associated 

with restoring wetlands and associated 

habitat within the project site. Dredge 

and fill activities in waters of the United 

States are proposed to construct new 

levees, form new tidal channels, modify 

existing tidal channels, re-contour areas 

to enhance tidal flow, and to create 

elevations conducive to establishing 

wetland habitat. Preliminary 

conservative estimates indicate the 

project would result in a balanced total 

of 1,782,000 cubic yards of excavation 

and 1,782,000 cubic yards of fill 

placement, not all of which would affect 

jurisdictional areas. Based on these 

preliminary estimates, the volumes and 

areas of fill are estimated as follows: 

Permanent discharge of fill within 43.5 

acres of non-wetland waters of the U.S. 

(435,000 cubic yards) and within 65 

acres of wetland waters of the U.S. 

(600,000 cubic yards), as well as 

temporary discharge of fill within 3.5 

acres of non-wetland waters of the U.S. 

(30,000 cubic yards) and within 0.3 

acres of wetland waters of the U.S. 

(structural fill). 

The project will also require a permit 

from the Corps to the Los Angeles 

County Department of Public Works, as 

the non-Federal sponsor of the Los 

Angeles County Drainage Area (LACDA) 

project, pursuant to 33 U.S.C. section 

408 (408 permit). A section 408 permit 

is required to alter/modify a completed 

Corps project. The Ballona Creek levees 

were constructed by the Corps in the 

1930s as part of LACDA. This project 

proposes to remove levees, construct a 

larger levee reach around the perimeter 

of the proposed side, reconfigure the 

existing concrete-lined Ballona Creek 

flood-control channel and realign the 

creek. A permit for modification/ 

alteration of this magnitude would 

require Corps Headquarters approval. 

4. Alternatives Considered. The 

feasibility of several alternatives is being 

considered and will be addressed in the 

DEIS/EIR. The No Federal Action/No 

Project Alternative, as required by 

NEPA and CEQA, would maintain the 

status quo and would include no 

improvements or discharges of fill 

material in waters of the United States 

or work or structures in or affecting 

navigable waters of the United States. 

Other alternatives that may be 

considered include restoring smaller 

portions of the 600-acre site, alternative 

designs that would provide differing 

amounts of various habitats types, and 

alternative designs for enhancing tidal 

flow. Additional alternatives may be 

developed during scoping and will also 

be considered in the DEIS/EIR. 

5. Scoping Process. 

a. Affected federal, state and local 

resource agencies, Native American 

groups and concerned interest groups/ 

individuals are encouraged to 

participate in the scoping process. 

Public participation is critical in 

defining the scope of analysis in the 

DEIS/EIR, identifying significant 

environmental issues in the DEIS/EIR, 

providing useful information such as 

published and unpublished data, and 

knowledge of relevant issues and 

recommending mitigation measures to 

offset potential impacts from proposed 

actions. 

b. Potential impacts associated with 

the proposed project will be fully 

evaluated. Potential significant issues to 

be addressed in the DEIS/EIR include 

aesthetics, air quality and greenhouse 

gas emissions, biological resources, 

cultural resources, geology and soils, 

hazards and hazardous materials, 

hydrology and water quality, land use 

and planning, noise, public services, 

recreation, sea-level rise, traffic, flood 

control, and utilities. Additional issues 

may be identified during the scoping 

process. 

c. Individuals and agencies may offer 

information or data relevant to the 

environmental or socioeconomic 

impacts of the proposed project by 

submitting comments, suggestions, and 

requests to be placed on the mailing list 

for announcements to (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT) or the following 

email address: 

Daniel.p.swenson@usace.army.mil. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 143 / Wednesday, July 25, 2012 / Notices 43577 

d. The Corps anticipates formally 

consulting with the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service under Section 7 of the 

Endangered Species Act, the National 

Marine Fisheries Service under Section 

305(b)(2) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (MSA), and with the State Historic 

Preservation Officer under Section 106 

of the National Historic Preservation 

Act. The CDFG, as the project 

proponent, will need to obtain a CWA 

section 401 water quality certification or 

waiver and a consistency certification 

from the California Coastal Commission 

in accordance with the Coastal Zone 

Management Act. 

6. Scoping Meeting Date, Time, and 

Location. A public scoping meeting to 

receive input on the scope of the DEIS/ 

EIR will be conducted on August 16, 

2012, from 4:00–7:00 p.m. at the Fiji 

Gateway entrance to the Ballona 

Wetlands (13720 Fiji Way, Marina del 

Rey, CA 90292, across from Fisherman’s 

Village and Los Angeles County 

Department of Beaches and Harbors). 

7. Availability of the DEIS/EIR. The 

DEIS/EIR is expected to be published 

and circulated in late 2012. A public 

hearing will be held after its publication 

to field comments on the document. 

David J. Castanon, 

Chief, Regulatory Division, Corps of 

Engineers. 

