Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 80 / Wednesday, April 26, 1995 / Notices 20481

Dated: April 20, 1995.

Russell J. Bellmer,

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office

of Protected Resources, National Marine

Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–10268 Filed 4–25–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

[I.D. 041195A]

Marine Mammals

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service, (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Modification no. 2 to scientific

research permit 770 (P66G).

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a

request for modification of scientific

research permit no. 770 submitted by

the Alaska Department of Fish and

Game, P.O. Box 3–2000, Juneau, AK

99802, has been granted.

ADDRESSES: The modification and

related documents are available for

review upon written request or by

appointment in the following offices:

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Suite 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301/713–2289);

Director, Alaska Region, NMFS,

Federal Annex, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau,

AK 99802 (907/586–7221).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ruth Johnson, 301/713–2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March

17, 1995, notice was published in the

Federal Register (60 FR 14426) that a

modification of permit no. 770, issued

March 20, 1993 (57 FR 10649), had been

requested by the above-named

organization. The requested

modification has been granted under the

authority of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the provisions

of section 216.33(d) and (e) of the

Regulations Governing the Taking and

Importing of Marine Mammals (50 CFR

part 216).

The permit was modified to allow an

additional 100 harbor seals to be

captured, restrained, immobilized,

sampled, and flipper tagged, which

brings the total number of seals to be

handled to 300. Of these, up to 50 each

may be muscle biopsy sampled, injected

intramuscularly with 10 ml sterile

deuterium oxide, and injected with 10

ml of medical grade sterile Evans Blue

solution into the extradural

intervertebral vein. Specimens collected

from harbor seals and spotted seals may

be exported to Canada, Netherlands, and

on a worldwide basis as the need arises.

Dated: April 18, 1995.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits & Documentation Division,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–10267 Filed 4–25–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Corps of Engineers

Intent To Prepare a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS) for the Central and Southern

Florida Project for Flood Control and

Other Purposes, Part V, Coastal Areas

South of St. Lucie Canal, Design

Memorandum, Canal 51—West End,

Control Structure 155A, Pumping

Station 319 and Stormwater Treatment

Area 1 East, Palm Beach County,

Florida

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The Jacksonville District, U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers, along with the

South Florida Water Management

District (SFWMD) intends to prepare a

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS) on the feasibility of

implementing under the State of

Florida’s Everglades Forever Act of

1994, the Canal 51—West End, Control

Structure 155A, Pumping Station 319

and Stormwater Treatment Area 1 East,

Palm Beach County, Florida.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposed action

and draft EIS can be answered by:

William Porter, U.S. Army Engineer

District, PO Box 4970, Jacksonville,

Florida 32232–0019; Telephone 904–

232–2259.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: a. The

scope of this study is to evaluate

implementation of the C–51, West End

flood control project. The West Palm

Beach Canal (C–51) is a component of

the Central and Southern Florida (C&SF)

Flood Control Project. The C–51 basin is

located in Palm Beach County and

extends from the edge of Water

Conservation Area (WCA–1) on the

West to Lake Worth on the east near the

southerly limits of the city of West Palm

Beach. The C–51 project will provide

flood control for the lower 21 miles of

the existing West Palm Beach Canal and

145 square miles of Palm Beach County.

Project works for the east end of C–51

have been completed. All engineering

and design work for the west end was

previously discontinued at the request

of the local sponsor pending the

development of a mediated plan for

resolution of the Everglades litigation.

The Everglades Construction Project, a

product of the Technical Mediated Plan

(TMP), incorporates a substantially

modified version of the Federal C–51

project. The TMP consists of

modifications to the water management

system in the Everglades Agricultural

Area (EAA) and includes construction

of six large Stormwater Treatment Areas

(STAs) to filter nutrients from

agricultural runoff before discharges are

made to the Everglades. The TMP also

alters the C–51 West project to include

a Stormwater Treatment Area.

