Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Plateau Creek Pipeline Replacement Project

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO-070-5101-CO12]

Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) on the Plateau Creek Pipeline Replacement Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) on the Plateau Creek Pipeline Replacement Project.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Grand Junction Resource Area office,

Grand Junction District, had an Environmental Impact Statement prepared

to address impacts of the Plateau Creek Pipeline Replacement project

proposed by the Ute Water Conservancy District (Ute Water). The project

is a raw water conveyance system proposed on private and public lands

in Mesa County, Colorado to replace a deteriorated and under sized

pipeline currently approved under BLM ROW grant C 081282.

Copies of the EIS and the Technical Memoranda will be available at

the Mesa County Public Library in Grand Junction, Colorado, at the

Grand Junction Resource Area, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, Colorado

81506 at the BLM, Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street,

Lakewood, Colorado 80215 and at the Ute Water Conservancy District, 560

25 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until 4:00 PM, MST, on August

29, 1997. A public meeting will be held from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on August

12, 1997, at the Two Rivers Convention Center, 159 Main Street, Grand

Junction, Colorado.

ADDRESS: Comments should be sent to the Grand Junction Area Manager,

Bureau of Land Management, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506, ATTN:

Plateau Creek Pipeline Replacement Project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Stevens, (970) 244-3009.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The existing Plateau Creek Pipeline is an

essential part of the Ute Water system which provides water to more

than 60,000 Grand Valley residents. The Ute Water service area includes

most of the Grand Valley area surrounding the City of Grand Junction,

Colorado, and extends from east of the Town of Palisade to within 5

miles of the Colorado-Utah stateline. Ute Water is a political

subdivision of the State of Colorado formed under the Water Conservancy

Act of 1937, and is considered to be a quasi-municipal entity. In order

for Ute Water to meet its commitment of providing a reliable, cost

effective, high quality water source, replacement of the pipeline is

necessary. Water is conveyed via a 24-inch-diameter pipeline

approximately 14 miles along Plateau Creek Canyon and adjacent to

Interstate Highway 70 to Ute Water's treatment plant located on Rapid

Creek, near the Town of Palisade. As of 1994, the pipeline was no

longer able to provide an adequate flow rate to meet the peak day

customer demands. The pipeline is presently subject to frequent breaks

due to deteriorated pipe condition, and is unreliable due to its

location within geologic hazards and stream erosion areas.

The Bureau of Land Management and Ute Water had performed scoping

to: (1) identify interested stakeholders and agencies, (2) define key

issues, and (3) identify initial project alternatives for preparation

of an Environmental Assessment. The initial filing of the Notice of

Intent was on March 14, 1995. On the basis of subsequent information

and comments provided to the BLM it was determined that issues and

concerns would best be analyzed in an EIS.

During the initial scoping, 16 alternatives were developed. These

include seven alternatives along the Plateau Creek corridor, three

different alternatives involving use of water from nearby utilities, a

Colorado River pump station alternative, two alternatives for supplying

water from the Kannah Creek watershed, two alternatives for supplying

water from the Whitewater Creek watershed, and a No Action alternative.

Groundwater alternatives and conservation actions are also addressed in

the EIS. Four of the

[[Page 35521]]

initially considered alternatives, selected on the basis of screening

criteria described in Section 404(b) of the Clean Water Act, and the

National Environmental Policy Act. These are:

Alternative A--Replacement of the pipeline in a modified alignment

parallel to Plateau Creek such that impacts to all resources are

minimized.

Alternative B--Replacement of the pipeline parallel to Plateau

Creek mainly within the existing state highway 65 and 330 rights-of-

way.

Alternative C--Replacement of the pipeline in either alignment A

with a smaller pipeline. This alternative includes provisions for

construction of a booster pump station at the mouth of Plateau Canyon

to be built at a future date to meet long-term demands.

Alternative D--A ``no federal action'' alternative (Denial of the

proposed action or reasonable alternatives).

Major issues identified during the scoping include: (1) wetlands

and riparian areas, (2) threatened and endangered species, (3) Prime

and Unique Farmlands, (4) water depletion issues, and (5) impacts to

State Highway 65.

Mark T. Morse,

District Manager

[FR Doc. 97-17348 Filed 6-30-97; 8:45 am]

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