33274 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 131 / Friday, July 10, 2009 / Notices 

may submit your comments by any one 

of several methods. You may mail 

comments to contacts listed above or 

you may submit comments 

electronically through the NPS PEPC 

Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ 

gate). Before including your address, 

phone number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Michael T. Reynolds, 

Deputy Regional Director, Northeast Region, 

National Park Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–16326 Filed 7–9–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–PM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

AGENCY: National Park Service. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Plan 

of Operations and Environmental 

Assessment for a 30-day public review 

at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 

Cuyahoga County, OH. 

SUMMARY: The National Park Service 

(NPS), in accordance with Section 

9.52(b) of Title 36 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations has received from M&M 

Royalty, Ltd., a Plan of Operations for 

the purpose of drilling and producing 

up to four oil/gas wells on the private 

property of Astorhurst and Prinios in 

Walton Hills, Ohio. The proposed site is 

located within the boundaries of 

Cuyahoga Valley National Park. A Plan 

of Operations describes the proposed 

operation, including the equipment, 

methods and materials to be used in the 

operation, mitigation measures to 

protect park resources and values and 

environmental conditions in the vicinity 

of the site, and environmental impacts 

of the proposed operations. When 

approved, the Plan of Operations serves 

as the operator’s permit to conduct 

operations in a park. Under the 

provisions of the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the 

NPS has prepared an Environmental 

Assessment which evaluates potential 

impacts associated with the proposed 

drilling operation located within the 

park. 

DATES: The above documents are 

available for public review and 

comment for a period of 30 days from 

the publication date of this notice in the 

Federal Register. You may submit your 

comments by any one of several 

methods. You may comment via the 

Internet through the NPS Planning, 

Environment, and Public Comment 

(PEPC) Web site (http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/cuva); simply 

click on the link to the Plan of 

Operations and Environmental 

Assessment. You may mail comments to 

Meg Plona, Biologist, at the address 

shown below. Finally, you may handdeliver comments to the National Park 

headquarters at the address shown 

below. 

Before including your address, 

telephone number, electronic mail 

address, or other personal identifying 

information in your comments, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment (including your personal 

identifying information) may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you can ask us in your comments to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. We will make all submissions 

from organizations or businesses, from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials, of 

organizations or businesses, available 

for public inspection in their entirety. 

ADDRESSES: Information will be 

available for public review and 

comment, either in person or by written 

request, at park headquarters for 

Cuyahoga Valley National Park located 

at 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, 

Ohio 44141, or at the NPS (PEPC) Web 

site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Please contact Meg Plona, Biologist, 

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 15610 

Vaughn Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141; 

e-mail: meg_plona@nps.gov; or 

telephone (330) 342–0764, extension 2. 

Alan M. Hutchings, 

Acting Director, Midwest Region. 

[FR Doc. E9–16333 Filed 7–9–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MA–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Reclamation 

Equus Beds Aquifer Recharge and 

Recovery Project, Equus Beds 

Division, Wichita Project, KS 

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft 

environmental impact statement (Draft 

EIS). 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation 

(Reclamation) has completed the Equus 

Beds Aquifer Recharge and Recovery 

Project Draft EIS. It is now available for 

public review and comment. The Draft 

EIS describes the development and 

environmental effects of two 

alternatives: (1) A no action alternative; 

and (2) an action alternative that meets 

the project purpose and need. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service are cooperating agencies 

providing assistance in the preparation 

of the Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) under the guidance of NEPA. 

DATES: A 60-day public comment period 

begins with the publication of this 

notice. Written comments on the Draft 

EIS are due by September 11, 2009 and 

should be submitted to Reclamation 

listed in the ADDRESSES section. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft EIS 

should be sent to the attention of 

Charles F. Webster, Bureau of 

Reclamation, 5924 NW. 2nd Street, 

Suite 200, Oklahoma City, OK 73127– 

6514. Comments may also be submitted 

in writing by facsimile or e-mail. Send 

facsimiles to the attention of Charles F. 

Webster at 405–470–4807. Send e-mail 

to cwebster@usbr.gov with Equus Beds 

Draft EIS Comment as the subject line. 

Copies of the Draft EIS and related 

documents are available online from 

Reclamation’s Web site at http:// 

www.usbr.gov/gp/nepa/quarterly.cfm. 

