1.0 INTRODUCTION Lewis and Clark Rural Water System, Inc
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Finding of No Significant Impact and Final EA, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project 1.0 INTRODUCTION Lewis and Clark Rural Water System, Inc. (System), a nonprofit corporation composed of 22 municipalities and rural water systems, proposes to construct a water supply pipeline and associated well field, pump stations, treatment plant, and storage reservoirs throughout southeastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa. Maps 1.1 and 1.2 show the general location of the proposed Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project (Project). The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is the lead federal agency for funding portions of Project construction and is responsible for Project regulatory oversight and for ensuring compliance with environmental and other related laws. The Project pipeline would run from a well field to be developed beside the Missouri River in southeastern South Dakota to various existing water system connection points located throughout the region and is a modification of the system proposed in 1993 (Banner Associates, Inc. [Banner] et al. 1993). The pipeline system would be approximately 400 miles in length (Map 1.3). Pipeline diameters would range from approximately 6 to 54 inches. Average flow within the system is expected to be approximately 22 to 23 million gallons per day (MGD) (Table 1.1); whereas maximum flow would be approximately 29 to 32 MGD. The System was organized in 1989. In 1990, a needs assessment study was initiated, and a Project feasibility study (Banner et al. 1991, 1993) and an environmental report (Mariah Associates Inc. [Mariah] 1993a) were completed. Federal authorization and funding efforts began in the early 1990s, and the Project was authorized by Congress in 2000. Public Law (P.L.) 106-246 authorized expenditures in the form of a federal grant for Project planning and construction. Approximately 78% of Project planning and construction costs would be funded by a federal grant under P.L. 106-246. The remaining costs necessary to complete construction would be provided by local and state Project sponsors. The Project would provide a high-quality, reliable domestic water supply to residents of 14 counties in southeastern South Dakota, northwestern Iowa, and southwestern Minnesota. The 2 Finding of No Significant Impact and Final EA, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /// / / / /1 / //// / / / / / / I / / // / / / I // / / / / I / / / / LAKE / / / / / / Co. / / / / I / / / I / T / / I HcCO(JKI MINNEHAHA~I ROCK I NOBLES / / / I Co. I co. ~I co. I... Co. / / I .-.~I ~nnesot~ I ---I \ ~Y~NIO'W~ ~SCEOLA D[CKINSON II TURNER I LINCOLN..' CO. CO. I Co. I Co. Co. s--- -1- I :S I, ~-~ SIOUX I O'BRIEN I CLAY I r-j CO. Co. Co. I CLAY UNION CO. I CO. 274B7\LO~TION-L1 Map 1.1 General Location, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project, 2002. Finding of No Significant Impact and Final EA, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project 3 LAKE Madisan Lake~ . Herman- ~ ~ Madison -- 1--West GrahamLake "J I East Graham Lake I NOBLES pirit ake SON boji e Lake nd~ ake SIOUX O'BRIEN t REGIONALPROJECT AREA BOUNDARY o 10 20 30ml 0 10 20 30 .0 50km 27487\REGK)HAl Map 1.2 Project Region, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project, 2002. ~ 4 Finding of No Significant Impact and Final EA, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project .-E IN E ~ ..,o ."o ~ o I-LoJ N ::> ..,o ~0 LoJ z -~ -LoJ -~ ---~~LoJ o 0N -'LoJQ. QQ.::> ->- -!D ...LoJLoJ...Q. 0 -J 0 VI -' ~; u LoJo- "' VI Q.~ O 001 O Q. ~ 0 ~, 0 Q. ...: , " ~ , ~ Q. <:I: ... LoJ ~!= u > <~ Q) -.."., ,<>-LoJ O 1- 01- '""' z ::>::> " LoJ 1-0 - 1- VI~ >- - p. p. ~ r/) '""' Q) ... ~ ~ ~ '""' ~ - U ~ >- = = ~ u ~ ~ Q) ~ ~ ... = 0 ~ = 0 ... u Q) = = o U ~ = ~ w ~ ~ Q) < ... -J = o .n ~ Q) = - Q) p. ~ ~ Cf') - p. ~ ~ Finding of No Significant Impact and Final EA, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project 5 Table 1.1 Projected Water Demand Summary, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project, 2002. Total Affected County Projected County Projected Average Project Population Population Water Demand (MGD)3 State (2000)1 (2025) 2 (2030) South Dakota 224,490 257,584 14.8-15.5 Iowa 99,253 103,109 3.4-3.5 Minnesota 30,553 32,810 3.8-4.0 Total 354,296 393,466 22.0-23.0 1 Adapted from U.S. Bureau of the Census (2001a). 2 County information derived from state projections (U.S. Bureau of the Census 2001b). Growth rates for all affected counties assumed to be the same as for their respective states: Iowa growth rate = 1.039; Minnesota growth rate = 1.074; South Dakota growth rate = 1.147. See Table 3.6 for detailed county projections. 3 MGD = million gallons per day. counties proposed for Project construction include (in South Dakota) Lake, Minnehaha, Turner, Lincoln, Clay, and Union; (in Iowa) Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, Sioux, O'Brien, and Clay; and (in Minnesota) Rock and Nobles (see Maps 1.1 and 1.2). Most lands along the proposed route are used for agriculture, transportation (state, county, and local roads), utilities (pipelines, power lines, telecommunications cables), wildlife habitat, and recreation. 