81_FR_54207 81 FR 54050 - Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Springfield Supplemental Water Supply Project

81 FR 54050 - Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Springfield Supplemental Water Supply Project

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 157 (August 15, 2016)

Page Range54050-54051
FR Document2016-19353

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) intends to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to address the proposed Springfield Supplemental Water Supply Project (previously referred to as the Proposed Water Supply Reservoir Hunter Lake) in Sangamon County, IL. The Corps, working in conjunction with the City of Springfield, Office of Public Utilities, also known as the City Water, Light & Power (City), prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.] that evaluated a range of alternatives to provide supplemental water supply to meet a projected deficit in water availability. A final EIS was prepared and published in November of 2000. The Final EIS (EIS No. 000402) was published in the Federal Register on November 24, 2000; however, no Record of Decision was issued. The City has conducted an updated water demand analysis that demonstrates a sustained need for additional water supply to meet current and future demands. In accordance with Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations specified in 40 CFR 1502.9, the Corps in conjunction with the City are initiating the preparation of an EIS supplement.

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 157 (Monday, August 15, 2016)
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 157 (Monday, August 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54050-54051]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19353]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Springfield Supplemental Water Supply Project

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) intends to 
prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to address 
the proposed Springfield Supplemental Water Supply Project (previously 
referred to as the Proposed Water Supply Reservoir Hunter Lake) in 
Sangamon County, IL. The Corps, working in conjunction with the City of 
Springfield, Office of Public Utilities, also known as the City Water, 
Light & Power (City), prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 
[42 U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.] that evaluated a range of alternatives to 
provide supplemental water supply to meet a projected deficit in water 
availability. A final EIS was prepared and published in November of 
2000. The Final EIS (EIS No. 000402) was published in the Federal 
Register on November 24, 2000; however, no Record of Decision was 
issued.
    The City has conducted an updated water demand analysis that 
demonstrates a sustained need for additional water supply to meet 
current and future demands. In accordance with Council on Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) regulations specified in 40 CFR 1502.9, the Corps in 
conjunction with the City are initiating the preparation of an EIS 
supplement.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 14, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to ATTN: Regulatory Branch, 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, Clock Tower 
Building, P.O. Box 2004, Rock Island, IL 61204-2004. Comments also may 
be submitted to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions, about the proposed action 
or SEIS should be addressed to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

(1) Background

    The City operates an integrated water supply, purification, 
transmission, and distribution system. The City's service area 
encompasses approximately 100 square miles with more than 52,600 
service connections and a population of about 147,000. The City's 
current source of water is Lake Springfield that was constructed in the 
1930s. The lake serves as the water source for its drinking water 
supply and the cooling water supply for the City's coal-fired power 
generating station. As a result of drought conditions in 1953-1955, the 
City constructed a movable low head dam across the South Fork of the 
Sangamon River to supplement the Lake Springfield water supply during 
low lake levels. On July 26, 1989, the City submitted a joint permit 
application for construction of Hunter Lake Reservoir to the Corps and 
the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). A Notice of Intent 
to prepare a Draft EIS for the construction of the Hunter Lake 
Reservoir was published by the Corps in the Federal Register on October 
31, 1989. A final EIS was published in 2000 and the construction of the 
Hunter Lake Reservoir was identified as the preferred alternative.
    On December 17, 2010, the Corps provided a letter to the City 
formally determining the need for a SEIS. The Corps identified areas in 
the SEIS where information should be updated, such as water demand 
analysis, threatened and endangered species bat surveys, wetland 
delineations, programmatic agreement related to cultural resources, 
water quality anti-degradation analysis, and mitigation plans.

(2) Project Need

    Based on an analysis of the storage and capacity, the Illinois 
State Water Survey had determined that Lake Springfield is an 
inadequate supply system with a 50% probability of not meeting expected 
water supply demands. Under conditions of reduced water availability 
the City is at risk of not meeting demands (both existing and future) 
for commercial and residential water use, and for industrial water 
supply (power plant operation and condenser cooling). Under projected 
drought conditions the estimated water deficit (demand minus yield) is 
currently 8.2 million gallons per day (MGD), whereas future deficits 
(year 2065) are projected at 11.3 MGD.
    Other associated regional needs have also been identified that may 
potentially be addressed by the City's proposed project. Specifically, 
the following regional needs are also recognized:

 Increased demand for regional outdoor recreational areas that 
provide additional fishing and hunting opportunities
 Provide supplemental water supply for adjacent communities
 Increased water supply to support regional economic 
development

(3) Proposed Action

    The proposed Federal action is the issuance of a permit by the 
Corps pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act in support of the 
development of the selected water supply alternative. The Corps is 
neither a proponent nor an opponent of the City's supplemental water 
supply project. The City is the project proponent and will evaluate all 
reasonable development of a supplemental water supply for municipal, 
commercial, and industrial customers.