Paper copies of the Draft EIS may be 

obtained by calling Charles F. Webster 

at 405–470–4831. Refer to the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 

locations of libraries and offices where 

copies of the Draft EIS are available for 

review. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Charles F. Webster at 405–470–4831 or 

cwebster@usbr.gov. Mail requests 

should be addressed to the Bureau of 

Reclamation at the address indicated in 

the ADDRESSES section. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Locations where the Draft EIS may be 

reviewed: 

• Halstead Public Library, 264 Main, 

Halstead, Kansas 67056; 

• Hutchinson Public Library, 901 

North Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501; 

• Newton Public Library, 720 North 

Oak, Newton, KS 67114; 

• Valley Center Public Library, 321 

West First Street, Valley Center, KS 

67147; 

• Wichita Public Library, 223 South 

Main, Wichita, KS 67202; 


sroberts on DSKD5P82C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 131 / Friday, July 10, 2009 / Notices 33275 

• City of Wichita Water and Sewer 

Department, 455 North Main Street, 8th 

Floor, Wichita, KS 67202; 

• Bureau of Reclamation, 5924 NW. 

2nd Street, Suite 200, Oklahoma City, 

OK 73127. 

Background: The ‘‘Wichita Project 

Equus Beds Division Authorization Act 

of 2005’’ (Pub. L. 109–299) authorizes 

the Secretary of the Interior to help the 

City of Wichita, Kansas, complete the 

Aquifer Recharge (Storage), and 

Recovery component (ASR is the 

acronym for this specific component or 

project) of Wichita’s Integrated Local 

Water Supply Plan (ILWSP). The 

broader ILWSP was developed in 1993 

to provide municipal and industrial 

water to Wichita and surrounding 

region through the year 2050. The ASR 

component would collect water from 

the Little Arkansas River basin and pipe 

it into the local Equus Beds aquifer for 

recharge and storage. Water would later 

be recovered from wells in the aquifer 

and used for the region’s needs. The 

ASR component would become the 

‘‘Equus Beds Division’’ of Reclamation’s 

Wichita Project after completion. 

Operation, maintenance, replacement, 

and liability of the new division would 

be the responsibility of the City of 

Wichita. 

Public Law 109–299 requires 

Reclamation to use, to the extent 

possible, the city’s plans, designs, and 

analyses. The Federal funding cap 

would be 25% of total costs, or $30 

million (indexed to January 2003), 

whichever is less. The full scale ASR 

component is estimated to cost about 

$500 million and is designed to recharge 

the Equus Beds aquifer with up to 100 

million gallons of water per day (MGD). 

Proposed Action: The Bureau of 

Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to 

enter into a cost-share agreement with 

the City of Wichita for the Equus Beds 

aquifer ASR component. The entire ASR 

component is designed as one project 

consisting of four main phases (I–IV). 

Details and diagrams of the project are 

provided in the Draft EIS. Phase I is 

complete and has the capacity to divert 

and recharge up to 10 MGD. Phase IIa 

is currently being developed by the City 

independent of Federal cost-sharing. 

The proposed cost-share agreement 

would guide Federal expenditures 

during Phases IIb through IV. These 

phases of the project are the focus of the 

EIS. Reclamation would not own or 

operate the project at any point during 

design, construction, implementation, 

or any other process. 

Reclamation would administer 

financing of Federal funds for the 

proposed action alternative identified as 

the 100 MGD ASR Plan with 60/40 

Option. This alternative would collect, 

pre-treat, and recharge the Equus Beds 

aquifer with 100 MGD of water collected 

from the Little Arkansas River basin. 

The 60/40 Option refers to the 60 

percent that would come from surface 

water taken directly from the Little 

Arkansas River and forty percent from 

induced infiltration (ground) wells 

located along the river bank. 

Four recharge basins and 42 recharge 

wells connected by pipelines would be 

used to recharge the aquifer. Wells 

would be constructed outside of 

riparian zones where possible. Water 

pumped directly from the river would 

occur at two intakes. The first intake is 

at Halstead and was constructed during 

Phase I. The second intake is near 

Sedgwick and is being constructed as 

part of Phase IIa. The second intake 

would be modified during Phase IV to 

bring total ASR component diversion 

capacity to 100 MGD. When available, 

water would be piped to either the 

Phase I pre-sedimentation plant or to a 

second, proposed plant. Approximately 

46 miles of pipeline, 62 miles of fiber 

optic cable, access roads, and other 

facilities would be built during Phases 

IIa–IV. The total cost of construction for 

the 100 MGD ASR Plan with 60/40 

Option is currently estimated at about 

$500 million and includes about $115 

million spent during Phases I and IIa. 

