[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 14, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 13730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6280]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[CO-070-5101-CO12]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) and 
Notice To Scoping Meetings, and, if Determined To Be Necessary, Prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a Proposed Replacement Raw 
Water Pipeline in Mesa County, CO

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA), 
and Notice to Scoping Meetings, and, if determined to be necessary, 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a Proposed 
Replacement Raw Water Pipeline in Western Colorado.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Grand Junction Resource Area Office, 
Grand Junction District, will be directing the preparation of a NEPA 
document. The NEPA document will be initiated as an EA, with the 
understanding that it may be upgraded to an EIS. The document will be 
prepared by a third party contractor, and will address impacts of the 
Plateau Creek Pipeline Replacement project proposed by the Ute Water 
Conservancy District (Ute Water). The project is a raw water conveyance 
system proposed on private and public lands in Mesa County, Colorado to 
replace a deteriorated and under sized pipeline currently approved 
under BLM ROW grant C 081282.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until 4:00 p.m., MST, on April 
13, 1995. A public scoping meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on March 
29, 1995, at the Two Rivers Convention Center, 159 Main Street, Grand 
Junction, Colorado.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Grand Junction Area Manager, 
Bureau of Land Management, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506, ATTN: 
Plateau Creek Pipeline Replacement Project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dave Stevens, (303) 244-3009.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The existing Plateau Creek Pipeline is an 
essential part of the Ute Water system which provides water to more 
than 55,000 Grand Valley residents. The Ute Water service area includes 
most of the Grand Valley area surrounding the City of Grand Junction, 
Colorado, and extends from east of the Town of Palisade to within 5 
miles of the Colorado-Utah stateline. Ute Water is a political 
subdivision of the State of Colorado formed under the Water Conservancy 
Act of 1937, and is considered to be a quasi-municipal entity.
    The existing prestressed concrete pipe was installed in the early 
1960s. A pipeline consisting of 42-inch and 36-inch diameter pipe 
carries raw water for approximately 4.5 miles from the Lower Molina 
Power Plant tail race to two storage reservoirs. From the reservoirs, 
water is conveyed via a 24-inch-diameter pipeline approximately 14 
miles along Plateau Creek Canyon and adjacent to Interstate Highway 70 
to Ute Water's treatment plant located on Rapid Creek, near the Town of 
Palisade. As of 1994, the pipeline was no longer able to provide an 
adequate flow rate to meet the peak day customer demands. The pipeline 
is presently subject to frequent breaks due to deteriorated pipe 
condition, and is unreliable due to its location within geologic 
hazards and stream erosion areas. In order for Ute Water to meet its 
commitment of providing a reliable, cost effective, high quality water 
source, replacement of the pipeline is necessary. The pipeline size and 
capacity will be determined from independent water demand projections 
based on population estimates to be generated and documented as part of 
this effort.
    Ute Water has preliminary scoping to: (1) identify interested 
stakeholders and agencies, (2) define key issues, and (3) identify 
initial alternatives. On the basis of the preliminary scoping, 16 
alternatives were developed. These include seven alternatives along the 
Plateau Creek corridor, three different alternatives involving use of 
water from nearby utilities, a Colorado River pump station alternative, 
two alternatives for supplying water from the Kannah Creek watershed, 
two alternatives for supplying water from the Whitewater Creek 
watershed, and a No Action alternative. Groundwater alternatives and 
conservation actions will be addressed in the EA. Four of the initially 
considered alternatives, selected on the basis of screening criteria 
described in Section 404(b) of the Clean Water Act, are proposed for 
evaluation in the EA. These are:
    Alternative A--Replacement of the pipeline on an alignment parallel 
to Plateau Creek such that impacts to all resources are minimized.
    Alternative B--Replacement of the pipeline parallel to Plateau 
Creek entirely within the existing state highway 65 and 330 rights-of-
way.
    Alternative C--Replacement of the pipeline in either alignment A or 
B with a smaller pipeline. This alternative includes provisions for 
construction of a booster station at the mouth of Plateau Canyon to be 
built at a future date to meet long-term demands.
    Alternative D--A ``no federal action'' alternative.
    Major issues identified during the preliminary scoping include: (1) 
wetlands and riparian areas, (2) threatened and endangered species, (3) 
wildlife habitat, (4) need for demand projections, and (5) water 
depletion issues. Preliminary review by the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Army Corps of Engineers 
(ACOE) indicates that the anticipated impacts may be entirely 
mitigable, and may be limited to temporary disturbance. However, there 
is a potential that significant impacts may be identified during the EA 
process and it may be necessary to convert this documentation effort 
into an EIS. Therefore, it is also the intent of this NOI to provide 
for public notice and review necessary for an EIS pursuant to NEPA.
    The tentative project schedule is:

Begin Public Comment Period--March 1995
Complete Final EA--January 1996
EA Finding--March 1996
Complete Final Design--January 1997
Begin Construction--March 1997

    The BLM's scoping process will include: (1) Identification of 
additional issues to be addressed; (2) Identification of additional 
viable alternatives, and (3) Notification of interested groups, 
individuals and agencies so that additional information concerning 
these issues can be obtained.
    The scoping process will be initiated by publication of this NOI in 
the Federal Register and issuance of a news release announcing the 
start of the process; letters of invitation to participate in the 
scoping process, and distribution of a scoping document describing the 
proposed action, alternatives and significant issues being considered 
is available upon request.
Mark T. Morse,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 95-6280 Filed 3-13-95; 8:45 am]
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