Notice of Intent To Prepare An Environmental Impact Statement for Construction of Flood Protection Facilities Along the Santa Margarita River and Replacement of the Basilone Road Bridge at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Intent To Prepare An Environmental Impact Statement for

Construction of Flood Protection Facilities Along the Santa Margarita

River and Replacement of the Basilone Road Bridge at Marine Corps Base

Camp Pendleton, CA

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act as implemented by

the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-

1508), the U.S. Marine Corps intends to prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of construction

of flood protection facilities and replacement of the Basilone Road

Bridge at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton. During the winter of

1993, heavy rains and stormwater runoff resulted in the Santa Margarita

River flooding facilities at MCB Camp Pendleton, including Marine Corps

Air Station (MCAS) Camp Pendleton. The flood also destroyed the

Basilone Road Bridge, a transportation corridor which spans the Santa

Margarita River.

The proposed action involves construction of a levee and stormwater

control measures to prevent flooding from the Santa Margarita River

damaging facilities at MCB/MCAS Camp Pendleton, and construction of a

new two-lane bridge to replace the bridge destroyed by the flood.

Alternatives to be addressed in the EIS will focus on methods of

implementing flood protection measures, including different levee

alignments; alternative stormwater control facilities, including a

detention basin location and a concrete lined flood control channel;

and alternative alignments of the Basilone Road Bridge.

Major environmental issues that will be addressed in the EIS

include air quality, water quality, traffic, utilities, endangered

species and cultural resources.

The Marine Corps will initiate a scoping process for the purpose of

determining the extent of issues to be addressed and identifying the

significant issues related to this action. The Marine Corps will hold a

public scoping meeting on January 25, 1996, beginning at 4:00 pm, at

the San Rafael Elementary School, 1616 San Rafael Drive, Oceanside, CA.

This meeting will be advertised in area newspapers.

A brief presentation will precede request for public comment.

Marine Corps representatives will be available at this meeting to

receive comments from the public regarding issues of concern to the

public. It is important that federal, state, and local agencies and

interested individuals take this opportunity to identify environmental

concerns that should be addressed during the preparation of the EIS. In

the interest of available time, each speaker will be asked to limit

their oral comments to five minutes.

Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to provide

written comment on scoping issues in addition to, or in lieu of, oral

comments at the public meeting. To be most helpful, scoping comments

should clearly describe specific issues or topics which the commentor

believes the EIS should address. Written statements and or questions

regarding the scoping process should be mailed to: Commanding Officer,

Southwest Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 1220 Pacific

Coast Highway, San Diego, CA 92132-5187, (Attn: Ms. Melanie Ault, Code

232MA), phone number (619) 532-3355. All comments must be received no

later than February 12, 1996.

Dated: January 3, 1996.

By direction of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Kim G. Weirick,

Acting Head, Land Use and Military Construction Branch, Facilities and

Services Division, Installations and Logistics Department.

[FR Doc. 96-257 Filed 1-8-96; 8:45 am]

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