Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/R) for the San Pedro Creek Section 205 Flood Control Project

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Corps of Engineers

Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft

Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/R) for the San Pedro Creek Section

205 Flood Control Project

agency: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

action: Notice of intent.

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summary: The San Francisco District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and

its local sponsor, the City of Pacifica, are planning the construction

of a flood control project along San Pedro Creek in San Mateo County,

California. The project would provide a 100-year level of flood

protection to homes and businesses in the floodplain of the lower

portion of the San Pedro Creek drainage. This project would also

restore wetlands and riparian habitat along this portion of San Pedro

Creek that have been lost due to past development.

The Corps of Engineers is the lead agency for this project under

the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the City of Pacifica

is the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act

(CEQA). The DEIS/R will enable the lead agencies to comply with the

requirements of NEPA and CEQA.

for further information contact: Mr. Bill DeJager at (415) 744-3341, or

at the Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District, 211 Main

Street, Room 918, San Francisco, CA 94105.

supplementary information: The San Pedro Creek Flood Control Project

would be constructed under the authority of Section 205 of the Water

Resources Act of 1948. An initial study of potential flood control

alternatives along San Pedro Creek was completed in 1988. This study

determined that there is a Federal interest in structural flood-control

measures in the study area. A detailed project report has subsequently

been initiated with the City of Pacifica, to support further Federal

participation in the project.

As part of this study, the City of Pacifica has devised a flood

control project for San Pedro Creek based on extensive public input.

This project would involve construction of an underground bypass

channel and an aboveground excavated floodway, both located on the

southside of San Pedro Creek. The bypass channel would start at the

Adobe Drive Bridge and would extend downstream approximately 2,300 feet

to a point midway between the Adobe Drive Bridge and the Highway 1

Bridge. The bypass would be routed almost entirely under city streets,

and would discharge into an excavated floodway. The excavated floodway

would extend from the downstream end of the bypass west to State

Highway 1. The portion of San Pedro Creek alongside the floodway would

be rerouted and would meander through the floodway, which would be

developed into a riparian forest. From Highway 1 downstream to the

Pacific Ocean, the existing stream channel would be widened. In

addition, an area north of the creek and west of Highway 1 would be

excavated and would serve as a wetland and wildlife habitat.

Other alternatives to be considered in the DEIS/R will include: (1)

no action; (2) channelization of the creek; and (3) construction of a

floodwall. These alternatives have been considered in the past by both

the Corps and the local sponsor.

The Corps of Engineers is requesting public input during the

preparation of the DEIS/R for this project. All interested Federal,

State, and local agencies, Indian tribes, private organizations, and

individuals are invited to participate in the environmental scoping

process established by Federal regulations.

A scoping meeting will be held in the City Council chambers, 2212

Beach Boulevard, Pacifica, California on September 7, 1995 at 7:30 p.m.

The purpose of the meeting will be to determine the environmental

issues of concern to the public that should be addressed by the DEIS/R.

A public comment period for the proposal will open on August 16, 1995

and will close on September 15, 1995. The public will

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have an additional opportunity to comment on this proposal after the

DEIS/R is released to the public, which is expected to be in January

1996.

The DEIS/R will examine environmental impacts of public concern

arising from the scoping process, as well as project impacts already

known to the Corps. These impacts will include, but are not limited to:

wildlife, fisheries, threatened and endangered species, water quality,

recreation, aesthetics, air quality, public safety, transportation, and

construction impacts.

The DEIS/R will disclose the project's compliance with all other

Federal environmental statutes, rules, and regulations. Included will

be consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Fish

and Wildlife Coordination Act and possibly the Endangered Species Act,

and consultation with the State of California under the Coastal Zone

Management Act, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Act.

The City of Pacifica is issuing a separate notice regarding

compliance with the requirements of CEQA. The aforementioned DEIS

scoping meeting will also serve as a scoping meeting for the purposes

of CEQA.

Gregory D. Showalter,

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 95-19566 Filed 8-8-95; 8:45 am]

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