The locally preferred plan to be

evaluated has many of the same

physical features proposed in the 1992

Detail Design Memorandum (DDM) and

are described below. The project will

provide 10-year flood protection for the

western basin of C–51. The major

physical difference between the 1992

DDM plan and the recommended plan

is the replacement of the 1,600-acre

detention area with the 5,350-acre

‘‘locally preferred’’ STA 1 East. The

most significant modification will be the

reduction of discharges to Lake Worth,

with C–51 West Basin runoff directed

instead to Water Conservation Area 1

(The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee

National Wildlife Refuge). Runoff from

the C–51 West Basin will pass through

STA 1E for water quality improvement

prior to its discharge to Water

Conservation Area 1. In addition to the

flood damage reduction benefits

provided by the 1992 plan, the modified

plan will provide water quality

improvement, reduction of damaging

freshwater discharges to Lake Worth,

and increased water supply for the

Everglades and other users.

Physical Data on Project Features is as

follows: (1) Stormwater Treatment Area

1 East, with an effective treatment area

of 5,350 acres, will be constructed in

lieu of the 1,600-acre detention area

provided for in the 1992 DDM. Inflows

to this area will be delivered by Pump

Station 319. Treated discharges will be

lifted to WCA–1 by a new outflow

pumping station built as part of the

Stormwater Treatment Area, (2) Pump

Station 319 will be relocated to a point

about 1.7 miles east of the presently

planned location. The capacity of the

pump station will remain about the

same, however, the static head

differential across the pump station will

be reduced as a result of the

replacement of the 1,600-acre detention

area with STA 1E, (3) Structure S–155A

will be constructed in C–51 with a

capacity of 1,000 cubic feet per second,

(4) C–51 Canal enlargements will be

required over a distance of about 4.3
20482 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 80 / Wednesday, April 26, 1995 / Notices

miles between Structure 155A and

Pump Station 319.

Environmental Quality: The

Technical Mediated Plan will preserve

the same flood control benefits that

justify the original Corps project. The

recommended plan will serve other

purposes as well: provide additional

water supply for the Everglades (and

other urban and environmental users)

and provide a filtering area to remove

excessive nutrients from agricultural

runoff before it is discharged into the

Everglades. As an incidental, but

important benefit, the plan will also

reduce harmful freshwater discharges

into Lake Worth at the eastern terminus

of C–51.

b. Scoping: The scoping process as

outlined by the Council on

Environmental Quality will be utilized

to involve Federal, State, and local

agencies; and other interested persons

and organizations. A scoping letter will

be sent to interested Federal, State, and

local agencies requesting their

comments and concerns regarding

issues they feel should be addressed in

the EIS. Interested persons and

organizations wishing to participate in

the scoping process should contact the

Corps of Engineers at the address above.

Significant issues anticipated include

concern for: local groundwater recharge,

water quality, water supply, recreation,

wetlands, fish and wildlife, and land

use. Public scoping meetings will be

held in the near future, the exact

location, dates, and times will be

announced in public notices and local

newspapers.

c. It is estimated that the DEIS will be

available to the public in March 1996.

Gregory D. Showalter,

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 95–10193 Filed 4–25–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710–AJ–M

Intent To Prepare a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS) for San Francisco Bay to

Stockton, Phase III (John F. Baldwin)

Navigation Channel Deepening

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: John F. Baldwin is part of the

San Francisco Bay to Stockton,

California Navigation Project authorized

by the River and Harbor Act of 1965 as

contained in Public Law 89–298, EightyNinth Congress, dated 29 October 1965.

The authorization includes improving

and deepening existing navigation

channels from the San Francisco

entrance channel to Port of Stockton. To

fulfill the requirements of Section

102(2)(c) of the National Environmental

Policy Act, the Corps of Engineers has

determined that the proposed action

may have significant effect on the

quality of the human environment and

therefore requires the preparation of an

Environmental Impact Statement.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

further information about the project

and the alternatives, contact Mr. Peter

LaCivita, Chief, Environmental Planning

Section, Corps of Engineers San

Francisco District, 211 Main Street, Rm

918 (CESPN–PE–PP), San Francisco, CA

94105–1905. Phone number (415) 744–

3342, fax number (415) 744–3312,

internet address

placivita@smtp.spd.usace.army.mil

ADDRESSES: Written statements should

be mailed no later than June 16, 1995,

to the District Engineer, USAED San

Francisco, 211 Main Street, San

Francisco, California 94105.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Need for Action

