Abbreviations/Acronyms ASR Aquifer Recharge (Storage) and NCLC National Consumer Law Center Recovery Project NEPA National Environmental Protection Act ac-ft acre-feet NGVD National Geodetic Vertical Datum AOP Advanced Oxidation Process NHPA National Historic Preservation Act AHERA Asbestos Hazard Emergency NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service Response Act NOA Notice of Availability NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric BMP Best Management Practice Administration NOI Notice of Intent CEQ Commission on Environmental Quality NO2 nitrite (nitrogen dioxide) CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental NO3 nitrate (nitrogen trioxide) Response, Compensation and NOx nitrous oxides Liability Act NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination cfs cubic feet per second System CO carbon monoxide NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service CO2 carbon dioxide NRHP National Register of Historic Places CWA Clean Water Act O&M operation and maintenance dB/A noise level in weighted decibels DHHS U.S. Department of Health and PAC Powder Activated Carbon Human Services pH per hydrion constant (measure of acidity) DWR Department of Water Resources PM10 particulate matter less than 10 microns in (Kansas Department of diameter (refers to air quality) Agriculture) PM25 particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (refers to air quality) EIA Economic Impact Area ppm parts per million EIS Environmental Impact Statement PSD Prevention of Significant Deterioration e-mail computer message (refers to air quality) EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ESA Endangered Species Act RDA Rural Development Act (USDA) RESNET Reservoir Network (model) FEIS Final Environmental Impact RIA Regional Impact Analysis Statement ROD Record of Decision FPPA Farmland Protection Policy Act RPC Regional Purchase Coefficient FWCA Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act FWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System GHG greenhouse gases SCS Soil Conservation Service (USDA, now the GMD2 Groundwater Monitoring District NRCS) No. 2 SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act GRP Gross Regional Product SHPO State Historic Preservation Officer SMCL Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels HBMP Hydro-Biological Monitoring Plan (EPA) HUD U.S. Department of Housing and SO2 sulfur dioxide Urban Development TDS total dissolved solids ILWSP Integrated Local Water Supply Plan TOC total organic carbon IMPLAN Impact Analysis for Planning Model TSCA Toxic Substances Control Act IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate TSS total suspended solids Change µg/cm3 micrograms per cubic centimeter KCC Kansas Corporation Commission µg/L micrograms per liter (parts per billion) KDA Kansas Department of Agriculture µg/ml micrograms per milliliter (parts per million) KDHE Kansas Department of Health and µmhos/cm3 electrical conductance in micromhos per Environment cubic centimeter KGS Kansas Geological Survey USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers KWO Kansas Water Office USBOC U.S. Bureau of the Census KDWP Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks USBOL U.S. Bureau of Labor KS Kansas USC U.S. Code KSHS Kansas State Historical Society USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA-RDA U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural LEEDS Leadership in Energy and Environmental Development Act Design Standards USDHHS U.S. Department of Health and Human Services M&I municipal and industrial USEPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency MDS Minimum Desirable Streamflow USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service MGD million gallons per day USGS U.S. Geological Survey mg/l milligrams per liter (parts per million) 3 USHUD U.S. Department of Housing and Urban mg/m milligrams per cubic meter (parts per Development million) MOA Memorandum of Agreement WAM Water Availability Modeling MSA Metropolitan Statistical Area WRAPS Watershed Restoration and Protection msl mean (average) sea level Strategy MW megawatt (1 million watts) Aquifer Storage Recharge and Recovery Project Equus Beds Division, Wichita Project, Kansas Harvey, Sedgwick, and Reno Counties, Kansas Final Environmental Impact Statement Lead Agency United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Great Plains Region Oklahoma-Texas Area Office Abstract This Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Lead Agency is the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). The EIS was prepared in cooperation with the following: Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Kansas Geological Survey, Kansas Water Office, Equus Beds Groundwater Management District No. 2, and the City of Wichita Water and Sewer Department. The document analyzes potential impacts from the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage Recharge and Recovery Project (ASR). Two alternatives are considered in the EIS. The Preferred Alternative would divert a total of 100 MGD of water from the Little Arkansas River during high flows to recharge the Equus Beds Aquifer for later municipal and industrial (M&I) use by the City. The Federal government would fund (cost-share) up to 25% (or $30 million, whichever is less) of the construction costs, of Phases IIb, III and IV of the ASR. The City has already completed Phase I and is working on Phase IIa. No Federal funding was used for these early phases. Since the City would complete the project without the Federal cost-share, the same 100 MGD ASR is also considered as the No Action Alternative. There would be no Federal funding in No Action. After completion, the ASR would become the Equus Beds Division of Reclamation’s Wichita Project. Operation, maintenance, replacement, and liability of the new division would be the responsibility of the City. The ASR would help meet M&I water demands of the City through 2050. Some impacts to soils, land use, water, air quality, noise, esthetics, wetlands, riparian zones, vegetation, wildlife, and socioeconomics would be expected. Some would be temporary but some would last the duration of the ASR. Long-term improvements in surface and groundwater quality and availability should result from the ASR. Base flow should increase in both the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers, and greater flows should improve aquatic habitat for some endangered or threatened species and species of concern. Aquifer storage should help reduce impacts from evaporation and quality degradation. The ASR should also increase water levels in the aquifer to near-historic levels and help slow saltwater degradation. For further information regarding this Environmental Impact Statement, contact: Charles F. Webster U. S. Bureau of Reclamation Oklahoma-Texas Area Office 5924 NW 2nd St., Suite 200 Oklahoma City, OK 73127 Telephone (405) 470-4831 Fax number (405) 470-4807 E-mail [email protected] Final Environmental Impact Statement No. FES 09-29 Summary Public Law 109-299 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to help the City of Wichita, Kansas, complete the Aquifer Storage Recharge and Recovery Project (ASR) of the City’s Integrated Local Water Supply Plan (ILWSP). The purpose of the project is to provide municipal and industrial (M&I) water to the City and surrounding region through the year 2050. The ASR would pump water from the Little Arkansas River basin into the region’s Equus Beds Aquifer for storage and later re-use. When completed, the ASR would become the “Equus Beds Division” of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Wichita Project. Reclamation, an agency of the Department of the Interior, provides water to 17 western states, including the State of Kansas. The Equus Beds aquifer lies under about 900,000 acres in six Kansas counties. The ASR would cover only a small part of this area, however, in northern Sedgwick and southern Harvey counties. P.L. 109-299 requires Reclamation to use to the extent possible the City’s ASR plans, designs, and analyses. Federal funding for the project would be capped at 25% of total costs, or $30 million (indexed to 2003 prices), whichever is less. Reclamation has responsibility under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to review, publicly document, and disclose environmental impacts of the ASR before Federal action is taken. This environmental impact statement (EIS) describes the impacts of the project. Purpose and Need The City needs water because of population growth and consequent growth in water demands. The City currently has capacity to meet average daily water demands until 2016, while with the ASR, the City would be able to meet demands until 2050. The ASR would provide a safe and reliable M&I water supply by preventing the continuing decline of water levels in the Equus Beds aquifer. About 32% of the City’s water comes from the Equus Beds. Use of the aquifer for M&I, rural, and agricultural needs throughout the region over the past 60 years has caused a drop in the water table of up to 50 feet in some locations. It is i estimated that the ASR would restore original water levels to the aquifer within 21 years after beginning operation. The project would also protect water quality in the aquifer. Saltwater encroachment has become a problem because—as freshwater levels drop—saltwater infiltration from the Arkansas River and other sources has become more pronounced. Continuing saltwater encroachment could degrade water quality to the point where water would require much more treatment to make it drinkable. The ASR would help maintain a safe gradient between fresh and saltwater sections, thereby protecting the aquifer from saltwater encroachment. Proposed Action The Proposed Action is for Reclamation to help fund the 100 MGD ASR Plan with 60/40 Option, as described by Burns & McDonnell (2003). The ASR, as part of the ILWSP, would draw water from the Little Arkansas River, pre-treat it, and recharge the Equus Beds Aquifer in phases. Sixty percent of the water would come from surface water intakes, the rest from diversion wells installed along the river bank. Three recharge basins and 99 recharge recovery wells connected by pipelines would recharge the aquifer.