1.1 FEDERAL ACTION The proposed federal action is to provide Project funding and construction oversight of water supply pipelines and associated well field and other facility construction. In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) and the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA, Reclamation has determined that an environmental assessment (EA) is required to evaluate the proposed 6 Finding of No Significant Impact and Final EA, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project Project. The purpose of the EA is to identify impacts associated with Project alternatives and allow the responsible federal official to determine whether the Project would have any significant impacts on the human and natural environment. If no significant impacts are identified, Reclamation will issue a final EA and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). If any significant impacts are identified, Reclamation would proceed with the preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS). This EA also is intended to be used for scoping/consultation with Native American Tribes and other interested parties in partial fulfillment of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) requirements using the consultation and compliance processes described in 36 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) 800.8 - Coordination with the NEPA. This EA is intended to be programmatic since various Project components (e.g., final pipeline alignments, facility locations) may be modified during the estimated 10 to 15 years required to complete Project construction. Comprehensive site-specific inventories would be conducted annually during Project construction (see Appendix A) to minimize the potential for adverse environmental effects. These multi-agency site-specific inventories would be conducted to assess the reclamation status of past construction actions, to identify appropriate remedial actions where problems may be found, and to develop appropriate location and design criteria for upcoming Project construction actions. 1.2 PURPOSE AND NEED The Project would provide adequate supplies of good-quality drinking water to areas where current water supplies are insufficient, are at risk of contamination, or are of inferior quality. Project water would supplement or replace water used in existing water systems. The alluvial aquifers of the Missouri River south of Vermillion, South Dakota, would serve as the raw water source, and the Project would furnish water via pipelines connected to currently operational water supply systems to serve the current and projected needs of the System's current 22 member entities (water user groups) (Table 1.2). The pipeline system allows for projected increases in Finding of No Significant Impact and Final EA, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project 7 Table 1.2 Lewis and Clark Rural Water System Member Entities, 2002. State Water User Group South Dakota Beresford Centerville Harrisburg Lennox Lincoln County RWS1 Madison Minnehaha CWC2 Parker Sioux Falls South Lincoln RWS1 Tea Iowa Boyden Clay Regional RWS1 Hull Sheldon Sibley Sioux Center Rural Water No. 1 Rock Rapids3 Minnesota Lincoln-Pipestone County RWS1 Luverne Rock County RWS1 Worthington 1 RWS = Rural Water System. 2 CWC = Community Water Corporation. 3 Rock Rapids is currently negotiating to become a System member. the consumptive water demands of its users until the year 2030, thus allowing area residents and businesses to maintain existing conditions (quality of life) while sustaining anticipated regional population growth. The Project has been designed to address concerns expressed by local residents regarding the low quality, vulnerability, and insufficient supply of water throughout the area. Water quantity problems are presently experienced by at least 12 of the 22 System member entities (Banner et al. 1993); however, as regional population increases, water quantity concerns will likely become more prevalent. Many member entities already impose water use restrictions on their customers during the hotter and drier months of the year when water demands can exceed current supply capacities. At the present time, member entities obtaining water from the Sioux Falls Management Unit portion of the Big Sioux River and its aquifer system (e.g., Sioux Falls) cannot develop further capacity since water rights in this aquifer system are fully appropriated; projections by the City of Sioux Falls show that water needs will exceed available supplies by 8 Finding of No Significant Impact and Final EA, Lewis and Clark Water Supply Project 2012. Furthermore, the City of Worthington acquires its water from the Lake Bella well field, and on average, Worthington withdrawals exceed recharge in 3 out of 10 years. Implementation of restrictions and guidelines proposed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) are making water quality issues increasingly important to rural water system operators and users. Banner et al.