Currently vessels with drafts greater

than 35 feet arriving in San Francisco

Bay are required to arrive with only a

portion of their cargo hulls full, or to

off-load a portion of their cargo before

proceeding to their respective terminals

as far as Point Edith in Suisun Bay. The

proposed deepening of the channel will

lessen or eliminate this need, reducing

transportation costs through increasing

fleet efficiency. Safety would improve

and environmental risks would decrease

due to the inherent reduction in ship

traffic.

Summary

San Francisco Bay to Stockton, Phase

III (John F. Baldwin) Ship Channel

Improvement Project (JFB), starts in San

Francisco Bay, extends through San

Pablo Bay and Carquinez Strait and into

Suisun Bay.

The project consists of dredging four

reaches of the channel, three

maneuvering areas, one approach area,

and one turning basin. The first reach,

3 miles of the West Richmond Channel

in central San Francisco Bay through

the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge area, is

to be deepened from ¥35 feet to ¥45

feet MLLW with a bottom width of 600

feet. The second reach to be dredged is

the Pinole Shoal Channel, which

extends approximately 11 miles across

San Pablo Bay and connects the

naturally deep waters of San Pablo Bay

and Carquinez Strait. This channel will

be deepened from ¥35 MLLW to ¥45

feet MLLW, and the bottom width

reduced from 600 to 520 feet. The first

maneuvering area to be dredged is

associated with the Pinole Shoal

Channel, in the area near the Unocal

wharf at Oleum. This area will be

dredged to ¥45 feet MLLW. The

Carquinez Strait Channel is the third

reach to be deepened as part of the JFB

project. This approximately 3.5-mile

long channel will be deepened from

¥35 feet MLLW, with a width of 600

feet to ¥45 feet MLLW with a width of

520 feet through the shoal areas of

Upper Carquinez Strait in the MartinezBenicia area, tapering to approximately

300 feet at the Interstate 680 (I–680) and

Southern Pacific Railroad bridge. The

approach area south of the main

Carquinez Strait Channel at Martinez

will be deepened to ¥45 feet MLLW

and the maneuvering area will be

enlarged to include the naturally deep

water to the north. The final reach is

Bulls Head Shoal Channel, a distance of

approximately 2 miles. This reach will

be dredged from the existing ¥35 feet

to ¥45 feet MLLW and after passing

through the narrow straits under the

railroad bridge, widened from the

existing 350 feet to 520 feet. This newly

enlarged channel will continue into a

1500-foot trapezoidal turning basin that

will be positioned at the upstream end

of the reach with a depth of ¥35 feet

MLLW outside of the channel. After

leaving the turning basin the channel

will revert to current project dimensions

upstream of ¥35 feet MLLW with a

width of 350 feet. The volume of

material to be dredged from the project

is approximately (9 million cubic yards

[mcy]).

Alternatives

Alternatives associated with the JFB

projects are the No-Action alternative,

in which no disposal site would be used

and therefore the project would not be

constructed, and combinations of sites

for disposal of dredged material. A total

of ten sites have been identified for

disposal and will be evaluated in the

EIS/EIR. The sites include one ocean

disposal site (EPA-designated San

Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal Site

[SF–DODS]), one San Francisco Bay

disposal site (the Bay Farm Borrow

area), and eight land sites. The SF–

DODS is located approximately 50 miles

west of the Golden Gate Bridge in over

8,000 feet of water. The Bay Farm

Borrow Area (BFBA) is located off Bay

Farm Island, Alameda County and is, on

average, ¥31 feet MLLW, encompassing

over 400 acres. The first land alternative

is Leonard Ranch, located in Sonoma

County, south of Highway 37, near Port

Sonoma-Marin where material would be

dried and used as cover material for

landfills. Montezuma Wetlands (Phase I)

is located in Solano County on

Montezuma Slough north of the