80 FR 80330 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Upper Llagas Creek Project Flood Protection Project in Santa Clara County, California

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 247 (December 24, 2015)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) has been completed and is available for review and comment.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 247 (Thursday, December 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80330-80331]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32458]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Upper Llagas Creek Project Flood Protection 
Project in Santa Clara County, California

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this 
notice to advise the public that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(Draft EIS) has been completed and is available for review and comment.

DATES: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
we have filed the Draft EIS with the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) for publication of their notice of availability in the 
Federal Register. The EPA notice officially starts the 45-day review 
period for this document. It is the goal of the USACE to have this 
notice published on the same date as the EPA notice. However, if that 
does not occur, the date of the EPA notice will determine the closing 
date for comments on the Draft EIS. Comments on the Draft EIS must be 
submitted to the address below under Further Contact Information and 
must be received no later than 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Monday, 
February 8, 2016.
    Scoping: A Scoping Meeting was held in Morgan Hill, California on 
October 25th, 2012, to gather information for the preparation of the 
Draft EIS. Public notices will be posted in Santa Clara County 
libraries, and emailed and air-mailed to current stakeholder lists with 
notification of the public meetings and requesting input and comments 
on issues that should be addressed in the Draft EIS.
    A public meeting for this Draft EIS will be held on Wednesday, 
January 20, 2016 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Morgan Hill Community 
and Cultural Center, El Toro Room, 17000 Monterey Street, Morgan Hill, 
California 95037. The purpose of this public meeting is to provide the 
public the opportunity to comment, either orally or in writing, on the 
Draft EIS. Notification of the meeting will be announced following same 
format as the Scoping Meetings announcements.

ADDRESSES: The Draft EIS can be viewed online at: http://www.spn.usace.army.mil/missions/regulatory/regulatoryoverview.aspx
    Copies of the Draft EIS are also available for review at the 
following libraries:

Santa Clara Valley Library District, Morgan Hill Library, 660 West Main 
Ave., Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Santa Clara Valley Library District, Gilroy Library, 350 W. Sixth 
Street, Gilroy, CA 95020
San Jose Public Library, King Library, 150 E. San Fernando St., San 
Jose, CA 95112

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tori White, Acting Chief, 
Regulatory Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco 
District, 1455 Market Street, 16th Floor, San Francisco, California 
94103-1398, Telephone: 415-503-6768, Fax: 415-503-6795.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Santa Clara Valley Water District 
(SCVWD) proposes to construct flood conveyance features and to deepen 
and widen Upper Llagas Creek in Santa Clara County, California. The 
action area identified in the Draft EIS includes 6.1 miles of the 
mainstem of Llagas, 2.8 miles along West Little Llagas Creek; and, 3.4 
miles along a tributary of Llagas Creek, known as East Little Llagas 
Creek. An additional 1.6 miles of new channel would also be constructed 
along West Little Llagas Creek to Llagas Creek. Additionally, wetland 
creation and stream restoration also requires construction in waters of 
the US and includes filling an abandoned quarry

[[Page 80331]]

pit, Lake Silveira to create wetlands and reestablishing flows in 2000 
linear of feet of Llagas Creek. Construction activities would include 
channel modifications (e.g. widening and deepening), installation/
replacement grade control structures, constructing or replacing 
culverts, installing maintenance roads and access ramps, upgrading 
bridge crossings and construction of a diversion channel. As proposed, 
the project would result in approximately 44.82 acres of temporary and 
3.81 acres of permanent impacts to waters of the United States. The 
SCVWD would need to obtain a Department of the Army permit pursuant to 
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act from the USACE. This Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement evaluates the environmental effects of 5 
alternatives including the, the Applicant's Proposed Action (Tunnel 
Alternative), NRCS Alternative, Culvert/Channel Alternative, Reach 6 
Bypass Alternative, and the no action alternative.

    Dated: December 18, 2015.
Tori White,
Acting Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2015-32458 Filed 12-23-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3720-58-P