[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 14933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6833]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Corps of Engineers


Joint Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental 
Impact Report (EIR)

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: To prepare a joint draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed aggregate mining of 
approximately 1250 acres of land within the Morrison Creek Drainage 
Basin north of Highway 16, Sacramento County, California. The area 
evaluated by the EIR/EIS is bounded roughly by Kiefer Boulevard to the 
north, Excelsior Road to the east, Jackson Road (Highway 16) to the 
south and Bradshaw Road to the west.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Engineer District, Sacramento, 1325 J Street, 
Sacramento, California 95814-2922.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Karen Shaffer, (916) 557-5269.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There are three mining areas within the 1250 
acre study area. They are known as Aspen V North, Aspen VI and Granite 
I. Teichert Aggregates and Granite Construction Company have each 
applied to the Corps of Engineers for Department of the Army permits 
pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. These applications are 
being evaluated jointly because they are adjacent to one another and 
propose to share planning and cost of reclamation and mitigation. 
Teichert proposes to impact 42.88 acres of wetlands and other waters 
subject to DOA jurisdiction on their Aspen VI site, while Granite's 
impacts amount to 16.16 acres of wetlands and other waters subject to 
DOA jurisdiction on their Granite I site. Aspen VI and Granite I, 
combine for a total of 1061 acres in size with a total of 59.04 acres 
of waters of the United States being impacted. The Teichert site known 
as Aspen V North is approximately 184 acres in size with no 
jurisdictional waters of the United States. Presently, Aspen VI and 
Granite I consist of relatively flat terrain with Morrison Creek 
running through roughly from north east to south west and Mather Drain 
running through roughly from north to south. Granite I and Aspen VI are 
used for grazing and Aspen V North is relatively flat and is used for 
farming except in some areas that have already been mined. Because 
Aspen V North has no waters of the United States and can continue to be 
mined without a Department of the Army permit, the applicants have 
proposed to use the reclaimed pit as the mitigation area for vernal 
pool creation. In this way, the pools can be built on the Aspen V North 
site as they are impacted on the Aspen VI and Granite I sites with less 
temporal loss. The applicants proposed to reroute Mather Drain and 
Morrison Creek into a bypass channel that will be construed at the 
present grade. Low flows and flood flows will be directed to the pit 
floor where the applicants propose to mitigate for project impacts to 
seasonal wetlands and creek channel. The pit floor will also serve as a 
detention basin for storm water during peak flows.

Alternatives

    The alternatives being considered at this time are:
    a. Aggregate mining on site as proposed by the applicants.
    b. Downsizing mining operation on site so as to avoid some waters 
of the United States.
    c. Alternative site location.
    d. No action (no project alternative).

Significant Issues

    The significant issues which have been identified to date and which 
will be analyzed in the report are:
    a. The need for additional aggregate material in Sacramento.
    b. Impacts to wetlands and ability to create vernal pools on a 
reclaimed pit floor.
    c. Impacts to threatened and endangered species.
    d. Impacts to wildlife.
    e. Impacts to the hydrology of the Morrison Creek drainage basin.
    f. Need for flood storage on the Morrison Creek drainage basin.
    g. Impacts to water quality.
    h. Impacts to traffic (alternative site location).
    i. Impacts to aesthetics.
    j. Impacts to noise levels.

Other Environmental Review and Consultation

    Environmental review and consultation as required by Sections 401 
and 404 of the Clean Water Act, as amended (33 U.S. Code 1341 and 
1344); the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S. Code 661 et 
seq.); the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 
U.S. Code 470 et seq.); the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended 
(16 U.S. Code 1531 et seq.); Executive Order 11990, ``Protection of 
Wetlands,'' 24 May 1977; and other applicable statutes or regulations 
will be conducted concurrently with the EIR/EIS review process.
    Another joint draft EIR/EIS is being prepared concurrently for the 
Morrison Creek drainage basin south of Highway 16. This report will 
focus on the following mining projects: Granite Vineyard, Aspen III 
South, Aspen IV South and Aspen V South. Both EIR/EIS documents will 
evaluate impacts to the entire Morrison Creek drainage basin within 
cumulative impacts.
    The Sacramento District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will 
issue a 30-day public notice, concurrently with this notice, to 
initiate the scoping process. The public notice will be sent to all 
known, interested parties; and will request that the reviewers provide 
comments on the topical scope, alternatives, and major issues to be 
covered in the Draft EIR/EIS. We intend to accomplish the scoping 
process in this manner; however, if it is perceived that this method is 
not adequate, the need for a public scoping meeting will be considered.

Schedule

    We estimate the draft EIR/EIS will be made available to the public 
in May 1995.
    Questions concerning the proposed action and Draft EIR/EIS should 
be addressed directly to Ms. Karen Shaffer, Regulatory Branch, U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers, 1325 J Street, Room 1444, Sacramento, 
California 95814-2922, telephone (916) 557-5269.
Kenneth L. Denton,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-6833 Filed 3-20-95; 8:45 am]
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