[FR Doc. 2012–18166 Filed 7–24–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army, Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Proposed 

Westbrook Project, Corps Permit 

Application Number SPK–2005–00938 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DOD. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, Sacramento District, (Corps) 

received a Department of the Army 

permit application from Westpark S.V. 

400, LLC (Applicant) to fill 

approximately 9.6 acres of waters of the 

United States to construct the proposed 

Westbrook Project in Placer County, CA, 

in June 2011. The Corps, as the lead 

agency responsible for compliance with 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), determined that the proposed 

project may result in significant impacts 

to the environment, and that the 

preparation of an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) is required. 

The Applicant proposes to implement 

a moderate scale, mixed-use, mixeddensity master planned community. The 

Westbrook Project, as proposed, would 

include a mixture of land uses, 

including new residential 

neighborhoods, elementary school, 

parks and several neighborhood serving 

retail centers. The Westbrook Project 

would involve approximately 146 acres 

of low-density residential, 84 acres of 

medium-density residential, 28 acres of 

high-density residential and 43 acres of 

commercial land uses. Other proposed 

land uses include a 10-acre elementary 

school site, approximately 16 acres for 

three neighborhood parks, and 

approximately 37 acres of open space 

for the preservation of natural resources 

areas. 

The proposed project site is 

approximately 400 acres and contains 

approximately 13 acres of waters of the 

United States. The project, as proposed, 

would result in direct impacts to 

approximately 9.6 acres of waters of the 

United States. These acreages do not 

include indirect impacts from the 

proposed action or impacts anticipated 

to result from offsite infrastructure that 

may be determined to be required as 

part of the project through the 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

process. 

ADDRESSES: To submit comments on 

this notice or for questions about the 

proposed action and the Draft EIS, 

please contact James T. Robb, 1325 J 

Street, Room 1350, Sacramento, CA 

95814. Please refer to Identification 

Number SPK–2005–00938 in any 

correspondence. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

James T. Robb, (916) 557–7610, email: 

DLL-CESPK-RD-EIS-Comments@usace.

army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested 

parties are invited to submit written 

comments on the permit application on 

or before September 3, 2012. Scoping 

comments should be submitted within 

the next 45 days, but may be submitted 

at any time prior to publication of the 

Draft EIS. 

The USACE will evaluate alternatives 

including the no action alternative, the 

proposed action alternative, and other 

on-site and off-site alternatives. The 

proposed project and the alternatives to 

its proposed size, design, and location 

will be developed through the EIS 

process. 

The proposed project would result in 

direct impacts to approximately 9.6 

acres of waters of the United States and 

would avoid approximately 2.9 acres of 

these waters of the United States. 

Waters of the U.S. on-site include two 

intermittent streams, seasonal wetlands, 

wetland swales, and vernal pools. 

The proposed site for the Westbrook 

community is in unincorporated Placer 

County, CA, immediately west of the 

City of Roseville’s existing city limits. 

The proposed project site is 

approximately 6 miles west of Interstate 

80 and State Route 65, 10 miles 

northeast of the City of Sacramento, 10 

miles east of State Route 99, 5 miles 

west of downtown Roseville, and 4 

miles east of the Sutter County line. The 

proposed project site is bordered on the 

west by Fiddyment Road and is 

approximately 1.2 miles north of 

Baseline Road. The property to the 

north was previously authorized for 

development under permit SPK–2002– 

00666 (Westpark/Fiddyment Ranch) or 

is under review in the case of Creekview 

(SPK–2006–00650). The property to the 

south, directly adjacent to Baseline 

Road, is currently under review (Sierra 

Vista Specific Plan, SPK–2006–01050 

and Placer Vineyards, SPK–1999– 

00737). The proposed project site was 

once a part of the Sierra Vista Specific 

Plan area, but the landowners at the 

time withdrew their application for a 

Section 404 permit and the area was 

dropped from analysis under the Sierra 

Vista EIS in 2008. A new permit 

application was received for the 

proposed Westbrook project on June 9, 

2011. 

The Corps’ public involvement 

program includes several opportunities 

to provide oral and written comments 

on the Westbrook project through the 

EIS drafting process. Affected federal, 

state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, 

and other interested private 

organizations and parties are invited to 

participate. Significant issues to be 

analyzed in depth in the EIS include 

impacts to waters of the United States, 

including vernal pools and other 

wetlands; agricultural resources; 

cultural resources; threatened and 

endangered species; transportation; air 

quality; surface water and groundwater; 

hydrology and water quality; 

socioeconomic effects; and aesthetics. 

The applicant reports that the project 

area supports suitable habitat for certain 

federally-listed branchiopods, including 

the threatened vernal pool fairy shrimp 

(Branchinecta lynchi) and endangered 

Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta 

conservatio) and vernal pool tadpole 

shrimp (Lepidurus packardi). The 

suitable habitat for branchiopods within 

the project area includes vernal pools 

and depressional seasonal wetlands 

(including depressional areas within 

wetland swales). 

The Applicant reports that there are 

historic properties within the Westbrook 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES