[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 120 (Monday, June 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37470-37471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13330]
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INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION; UNITED STATES AND MEXICO
United States Section: Notice of Availability of the Draft
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Arroyo
Colorado at Harlingen Flood Flow Improvement Project, Cameron County
Texas
AGENCY: United States Section, International Boundary and Water
Commission, United States and Mexico (USIBWC).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969; the Council on Environmental Quality Final
Regulations, and the USIBWC Operational Procedures for Implementing
Section 102 of NEPA, published in the Federal Register September 2,
1981, the USIBWC hereby gives notice that the Draft Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Arroyo Colorado at
Harlingen Flood Flow Improvement Project, Cameron County Texas is
available. An Environmental Impact Statement will not be prepared
unless additional information which may affect this decision is brought
to our attention within 30 days from the date of this Notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Blough, Environmental Protection
Specialist, USIBWC, 4191 N Mesa, El Paso, Texas 79902. Telephone: (915)
832-4734, Fax: (915) 493-2428, email: [email protected].
Availability: The electronic version of the Draft EA is available
on the USIBWC web page: https://www.ibwc.gov/EMD/EIS_EA_Public_Comment.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USIBWC prepared the EA to evaluate the
environmental effects of several options that would restore the full
flood conveyance capabilities to a 6.3-mile reach of Arroyo Colorado
between U.S. Highway 77 Business (US 77 Business) and Cemetery Road in
Harlingen, Cameron County Texas. The Preferred Alternative would dredge
sediment from the channel throughout the reach and expand existing
vegetation management operations. Vegetation management currently
occurs along a 3.7-mile reach of Arroyo Colorado between US 77 Business
and Farm-to-Market Road 509 (FM 509). The Preferred Alternative would
expand vegetation management operations to include the 2.6-mile reach
from FM 509 to Cemetery Road. These actions are intended to restore
Arroyo Colorado's
[[Page 37471]]
design flood conveyance capacity of 21,000 cubic feet per second.
The draft EA evaluates potential environmental impacts of the No
Action Alternative and the Preferred Alternative. Two additional
alternatives were considered and evaluated but were removed from
consideration because they were either not effective or not feasible.
Potential impacts on natural, cultural, and other resources were
evaluated. A Finding of No Significant Impact has been prepared for the
Preferred Alternative based on a review of the facts and analyses
contained in the EA.
An open-house public scoping meeting was held for the proposed
project on December 12, 2019, at the Harlingen Community Center located
at 201 E. Madison Avenue, Harlingen, Texas 78552. Notifications of the
meeting and instructions to access materials and provide comment
electronically were sent by mail to approximately 200 recipients.
Recipients included adjacent landowners, regional and local
representatives of federal and state resource agencies, interested
Native American tribes, and local elected officials. Additionally,
notifications were posted in newspapers of local circulation and on
City of Harlingen and USIBWC media outlets during the first week of
December.
Thirty-five attendees signed in and 13 comments were received
within the comment period. Approximately seven commenters stated that
they were in general support of the Expanded Vegetation & Sediment
Removal Alternative (i.e., the Preferred Alternative). One commenter
expressed support for a combination of the three actions that would
include Off-Channel Storage, Expanded Vegetation Removal, and Expanded
Vegetation & Sediment Removal. The remaining five comments proposed
additional actions outside of the scope of this project that may be
considered in the future.
Dated: June 10, 2020.
Jennifer Pena,
Chief Legal Counsel, International Boundary and Water Commission,
United States Section.
[FR Doc. 2020-13330 Filed 6-19-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7010-01-P