[[Page 54051]]

(4) Alternatives

    In accordance with requirements of CEQ regulations 40 CFR 1502.14, 
and the provisions of Section 404(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act, the 
SEIS will evaluate all appropriate and reasonable alternatives to the 
proposed project. The SEIS will review all alternatives previously 
assessed in the FEIS and will include an analysis of reasonable 
alternatives consisting of the following:
     No Action Alternative,
     Development of a new water supply reservoir,
     Development of groundwater well systems with associated 
pump stations and pipelines,
     Use of other existing surface water reservoirs,
     Dredging of Lake Springfield.
    Consideration of conservation measures is inherent in the City's 
on-going objectives to optimize the efficiency of it water supply 
systems and is therefore inherent in each of the alternatives under 
evaluation.

(5) Scoping Process

    The Corps is furnishing this notice to: (1) Advise other Federal 
and state agencies, affected Tribes, and the public of the proposed 
project; (2) announce the initiation of a 30-day scoping period; and 
(3) obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues and 
alternatives to be included in the Draft SEIS. The Corps invites 
comments from all interested parties to ensure the full range of issues 
related to the permit request is addressed and that all significant 
issues are identified.
    The SEIS will provide updated supporting data where needed, review 
the purpose and need, evaluate alternatives, and assess impacts of 
reasonable alternatives resulting from the development of a 
supplemental water supply system for the city. Potentially affected 
resources include: Agricultural land, threatened and endangered 
species, wildlife, water resources, wetlands and floodplains; forested 
areas, transportation, recreation and potentially historic properties. 
Preliminary measures to minimize harm will be developed as part of this 
study. The public's views on the scope of the alternatives that should 
be addressed in the SEIS will also be considered in the preparation of 
the SEIS.

(6) Public Participation

    A public scoping meeting will be held on August 24, 2016 from 5:00-
8:00 p.m. at the State Journal-Register, 1 Copley Plaza, Springfield, 
IL. The public is invited to submit comments on the scope of this SEIS 
no later than the date identified in the DATES section of this notice. 
After the Corps prepares a draft of the SEIS, the Corps will release it 
for public comment. The Corps anticipates holding a public meeting in 
Springfield after release of the draft SEIS during the public comment 
period. Meeting details will be posted on the City of Springfield's Web 
site and published in local newspapers. The release of the Draft SEIS 
is anticipated for the first quarter of 2017.

    Dated: August 3, 2016.
Craig S. Baumgartner
Colonel, US Army Commander & District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2016-19353 Filed 8-12-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P



                                                54050                        Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 157 / Monday, August 15, 2016 / Notices

