Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Construction and Operation of a Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar, Puerto Rico

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement for Construction and Operation of a Relocatable Over the

Horizon Radar, Puerto Rico

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 Common wealth of Puerto

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

prepared and filed with the US Environmental Protection Agency the

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the construction and

operation of a Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar (ROTHR) system in

Puerto Rico.

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

(HF), radar system, which permits detection and tracking 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 the source countries. It

will complement existing ROTHR systems in Virginia and Texas by

providing coverage of 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 Chesapeake, Virginia.

The Transmitter will require approximately 50 acres of land and

will consist of 35 antennas, 14 equipment shelters, and a 6,500 square

foot building. The towers would range in height from 71 feet to 125

feet.

The Receiver will require an area of about 100 acres and would

contain 372 pairs of 19-foot high aluminum monopole antennas, each

about six inches in diameter, and 17 equipment shelters. This 100-acre

area would be accessed and used only by the Navy. An additional area of

about 850 acres would be required to serve as a buffer from development

that could produce radio interference. One hundred acres of the 850-

acre area would be subject to height restrictions. Farming and grazing

could continue in the buffer area.

Alternatives for both the Transmitter and Receiver sites, including

the no action alternative, have been addressed in the DEIS. Three

Transmitter site alternatives are located on Navy property on Vieques

Island; two in the Camp Garcia area and one site, the preferred site,

is located north of Playa Grande. Two alternative Receiver sites in the

Valle de Lajas have been addressed in the DEIS. The preferred

alternative for the Receiver site is located on private property in the

Valle de Lajas, northwest of the Enseda Community, Guanica and

southwest of the town of Lajas.

The DEIS has been prepared to address the environmental

consequences of construction and operation of the ROTHR on Puerto Rico.

Potential impacts addressed include, but are not limited to, land use,

wetlands, threatened and endangered species, historic and pre-historic

cultural resources, water resources, and electromagnetic effects.

The DEIS has been distributed to various federal, Commonwealth, and

local agencies, elected officials, special interest groups, and

libraries. The DEIS is available for review at the following locations:

Town Hall, Municipality of Vieques, Vieques Island, PR; Public Library,

Municipality of Lajas, PR; and Mayor's Office, Lajas, PR.

The Department of the Navy will hold two public hearings to inform

the public of the DEIS findings and to solicit comments. Hearings will

be held on August 8, 1995 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at the Municipal

Theater, Lajas, PR; and August 10, 1995 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at the

Town Hall Community Center, Vieques, PR.

Following a brief overview of the proposed action (presented in

both English and Spanish at each public hearing), comments will be

heard. Each attendee will be requested to indicate when registering

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

Comments may be made in either English or Spanish. In the interest of

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

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

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

hearings or to submit comments in writing as described below.

Written statements and/or comments regarding the DEIS should be

mailed to: Department of the Navy, Commander, Atlantic Division, Naval

Facilities Engineering Command, 1510 Gilbert Street, Norfolk, VA 23511-

2699 (Attn. Ms. Linda Blount, Code 2032LB). Questions may be directed

to Ms. Linda Blount, (804) 322-4892 or Sr. Jose Negron, Commander Fleet

Air, Caribbean, (809) 865-4429. All comments must be postmarked no

later

[[Page 37884]]

than September 5, 1995 to become part of the official record.

Dated: July 19, 1995.

W.A. Miller,

CDR, JAGC, USN, Acting Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 95-18110 Filed 7-21-95; 8:45 am]

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