Waterville Valley Ski Area Ltd. Snowmaking Ponds; Notice of Availability for Review of Draft Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service, Eastern Region

Waterville Valley Ski Area Ltd. Snowmaking Ponds; Notice of

Availability for Review of Draft Environmental Impact Statement

SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service has prepared a

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) issued on February 28, 1997

for the Waterville Valley Ski Area Snowmaking Pond Impoundments Project

(Waterville Valley Impoundments Project), on the Pemigewasset Ranger

District, White Mountain National Forest, Grafton County, New

Hampshire. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

participated as a cooperating agency. The U.S. Corps of Engineers the

Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior and the Town of

Waterville Valley provided assistance in the preparation of the

document.

The DEIS is for the proposed action of the construction of five

water impoundments (ponds) for the storage of approximately 130 million

gallons of water for snowmaking purposes. In addition, the project

would result in the change of the February Median Flow (FMF) from the

presently approved 0.50 csm to 0.75 csm (recommended by the Fish and

Wildlife FMF) for the Mad River. The project would be phased in over a

five to ten year period. The DEIS describes alternatives to and

environmental effects of the proposal on National Forest System lands

where the ponds would be constructed.

The project area is located in the town of Waterville Valley, NH.

Waterville Valley Ski Area operates under a Special Use Permit issued

by the USDA Forest Service. Currently, Waterville Valley Ski Area

withdraws water from the Mad River for the purposes of snowmaking on

the mountain. They are allowed to withdraw water from the Mad River

down to 0.50 csm, as identified in the White Mountain Land and Resource

Management Plan. Given the small size of the watershed and periodic

droughts that result in the availability of no water, the Mad River is

an unreliable water source for snowmaking at Waterville Valley Ski

Area. In addition, to utilizing the Mad River the ski area also uses

Cochranes Pond, located in the town of Waterville Valley as a

supplemental source of water. Cochranes pond only holds approximately 5

million gallons of water. This combination results in Waterville Valley

only being able to provide adequate snowmaking coverage 68% of the time

over the ski season. Water Valley would like to be able to provide

adequate snowmaking so to be able to provide 100% coverage in 95% of

the years.

In April 1996 the USDA Forest Service issued a Notice of Intent

(NOI) to prepare a Environmental Impact Statement. At the same time a

scoping letter was mailed to the public that requested if there were

concerns to the proposed action that they submit their concerns to the

Forest Supervisor of the White Mountain National Forest. During the 45-

day comment period (April 26 to June 10, 1996) fifteen letters were

received that brought forth issues/concerns to the proposal. The four

main issues identified through scoping were; (1) Changes in Water

Withdrawal from the Mad River, (2) Increase in Water Withdrawal Rates

and Total Water Withdrawal Needed, and (3) Impacts to Wetlands.

Additional issues were identified that were important in the overall

analysis and development of the alternatives, but were not the

``driving issues'' for the purposes of alternative development.

DISCUSSION ON PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE: The agency gives notice that a

complete DEIS is available for public review and requests input from

the public to the Preferred Alternative. The analysis was completed by

a third party contractor, Sno.Engineering (Sno.e) of Littleton, NH, and

overseen by the USDA Forest Service. The Forest Supervisor has

identified Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) as the ``Preferred

Alternative.'' Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) includes the

construction of four ponds (Pond Sites 2, 3a, 3b and 5). This

Alternative would allow for the storage of 130 million gallons (mg) of

water, which would achieve coverage of 100% of the mountain, 91% of the

time.

Alternative 2 is preferred because it would allow for the necessary

storage and upgrade of facilities needed to provide for improved alpine

skiing opportunities at Waterville Valley Ski Area. This alternative

should allow Waterville Valley Ski Area to become more competitive with

other New England ski areas that offer the same facilities to skiers.

Aquatic resources should be improved by having a stepped increase of

the February median flow over the 5 to 10 year implementation period.

Loss of wetlands in the project area would be mitigated through the

improvement, creation and preservation of wetlands outlined in Option 2

(described in Chapter IV Effects to Wetlands section).

Finally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has jurisdiction

over portions of the project under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

A Corps permit is required under Section 404 for the placement of

dredged or fill material, excavation, or mechanized land clearing in

waters of the United States. Areas under Corps jurisdiction include

wetlands associated with: the construction of the snowmaking ponds with

wetlands (Pond Sites 2, 3a, 3b and 4), upgrade of the intake structure

in the Mad River, upgrade of the piping form its present 10'' diameter

to 18'', and the improvement, creation and preservation wetland

projects as discussed in the environmental analysis.

DATES: The public comment period for the DEIS will end on April 14,

1997. If you would like to comment, please review the entire DEIS. You

may receive a copy of the DEIS by writing to the Forest Service, 719

Main Street,

[[Page 8218]]

Loconia, NH 03246, or calling (603) 528-8721/TTY (603) 528-8722.

In addition, there will be two Open Houses held that will allow for

the opportunity for the public to collect additional information on the

project and comment on the DEIS. These forums will be held March 12,

1997 and March 19, 1997 at the Waterville Valley Conference Center,

Waterville Valley, NH and at the Pease Public Library, Plymouth, NH,

respectively. The Open Houses will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For those

individuals who require sign language interpretation for these open

houses please contact the Forest Service office in Laconia, NH through

their TTY phone number--(603) 528-8721. Please call within three days

of the meeting to allow us time to contact an interpreter for the

meeting.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Jerry Perez, Project Coordinator

for WV DEIS, Green Mountain National Forest, Rochester, VT 05767.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Please direct questions about the proposed action and DEIS to Jerry

Perez, Eastern Region Winter Sports Team Environmental Coordinator,

Green Mountain National Forest, Rochester, VT 05767, (phone/TTY 802-

767-4261).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS describes four alternatives to the

proposed action. The alternatives were developed to respond to issues,

concerns and opportunities identified during the analysis. Alternative

2 has been identified as the Preferred Alternative in the DEIS.

The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers

notice at this early stage of several court rulings related to public

participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of

draft environmental impact statements must structure their

participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is

meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and

contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,

553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the

draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised

until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may

be waived or dismissed by the courts. Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v.

Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these

court rulings, it is very important that those interested in this

proposed action participate by the close of the 45-day comment period

so that substantive comments and objections are made available to the

Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and

respond to them in the final environmental impact statement.

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the DEIS should be as

specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific

pages or chapters of the draft statement. Comments may also address the

adequacy of the DEIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated and

discussed in the statement. (Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council

on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural

provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in

addressing these points.)

After the comment period ends on the DEIS, the comments will be

analyzed and considered by the agency in preparing the Final

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

The FEIS is scheduled to be completed and available to the public

approximately 6 months following the close of the review period for the

DEIS. The responsible Forest Service official will document the

decision and the reasons supporting it in a Record of Decision. That

decision will be subject to appeal pursuant to 36 CFR 215.

The Forest Service official responsible for approving the proposed

action is Forest Supervisor Donna Hepp, 719 Main St., Laconia, NH

03245.

Dated: February 18, 1997.

Donna L. Hepp,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 97-4455 Filed 2-21-97; 8:45 am]

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