Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Construction and Operation of a Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar, PR

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

Construction and Operation of a Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar, PR

Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality

Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the Commonwealth of Puerto

Rico Public Law Number Nine, Section 4(c), the Department of Navy, in

coordination with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, announces its intent

to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the

potential environmental effects of constructing and operating a

Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar (ROTHR) system, Puerto Rico.

The ROTHR is a land-based, wide area surveillance, high frequency

(HF), radar system, which permits detection and tracking of aircraft,

and supports requirements for the early detection and monitoring of

illegal drug activity. The installation of the ROTHR in Puerto Rico is

proposed as an addition to the national and local counter-narcotic

strategy by focusing detection and enforcement efforts at their

sources. It will complement ROTHR systems in Virginia and Texas and

other surveillance installations to provide virtually complete coverage

of the Caribbean Basin and the northern portion of South America.

The ROTHR system has three components; Transmitter, Receiver, and

an Operation Control Center. The proposed action would locate a

Transmitter on Vieques Island and a Receiver in southwestern Puerto

Rico. The Operation Control Center functions will be performed at a

currently existing facility in Norfolk, Virginia. The Transmitter will

require approximately 100 acres of land, and will consist of 34 metal,

vertical antenna towers and 34 wooden, vertical poles, supporting a

curtain of antenna wires. Towers would range in height from 71 feet to

125 feet. The Receiver will require approximately 200 acres of land,

and will consist of 372 pairs of aluminum, monopole antennas, each

about 17 feet high and extending approximately 8,600 linear feet.

Alternatives for both the Transmitter and Receiver sites, including

the no action alternative, will be addressed in the EIS. Three

Transmitter site alternatives are located on Navy property on Vieques

Island, two in the Camp Garcia area and one north of Playa Grande. No

preferred alternative for the Transmitter site has been identified. A

preferred alternative for the Receiver site is located on private

property in the Valle de Lajas, northwest of the Ensenada Community,

Guanica and southeast of the town of Lajas. The Puerto Rico Industrial

Development Corporation (PRIDCO) would obtain individual leases from

property owners and assemble these as one lease to the Navy.

Alternative Receiver sites, another in the Valle de Lajas and a site

east of the city of Salinas, have also been identified.

Major environmental issues identified to be addressed in the EIS

include wetlands, threatened and endangered species, floodplains,

historic and pre-historic cultural resources, soil erosion, aesthetics,

and electromagnetic effects. The Draft EIS is planned to be available

to the public in early 1995.

The Department of the Navy will hold two public scoping meetings to

ensure that all interested parties have the opportunity to identify

significant issues related to the proposed action. Scoping meetings

will be held as follows:

June 9, 1994 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Community

Center (main street next to public library), La Parguera, PR.

June 11, 1994 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the

Municipal Assembly Hall, Vieques, PR.

Following a brief overview of the proposed action (presented in

both English and Spanish at each scoping meeting), comments will be

heard. Each attendee will be requested to indicate, when registering,

whether he/she intends to deliver oral comments at the meeting.

Comments may be made in either English or Spanish and will be

translated sequentially in summary form. In the interest of available

time, each speaker will be asked to limit oral comments to five

minutes. All interested federal, Commonwealth, and local agencies, and

interested persons are invited and encouraged to attend one or both of

these meetings to submit comments in writing as described below.

Written statements and/or questions regarding the scoping process

should be mailed to: Commander, Atlantic Division, Naval Facilities

Engineering Command, Norfolk, Virginia 23511-6287, Attn: Ms. Linda

Blount (Code 2032LB), telephone (804) 445-2304. Questions may also be

directed to Mr. Jose Negron, (809) 865-4429, or CDR Lou Marchett, (809

865-4152, at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, or to LCDR Michael

McCloskey at Commander, Forces Air Caribbean (809) 723-9844. All

comments must be received no later than June 30, 1994, to ensure

consideration in preparation of the EIS.

Dated: May 20, 1994.

Lewis T. Booker, Jr.,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 94-12767 Filed 5-24-94; 8:45 am]

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