                                                blood sera from up to 500 California sea                Springfield, Office of Public Utilities,              Hunter Lake Reservoir was published by
                                                lions (Zalophus californianus), 25                      also known as the City Water, Light &                 the Corps in the Federal Register on
                                                threatened Guadalupe fur seals                          Power (City), prepared an                             October 31, 1989. A final EIS was
                                                (Arctocephalus townsendi), and 25                       Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)                  published in 2000 and the construction
                                                northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus)                in accordance with the National                       of the Hunter Lake Reservoir was
                                                in rehabilitation annually to perform                   Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of                    identified as the preferred alternative.
                                                immunodiffusion assays; and (2) to                      1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.] that                     On December 17, 2010, the Corps
                                                perform the Spherusol skin test on up                   evaluated a range of alternatives to                  provided a letter to the City formally
                                                to 500 California sea lions in                          provide supplemental water supply to                  determining the need for a SEIS. The
                                                rehabilitation annually. The objective of               meet a projected deficit in water                     Corps identified areas in the SEIS where
                                                the permitted activities, as described in               availability. A final EIS was prepared                information should be updated, such as
                                                the application, is to research                         and published in November of 2000.                    water demand analysis, threatened and
                                                Coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever) on                    The Final EIS (EIS No. 000402) was                    endangered species bat surveys, wetland
                                                stranded marine mammals along                           published in the Federal Register on                  delineations, programmatic agreement
                                                California’s coast. The goal is to                      November 24, 2000; however, no Record
                                                                                                                                                              related to cultural resources, water
                                                successfully detect animals’ exposure to                of Decision was issued.
                                                                                                                                                              quality anti-degradation analysis, and
                                                Coccidioides spp. and compare the                          The City has conducted an updated
                                                                                                        water demand analysis that                            mitigation plans.
                                                effectiveness of each test at detecting the
                                                fungus. The permit is valid until July                  demonstrates a sustained need for                     (2) Project Need
                                                31, 2021.                                               additional water supply to meet current
                                                   In compliance with the National                      and future demands. In accordance with                  Based on an analysis of the storage
                                                Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42                    Council on Environmental Quality                      and capacity, the Illinois State Water
                                                U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final                           (CEQ) regulations specified in 40 CFR                 Survey had determined that Lake
                                                determination has been made that the                    1502.9, the Corps in conjunction with                 Springfield is an inadequate supply
                                                activity proposed is categorically                      the City are initiating the preparation of            system with a 50% probability of not
                                                excluded from the requirement to                        an EIS supplement.                                    meeting expected water supply
                                                prepare an environmental assessment or                  DATES: Comments must be received on                   demands. Under conditions of reduced
                                                environmental impact statement.                         or before September 14, 2016.                         water availability the City is at risk of
                                                   As required by the ESA, issuance of                  ADDRESSES: Written comments should
                                                                                                                                                              not meeting demands (both existing and
                                                this permit was based on a finding that                 be sent to ATTN: Regulatory Branch,                   future) for commercial and residential
                                                such permit: (1) Was applied for in good                U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock                    water use, and for industrial water
                                                faith; (2) will not operate to the                      Island District, Clock Tower Building,                supply (power plant operation and
                                                disadvantage of such endangered                         P.O. Box 2004, Rock Island, IL 61204–                 condenser cooling). Under projected
                                                species; and (3) is consistent with the                 2004. Comments also may be submitted                  drought conditions the estimated water
                                                purposes and policies set forth in                      to cemvr-odpublicnotice@                              deficit (demand minus yield) is
                                                section 2 of the ESA.                                   usace.army.mil.                                       currently 8.2 million gallons per day
                                                                                                                                                              (MGD), whereas future deficits (year
                                                  Dated: August 9, 2016.                                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:                      2065) are projected at 11.3 MGD.
                                                Julia Harrison,                                         Questions, about the proposed action or
                                                Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,               SEIS should be addressed to cemvr-                      Other associated regional needs have
                                                Office of Protected Resources, National                 odpublicnotice@usace.army.mil.                        also been identified that may potentially
                                                Marine Fisheries Service.                                                                                     be addressed by the City’s proposed
                                                                                                        SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                                                [FR Doc. 2016–19296 Filed 8–12–16; 8:45 am]                                                                   project. Specifically, the following
                                                BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
                                                                                                        (1) Background                                        regional needs are also recognized:
                                                                                                           The City operates an integrated water              • Increased demand for regional
                                                                                                        supply, purification, transmission, and                 outdoor recreational areas that
                                                DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE                                   distribution system. The City’s service                 provide additional fishing and
                                                                                                        area encompasses approximately 100                      hunting opportunities
                                                Department of the Army, Corps of                        square miles with more than 52,600
                                                                                                                                                              • Provide supplemental water supply
                                                Engineers                                               service connections and a population of
                                                                                                                                                                for adjacent communities
                                                                                                        about 147,000. The City’s current source
                                                Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental                  of water is Lake Springfield that was                 • Increased water supply to support
                                                Environmental Impact Statement for                      constructed in the 1930s. The lake                      regional economic development
                                                the Springfield Supplemental Water                      serves as the water source for its
                                                Supply Project                                                                                                (3) Proposed Action
                                                                                                        drinking water supply and the cooling
                                                AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S.                    water supply for the City’s coal-fired                   The proposed Federal action is the
                                                Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.                           power generating station. As a result of              issuance of a permit by the Corps
                                                ACTION: Notice of intent.                               drought conditions in 1953–1955, the                  pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean
                                                                                                        City constructed a movable low head                   Water Act in support of the
                                                SUMMARY:   The United States Army                       dam across the South Fork of the                      development of the selected water
                                                Corps of Engineers (Corps) intends to                   Sangamon River to supplement the Lake                 supply alternative. The Corps is neither
                                                prepare a Supplemental Environmental                    Springfield water supply during low                   a proponent nor an opponent of the
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES




                                                Impact Statement (SEIS) to address the                  lake levels. On July 26, 1989, the City               City’s supplemental water supply
                                                proposed Springfield Supplemental                       submitted a joint permit application for              project. The City is the project
                                                Water Supply Project (previously                        construction of Hunter Lake Reservoir to              proponent and will evaluate all
                                                referred to as the Proposed Water                       the Corps and the Illinois                            reasonable development of a
                                                Supply Reservoir Hunter Lake) in                        Environmental Protection Agency                       supplemental water supply for
                                                Sangamon County, IL. The Corps,                         (IEPA). A Notice of Intent to prepare a               municipal, commercial, and industrial
                                                working in conjunction with the City of                 Draft EIS for the construction of the                 customers.


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                                                                             Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 157 / Monday, August 15, 2016 / Notices                                                  54051

                                                (4) Alternatives                                        identified in the DATES section of this               DATES: Anyone wishing to object to the
                                                   In accordance with requirements of                   notice. After the Corps prepares a draft              grant of this license must file written
                                                CEQ regulations 40 CFR 1502.14, and                     of the SEIS, the Corps will release it for            objections along with supporting
                                                the provisions of Section 404(b)(1) of                  public comment. The Corps anticipates                 evidence, if any, not later than August
                                                the Clean Water Act, the SEIS will                      holding a public meeting in Springfield               30, 2016.
                                                                                                        after release of the draft SEIS during the              Dated: August 8, 2016.
                                                evaluate all appropriate and reasonable
                                                                                                        public comment period. Meeting details
                                                alternatives to the proposed project. The                                                                     N.A. Hagerty-Ford,
                                                                                                        will be posted on the City of
                                                SEIS will review all alternatives                                                                             Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate
                                                                                                        Springfield’s Web site and published in
                                                previously assessed in the FEIS and will                                                                      General, U.S. Navy, Federal Register Liaison
                                                                                                        local newspapers. The release of the                  Officer.
                                                include an analysis of reasonable
                                                                                                        Draft SEIS is anticipated for the first
                                                alternatives consisting of the following:                                                                     [FR Doc. 2016–19348 Filed 8–12–16; 8:45 am]
                                                                                                        quarter of 2017.
                                                   • No Action Alternative,                                                                                   BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
                                                   • Development of a new water supply                    Dated: August 3, 2016.
                                                reservoir,                                              Craig S. Baumgartner
                                                   • Development of groundwater well                    Colonel, US Army Commander & District                 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
                                                systems with associated pump stations                   Engineer.
                                                and pipelines,                                          [FR Doc. 2016–19353 Filed 8–12–16; 8:45 am]           [Docket No. ED–2016–ICCD–0066]
                                                   • Use of other existing surface water                BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
                                                                                                                                                              Agency Information Collection
                                                reservoirs,
                                                                                                                                                              Activities; Submission to the Office of
                                                   • Dredging of Lake Springfield.
                                                                                                        DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE                                 Management and Budget for Review
                                                   Consideration of conservation
                                                                                                                                                              and Approval; Comment Request;
                                                measures is inherent in the City’s on-
                                                                                                        Department of the Navy                                Race to the Top—Early Learning
                                                going objectives to optimize the
                                                                                                                                                              Challenge Annual Performance Report
                                                efficiency of it water supply systems                   Notice of Intent To Grant Exclusive
                                                and is therefore inherent in each of the                Patent License; Grey Matter, LLC                      AGENCY: Office of Elementary and
                                                alternatives under evaluation.                                                                                Secondary Education (OESE),
                                                                                                        AGENCY:   Department of the Navy, DoD.                Department of Education (ED).
                                                (5) Scoping Process
                                                                                                        ACTION:   Notice; Correction.                         ACTION: Notice.
                                                   The Corps is furnishing this notice to:
                                                (1) Advise other Federal and state                      SUMMARY:    The Department of the Navy                SUMMARY:    In accordance with the
                                                agencies, affected Tribes, and the public               published a document in the Federal                   Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
                                                of the proposed project; (2) announce                   Register on September 17, 2014,                       U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is
                                                the initiation of a 30-day scoping                      announcing an intent to grant to Grey                 proposing an extension of an existing
                                                period; and (3) obtain suggestions and                  Matter, LLC, a revocable, nonassignable,              information collection.
