U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ajo Housing Development Project
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Final Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Construction, Alteration, and Maintenance for U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ajo Housing Development Project Ajo, Arizona Prepared for: Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Protection Headquarters, Facilities Management and Engineering Division Washington, D.C. Prepared by: U.S. General Services Administration Pacific Rim Division Portfolio Management Division and EcoPlan Associates, Inc. 701 W. Southern Ave., Suite 203 Mesa, AZ 85210 April 2011 Contents Appendices ...............................................................................................................................ii Figures ...............................................................................................................................ii Tables ...............................................................................................................................ii Acronyms and Abbreviations .....................................................................................................iii Chapter 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Explanation of an Environmental Assessment ........................................ 1 1.2 Location ................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Background and Overview ...................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Project Purpose and Need .................................................................................. 5 2.1 Purpose of the Project .............................................................................. 5 2.2 Need for the Project ................................................................................. 5 Chapter 3 Alternatives .......................................................................................................... 7 3.1 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Further Study .................. 7 3.2 Alternatives Considered in Detail.......................................................... 11 Chapter 4 Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences............................ 15 4.1 Ownership, Jurisdiction, and Land Use ................................................. 15 4.2 Title VI/Environmental Justice.............................................................. 15 4.3 Social and Economic Resources ............................................................ 17 4.4 Biological Resources ............................................................................. 18 4.5 Cultural Resources................................................................................. 23 4.6 Air Quality Analysis .............................................................................. 25 4.7 Noise Analysis ....................................................................................... 26 4.8 Visual Resources.................................................................................... 27 4.9 Water Resources .................................................................................... 28 4.10 Floodplains............................................................................................. 29 4.11 Hazardous Materials .............................................................................. 30 Chapter 5 Cumulative Impacts .......................................................................................... 32 Chapter 6 Public Involvement/Project Coordination ...................................................... 33 6.1 Agency Coordination............................................................................. 33 6.2 Public Involvement ................................................................................ 37 Environmental Assessment i Ajo Housing Development Project Chapter 7 Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 48 7.1 Summary of Impacts.............................................................................. 48 7.2 Best Management Practices ................................................................... 48 7.3 Mitigation Measures .............................................................................. 49 Chapter 8 Project Preparers and Contributors................................................................ 50 Chapter 9 Bibliography....................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 10 Appendices ......................................................................................................... 53 Appendices Appendix A USFWS Threatened, Endangered, and Special Status Species Appendix B Scoping Letter and Mailing List Appendix C Agency Responses Appendix D Ajo Copper News Notices Appendix E Public Scoping Meeting and Public Hearing Handouts Appendix F Public Comments Figures Figure 1. Project location. ................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2. Project vicinity..................................................................................................... 3 Figure 3. Alternative locations............................................................................................ 9 Figure 4. Preferred Alternative site................................................................................... 12 Tables Table 1. 2000 total minority and total below poverty level............................................. 17 Table 2. Economic structure comparison......................................................................... 17 Table 3. USFWS threatened, endangered, and candidate species with potential to occur in the Preferred Alternative area.............................................................. 20 Table 4. Other special status species occurring within 3 miles of the project area and the potential effects of the Preferred Alternative on these species. ............ 21 Table 5. Public scoping comments. ................................................................................. 38 Table 6. Summary of comments received on Draft EA and GSA responses. ................. 39 Table 7. Results of environmental analysis. .................................................................... 48 Environmental Assessment ii Ajo Housing Development Project Acronyms and Abbreviations ACHP Advisory Council on Historic Preservation ADEQ Arizona Department of Environmental Quality AGFD Arizona Game and Fish Department APE Area of Potential Effects ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials AZDA Arizona Department of Agriculture AZPDES Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System BG Block Group BLM Bureau of Land Management CBP U.S. Customs and Border Protection CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CFR Code of Federal Regulations Corps U.S. Army Corps of Engineers CT Census Tract CWA Clean Water Act DWID Domestic Water Improvement District EA Environmental Assessment EcoPlan EcoPlan Associates, Inc. EO Executive Order EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ESA Environmental Site Assessment FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FIRM Flood Insurance Rate Map FM&E Facilities Management and Engineering Division GSA U.S. General Services Administration HDMS Heritage Data Management System LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design MOU Memorandum of Understanding mph miles per hour NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NESHAP National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NRHP National Register of Historic Places OBP Office of Border Patrol OCRHP Office of Cultural Resources and Historic Preservation OFO Office of Field Operations OMB Office and Management and Budget OPCNM Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument PDEQ Pima County Department of Environmental Quality PM10 particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter POE Port of Entry RACM Regulated Asbestos-Containing Material SHPO State Historic Preservation Office Environmental Assessment iii Ajo Housing Development Project SR 85 State Route 85 SWPPP Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan U.S. United States U.S.C. U.S. Code USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Assessment iv Ajo Housing Development Project Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Explanation of an Environmental Assessment This Environmental Assessment (EA) is being prepared to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S. Code [U.S.C] 4321), as implemented by Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500–1508), and policies of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as the lead federal agencies. The EA process provides steps and procedures to evaluate the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of a Preferred Alternative while providing an opportunity for local, state, or federal agencies to provide input and/or comment through scoping, public information meetings, and/or a public hearing. The social, economic, and environmental considerations are evaluated and measured, as defined in the CEQ regulations, by their magnitude of impacts. 1.2 Location The proposed CBP housing is in Ajo, Arizona, in southwestern Arizona, approximately 40 miles north of the U.S.–Mexico international border and the Lukeville Port of Entry (POE). The Lukeville