Purpose and Need for the Action: The 

first purpose of the ASR component is 

to provide a safe and reliable future 

source of drinking water for Wichita 

while restoring the Equus Beds water 

table. Federal funding is authorized to 

help implement the ASR project and 

defray costs that would otherwise be 

passed on to local customers. 

Approximately 32% of Wichita’s water 

supply comes from the Equus Beds. The 

aquifer also supplies irrigation and 

livestock water throughout the region. 

There are approximately 1,650 nondomestic water wells withdrawing 

about 157,000 acre-feet (51.2 billion 

gallons) of water per year from the 

aquifer. Use of the Equus Beds aquifer 

for both municipal and agricultural 

needs over the last 60 years has 

exceeded recharge. This has resulted in 

a drop in the water table of 40 feet in 

some places. Approximately 50% of the 

water used annually goes to agriculture, 

34% to cities, 15% to industry, and 1% 

to other users. 

A second purpose is to protect water 

quality in the aquifer. The decline in the 

Equus Beds aquifer water table has 

allowed water with higher salt content 

to enter the aquifer. Saltwater 

encroachment has become a problem 

because as freshwater levels have 

dropped, saltwater has infiltrated from 

the Arkansas River and other sources. 

This change in gradient between fresh 

and saltwater allows the movement of 

poor quality water into the aquifer. 

Continuing saltwater encroachment will 

degrade water quality to the point where 

the water would require much more 

treatment to make it drinkable. In 

addition, the use of saline water for 

irrigation would damage crops, reduce 

soil productivity, and increase salt 

infiltration through soils. The ASR 

component would help maintain a safe 

gradient between fresh and saltwater 

sections, protecting the aquifer from 

saltwater encroachment. 

The ASR component is needed 

because population and resulting water 

demands of Wichita and surrounding 

areas are projected to increase markedly 

by 2050. Increasing demands and water 

use could further deplete the aquifer. 

The ASR component would provide a 

reliable and safe source of high quality 

water for Wichita’s future. The project 

would: 

• Store surface water underground 

thereby reducing evaporation and other 

losses. 

• Reduce the gradient between fresh 

and saltwater sections within the 

aquifer to protect water quality. 

• Capture surface water for storage 

during periods of high stream flow. 

• Protect stored water from shortterm, seasonal, annual, and long-term 

climate change. 

Alternatives: The Draft EIS addresses 

the effects of one action alternative and 

a no action alternative. The alternatives 

for Federal action evaluated in the Draft 

EIS include: 

(1) Proposed Action—Reclamation 

would enter into a cost share agreement 

to assist with construction of facilities 

and infrastructure to implement the 100 

MGD ASR Plan with 60/40 Option. 

(2) No Action Alternative—Under 

‘‘No Action,’’ Reclamation would not 

enter into a cost-share agreement for 

reimbursement to the City for project 

implementation costs. 

Public Disclosure Statement: Before 

including your name, address, 

telephone number, e-mail address, or 

other personal identifying information 

in your comment, you should be aware 

that your entire comment—including 

your personal identifying information— 

may be made publicly available at any 

time. While you can ask us in your 

comment to withhold your personal 

identifying information from public 

review, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. 


sroberts on DSKD5P82C1PROD with NOTICES
33276 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 131 / Friday, July 10, 2009 / Notices 

Dated: June 29, 2009. 

Michael J. Ryan, 

Regional Director, Great Plains Region. 

[FR Doc. E9–16043 Filed 7–9–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

General Management Plan, 

Environmental Impact Statement, 

Assateague Island National Seashore, 

Maryland and Virginia 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare a 

General Management Plan and 

Environmental Impact Statement, 

Assateague Island National Seashore. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) of 1969, the National Park 

Service is preparing a General 

Management Plan and Environmental 

Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for the 

Assateague Island National Seashore 

(AINS). The park comprises 

approximately 39,727 acres, located 

along the Atlantic coasts of Maryland 

and Virginia. 

Prepared by park staff and planners in 

the NPS Northeast Region, with 

assistance from advisors and 

consultants, the GMP/EIS will propose 

a long-term approach to managing the 

AINS. Consistent with the park’s 

purpose, NPS policy, and other laws 

and regulations, alternatives will be 

developed to guide the management of 

the park over the next 15 to 20 years. 