                                                information on the scope of issues and                  exclusive license. The scope of the                   DATES: Interested persons are invited to
                                                alternatives to be included in the Draft                intent to license has been revised.                   submit comments on or before
                                                SEIS. The Corps invites comments from                   FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rita                 September 14, 2016.
                                                all interested parties to ensure the full               Manak, Head, Technology Transfer
                                                                                                                                                              ADDRESSES: To access and review all the
                                                range of issues related to the permit                   Office, NRL Code 1004, 4555 Overlook
                                                                                                                                                              documents related to the information
                                                request is addressed and that all                       Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20375–
                                                                                                                                                              collection listed in this notice, please
                                                significant issues are identified.                      5320, telephone 202–767–3083. Due to
                                                                                                        U.S. Postal delays, please fax 202–404–               use http://www.regulations.gov by
                                                   The SEIS will provide updated
                                                                                                        7920, email: rita.manak@nrl.navy.mil or               searching the Docket ID number ED–
                                                supporting data where needed, review
                                                                                                        use courier delivery to expedite                      2016–ICCD–0066. Comments submitted
                                                the purpose and need, evaluate
                                                                                                        response.                                             in response to this notice should be
                                                alternatives, and assess impacts of
                                                                                                                                                              submitted electronically through the
                                                reasonable alternatives resulting from                  Correction                                            Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://
                                                the development of a supplemental
                                                                                                          In the Federal Register of September                www.regulations.gov by selecting the
                                                water supply system for the city.
                                                                                                        17, 2014, make the following revision:                Docket ID number or via postal mail,
                                                Potentially affected resources include:
                                                                                                          1. In the first and second column, on               commercial delivery, or hand delivery.
                                                Agricultural land, threatened and
                                                                                                        page 55764, revise the SUMMARY caption                Please note that comments submitted by
                                                endangered species, wildlife, water
                                                                                                        to read as follows:                                   fax or email and those submitted after
                                                resources, wetlands and floodplains;
                                                                                                                                                              the comment period will not be
                                                forested areas, transportation, recreation              SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy
                                                                                                        hereby gives notice of its intent to grant to         accepted. Written requests for
                                                and potentially historic properties.
                                                                                                        Grey Matter, LLC, a revocable, nonassignable,         information or comments submitted by
                                                Preliminary measures to minimize harm
                                                                                                        exclusive license to practice in the field of         postal mail or delivery should be
                                                will be developed as part of this study.
                                                                                                        use of wearable personal protective                   addressed to the Director of the
                                                The public’s views on the scope of the                  equipment in the United States, the                   Information Collection Clearance
                                                alternatives that should be addressed in                Government-owned inventions described in              Division, U.S. Department of Education,
                                                the SEIS will also be considered in the                 U.S. Patent No. 7,754,145 entitled                    400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room
                                                preparation of the SEIS.                                ‘‘Fluorphore Embedded/Incorporating/
                                                                                                                                                              2E–349, Washington, DC 20202–4537.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES




                                                                                                        Bridged Periodic Mesoporous Organosilicas
                                                (6) Public Participation                                as Recognition Photo-Decontamination                  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
                                                   A public scoping meeting will be held                Catalysts’’, Navy Case No. 097,346; and U.S.          specific questions related to collection
                                                on August 24, 2016 from 5:00–8:00 p.m.                  Patent Application No. 14/209,728 entitled            activities, please contact Deborah Spitz,
                                                                                                        ‘‘Microwave Initiation for Deposition of              202–260–3793.
                                                at the State Journal-Register, 1 Copley                 Porous Organosilicate Materials on Fabrics’’,
                                                Plaza, Springfield, IL. The public is                   Navy Case No. 102,325 and any                         SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
                                                invited to submit comments on the                       continuations, divisionals or re-issues               Department of Education (ED), in
                                                scope of this SEIS no later than the date               thereof.                                              accordance with the Paperwork


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Document Created: 2016-08-13 02:22:12
Document Modified: 2016-08-13 02:22:12
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionNotice of intent.
DatesComments must be received on or before September 14, 2016.
ContactQuestions, about the proposed action
FR Citation81 FR 54050 

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