[Federal Register: March 29, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 61)]
[Notices]
[Page 17137-17139]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29mr01-32]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Monticello and Blanding Municipal Watershed Improvement Projects
Manti-La Sal National Forest, San Juan County, UT
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental
impacts of proposed actions to:
(1) Amend existing special use permits for the Monticello City
Secondary and Culinary Water Systems to allow reconstruction of the
collection and conveyance (pipeline) system (including clearing of
vegetation and ground disturbance for construction equipment access
along the pipeline and collection areas) to allow them to repair,
replace, and relocate the system to correct sources of water loss and
quality degradation in the system.
[[Page 17138]]
(Authority: Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLMP) of 1976
(P.L. 94-579).)
(2) In cooperation with San Juan County, improve approximately 16
miles of Forest Road (FR) 50079 to provide improved and safer access
for public use and management of the area and to provide a passable
road for equipment needed for the reconstruction, care, and maintenance
of municipal water systems and for implementation of proposed
vegetation treatments.
(3) Implement harvest treatments on approximately 2,000 acres of
spruce, spruce-fir, and aspen forest to develop a more diverse, open
ecosystem. Proposed harvest methods are approximately 65% helicopter,
32% tractor and tractor-forwarder, and 3% cable. Allow construction and
use of approximately \1/2\ mile of temporary road and clearing of two
miles of forwarder skid trail needed to implement proposed vegetation
treatments.
The Monticello and Blanding Municipal Watershed Improvement
Projects area includes portions of the North Creek, Bankhead Creek,
Pole Creek, South Creek, Indian Creek, and Johnson Creek drainages in
the Abajo Mountains and some adjacent area (Spring Creek) that has
moderate levels of spruce beetle infestation with potential to
contribute to insect population within the watersheds. These areas are
managed as municipal watershed (MWS) under the Manti-La Sal National
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (USDA, 1986). They are the
primary water source for the communities of Monticello, Blanding, and
their surrounding area. It is a scenic area that includes the Horsehead
(an Engelmann spruce and aspen stand in the form of a horse head that
overlooks Monticello), which has special scenic, historic, and cultural
significance to the individuals that live in the area.
Forest Road (FR) 50079 provides access through the area. It is the
only direct mountain access between Monticello and Blanding and is
important for tourism and day recreation use. It also provides access
to private property within the Forest boundary. Much of the road is
inadequate for use by larger vehicles, pickups with trailers, and some
passenger cars due to tight curves/switchbacks and lack of turnouts.
San Juan County has proposed that the road be improved to remove
hazards, make public use easier, improve safety, reduce maintenance
costs, and improve access for management of water systems.
The City of Monticello's water collection and pipeline system is in
need of extensive repair and replacement due to leakage, contamination
areas, and poor placement in relation to the road.
An outbreak of spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) has
recently occurred in and around the area. High levels of Engelmann
spruce mortality within the area are imminent. Spruce beetle
populations are expected to expand and may reach epidemic levels. If
this occurs, most of the larger spruce component on the Abajo Mountains
could be lost.
Because of the dependence of the local communities on this area and
the importance of its resources, Monticello City, Blanding City, and
San Juan County government officials have requested that we begin
efforts to address the concerns identified. This proposal has been
developed through consultation with them, Forest Service specialists,
and other individuals and agencies with interest in the resources of
the area. The Purpose and Need of the Proposed Action is as follows:
Purpose #1: Cooperate with local government agencies to
permit them to provide continued and more efficient collection and
removal of water to the Monticello and Blanding municipal water systems
for public uses.
Purpose #2: Improve the transportation system to provide
dependable public access on FR 50079, and to reduce sedimentation/
erosion occurring on portions of FR 50079.
Purpose #3: Move towards restoration of the ecological
structure, function, processes, and composition of the spruce and aspen
component of the landscape.
DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described
in this notice should be received on or before April 30, 2001. The date
planned for release of the final EIS is November 2001.
ADDRESSES: Questions or written comments concerning the proposed
action or requests for copies of the proposal should be addressed to
Glenn P. Casamassa or Greg Montgomery at the following address: Moab/
Monticello Ranger District, Manti-La Sal National Forest, P.O. Box 820,
Monticello, Utah 84535, phone: 435-587-2041.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: An Internet site is available that
provides a detailed description of the purpose and need and proposed
action. It includes maps and pictures of the area showing existing
conditions, and copies of information available by mail. This
information can be accessed on the Manti-La Sal National Forest
Internet site
(http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/mantilasal/).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This EIS will tier to the final EIS for the
Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest
Plan). The Manti-La Sal Forest Plan provides the overall guidance
(Goals, Objectives, Standards, and Management Area Direction) to
achieve the Desired Future Condition for the area being analyzed, and
contains specific management area prescriptions for the entire Forest.
Tentative or preliminary issues that have been identified include:
Water resources; Visuals; Vegetation resources; Transportation;
Recreation; Undeveloped Charter; Wildlife and Fisheries resources,
Fuels and Fire Risk; Steep slopes; Economics; Cultural resources; and
Air quality.
Other tentative or preliminary alternatives that have been
identified include: (1) Implementation of only the water system
construction/reconstruction portion of the proposed action; (2)
Implementation of only the road improvement portion of the proposed
action; (3) Implementation of the water system construction/
reconstruction in conjunction with the road improvement portion of the
proposed action; (4) Continuation of trapping and baiting treatments
(timber harvest); and (5) No Action.
The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from
Federal, State, and local agencies as well as individuals and
organizations that may be interested in, or affected by the proposed
action. The Forest Service invites written comments and suggestions on
the issues related to the proposal and the area being analyzed.
Information received will be used in preparation of the Draft EIS and
Final EIS. For most effective use, comments should be submitted to the
Forest Service within 30 days from the data of publication of this
Notice in the Federal Register. Comments should include your name,
address, telephone number, organization represented (if any), title of
the proposal, and specific facts and supporting reasons for us to
consider in the analysis. Names and comments received are public
information and will be released to those who request them. This will
include names, addresses, and any other personal information provided
with the comments.
The proposed management activities would be administered by the
Moab/Monticello Ranger District, Manti-La Sal National Forest, San Juan
County, Utah.
Agency representatives and other interested people are invited to
visit
[[Page 17139]]
with Forest Service officials at any time during the EIS process. Two
specific time periods are identified for the receipt of formal comments
on the analysis. The two comment periods are: (1) During the scoping
process, the next 30 days following publication of this notice in the
Federal Register, and (2) During the formal review period of the Draft
EIS.
The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will
be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice 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. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and 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 draft
environmental impact statement 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 draft
environmental impact statement 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.
The Forest Supervisor for the Manti-La Sal National Forest, who is
the responsible official for the EIS, will then make a decision
regarding this proposal, after considering the comments, responses, and
environmental consequences discussed in the Final Environmental Impact
Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The reasons
for the decision will be documented in a Record of Decision. The Forest
Supervisor's office of the Manti-La Sal National Forest is located at
599 West Price River Drive, Price, Utah 84501, phone: 435-637-2817.
Authority: The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321-4346); Council on Environmental
Quality of Regulations, Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts
1500-1508 (40 CFR 1500-1508); and U.S. Department of Agriculture
NEPA Regulations, Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1b (7
CFR 1b).
Dated: March 23, 2001.
Elaine J. Zieroth,
Forest Supervisor, Manti-La Sal National Forest.
[FR Doc. 01-7728 Filed 3-28-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
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