The GMP/EIS will address a range of 

management alternatives for natural and 

cultural resource protection, visitor use 

and interpretation, park carrying 

capacity, facilities development and 

operations. A ‘‘no action’’ alternative 

will also be considered and an agency 

preferred management alternative 

identified. The alternatives will 

incorporate various zoning and 

management prescriptions to ensure 

resource preservation and public 

appreciation of the park. The 

environmental consequences that could 

result from implementing the various 

alternatives will be evaluated for 

cultural and natural resources, visitor 

experience, park operations, and the 

socioeconomic environment. Major 

issues to be explored include: measures 

for the preservation of resources; 

indications of the types and general 

intensities of development; 

identification of, and implementation 

commitments for, visitor carrying 

capacities; and indications of potential 

boundary modifications. 

Meeting Notices: The public is invited 

to express views, issues and concerns 

about the long-term management of the 

AINS early in the process through 

public meetings and other media; and 

will have an opportunity to review and 

comment on a draft GMP/EIS. Public 

scoping meetings will be announced by 

the NPS and noticed in local 

newspapers serving the area. Scoping 

and other periodic public meeting 

notices and information regarding the 

GMP/EIS will also be placed on the NPS 

Planning, Environment and Public 

Comment (PEPC) Web site (http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/asis) for 

continuing public review and comment. 

ADDRESSES: Information related to the 

GMP/EIS planning process and ongoing 

public involvement opportunities will 

be provided online at the AINS Web site 

(http://www.nps.gov/asis) and on the 

NPS PEPC Web site (http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/asis). Requests to 

be added to the project mailing list may 

be made electronically through the NPS 

PEPC Web site or by directing requests 

to the contacts listed below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Trish Kicklighter, Superintendent, 

Assateague Island National Seashore, 

7206 National Seashore Lane, Berlin, 

MD 21811, Telephone: 410–641–1443. 

Megan Lang, Community Planner/ 

Project Manager, National Park 

Service, Park Planning and Special 

Studies, 200 Chestnut Street, 

Philadelphia, PA 19106, Telephone: 

215 597–8875. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you 

wish to comment on the GMP/EIS, you 

may submit your comments by any one 

of several methods. You may mail 

comments to contacts listed above or 

you may submit comments 

electronically through the NPS PEPC 

Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ 

asis). Before including your address, 

phone number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Dennis R. Reidenbach, 

Regional Director, Northeast Region, National 

Park Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–16327 Filed 7–9–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–60–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Availability Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement and 

White-Tailed Deer Management Plan; 

Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement and 

White-Tailed Deer Management Plan for 

Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 

U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park 

Service announces the availability of a 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

(DEIS) and White-tailed Deer 

Management Plan for Rock Creek Park, 

Washington, District of Columbia. The 

White-tailed Deer Management Plan 

will support long-term protection, 

preservation, and restoration of native 

vegetation and other natural and 

cultural resources in Rock Creek Park. 

The DEIS describes four management 

alternatives, including the No Action 

Alternative (continue existing 

management) and three Action 

Alternatives, one of which is identified 

as the preferred alternative. 

DATES: A Notice of Intent (NOI) was 

published in the Federal Register on 

September 20, 2006 (71 FR 182). A 60- 

day comment period was begun when 

the NOI was published. Public scoping 

meetings were held at the Rock Creek 

Park Nature Center November 1–2, 

2006. Responses to public comment are 

addressed in the DEIS. The NPS will 

accept public comments on the DEIS 

until September 8, 2009. In addition, 

public meetings will be conducted at 

the Rock Creek Park Nature Center. 

Details on these public meetings will be 

available in local newspapers, on the 

NPS Web site http://www.nps.gov/rocr, 

or by contacting staff at Rock Creek Park 

by telephone at (202) 895–6000. 

ADDRESSES: The DEIS and White-tailed 

Deer Management Plan will be available 

for public review on the NPS Planning, 

Environment and Public Comment 

(PEPC) Web site at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/rocr by selecting 

the link ‘‘Deer Management Plan for 

Rock Creek Park.’’ Bound copies of the 

DEIS and White-tailed Deer 

Management Plan will also be available 

at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center, 

5200 Glover Road, NW., Washington, 

DC; at Rock Creek Park Headquarters, 

3545 Williamsburg Lane, NW., 

Washington, DC; and at public libraries 

adjacent to Rock Creek Park. 


sroberts on DSKD5P82C1PROD with NOTICES