Environmental Assessment Glass Mountain 480-foot Guyed Telecommunications Tower Approximately 27 Miles Northeast of Marathon, Brewster County, Texas June 2, 2010 Project No. 90107018 Prepared for: Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission Prepared by: Terracon Consultants, Inc. San Antonio, Texas June 2, 2010 Mr. Barney Welch Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission 2910 La Force Boulevard Midland, Texas 79706 Re: Draft Environmental Assessment Glass Mountain Tower Approximately 27 miles northeast of Marathon, Brewster County, Texas Prudent Project Number: 90107018 Dear Mr. Welch: Terracon has conducted a Draft Environmental Assessment and FCC NEPA Checklist of the proposed project with respect to the expected environmental impacts associated with grant funds issued by the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant Program, administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The PSIC Grant Program is to assist State, local, tribal, and nongovernmental agencies in developing interoperable communications as they leverage newly available spectrum in the 700-800 megahertz (MHz) band. As a condition of the PSIC Grant Program, PSIC grantees must comply with all relevant Federal legislation. In addition, to the PSIC screening any new tower construction is required to undergo FCC NEPA Land Use screening in accordance with 47 CFR Section 1.1307 (a) (1) through (8), to determine whether any of the listed FCC special interest items would be significantly affected if a tower structure and/or antenna and associated equipment control cabinets were constructed at the proposed site location. The findings of this Draft Environmental and FCC NEPA Checklist are based on the project location, project type, and construction diagrams provided by the Pecos County Sheriff’s Department. Should the project location, project type, and/or construction diagrams be altered, reevaluation of this project will be required. If there are any questions regarding the information presented in this report, please contact our Terracon office at 210-641-2112. Sincerely, Terracon Consultants, Inc. Julio A. Aguilar Environmental Scientist Environmental Assessment Report Glass Mountain Tower Site■ Brewster County, Texas June 2, 2010 ■ Terracon Project Number 90107018 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... i SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 Purpose and Need................................................................................................................... 2 Section 2 - Proposed Action ...................................................................................................... 3 Alternatives ............................................................................................................................. 3 Alternatives Considered But Not Carried Forward .............................................................. 4 SECTION 3 – EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................... 6 Resource 1 – Noise ................................................................................................................. 6 Resource 2 – Air Quality......................................................................................................... 7 Resource 3 – Geology and Soils ........................................................................................... 7 Resource 4 – Water Resources ............................................................................................. 8 Resource 5 - Biological Resources ..................................................................................... 10 Resource 6 - Historic and Cultural Resources ................................................................... 13 Resource 7 - Aesthetic and Visual Resources ................................................................... 14 Resource 8 - Land Use ......................................................................................................... 15 Resource 9 - Infrastructure .................................................................................................. 15 Resource 10 - Socioeconomic Resources .......................................................................... 17 Resource 11 - Human Health and Safety ............................................................................ 17 SECTION 4 - ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ............................................................... 19 Resource 1 - Noise ................................................................................................................ 19 Resource 2 - Air Quality ....................................................................................................... 20 Resource 3 - Geology and Soils .......................................................................................... 22 Resource 4 - Water Resources ............................................................................................ 23 Resource 5 - Biological Resources ..................................................................................... 24 Resource 6 - Historic and Cultural Resources ................................................................... 28 Resource 7 - Aesthetic and Visual Resources ................................................................... 29 Resource 8 - Land Use ......................................................................................................... 30 Resource 9 - Infrastructure .................................................................................................. 31 Resource 10 - Socioeconomic Resources .......................................................................... 32 Resource 11 - Human Health and Safety ............................................................................ 33 SECTION 5 - FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................ 34 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 35 LIST OF PREPARERS ............................................................................................................... 36 Environmental Assessment Report Glass Mountain Tower Site■ Brewster County, Texas June 2, 2010 ■ Terracon Project Number 90107018 FIGURES Figure 1: Vicinity Map Figure 2: Topographic Map Figure 3: Site Plan Figure 4: Aerial Map Figure 5: Geologic Map Figure 6: Soils Map Figure 7: Sole Source Aquifer Map Figure 8: FEMA Map Figure 9: Historic Sites Map Figure 10: Wetland Map APPENDIX A – Site Photographs APPENDIX B – USFWS Documentation APPENDIX C – Section 106 APPENDIX D – FCC NEPA Land Use Compliance Checklist Environmental Assessment Report Glass Mountain Tower Site■ Brewster County, Texas June 2, 2010 ■ Terracon Project Number 90107018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This executive summary is provided for convenience only and should not substitute review of the complete report, including all figures and appendices. The Proposed Action is identified as the Glass Mountain Tower site. The Glass Mountain Tower is classified as a ”New” Transmission and Receiving Site, which consists of the proposed construction of a 480-foot guyed communications tower with associated equipment to be located within an existing 100-foot by 100-foot compound. The total ground-disturbance area is less than 0.25 acres. The area surrounding the proposed Glass Mountain Tower site is mountainous rangeland with three rural residences approximately 0.32 miles northwest of the site. The site consists of a vacant parcel on an existing site containing the remnants of a former communications tower which was destroyed in an ice storm. A vicinity map of the area and photographs of the site and surrounding area are in the appendices of this report. The proposed Glass Mountain Tower site is located at 30° 23’ 33.9” N Latitude, 103° 8’ 9.6” W Longitude (NAD83) approximately 27 miles northeast of Marathon, Texas as shown on the USGS Hess Canyon, Texas 7.5 Minute Series Topographic Map dated 1983, Figure 2. The Glass Mountain Tower site consists of a proposed 480-foot guyed telecommunication tower, within an existing 100-foot by 100-foot compound. The proposed telecommunication compound will house: one 12-foot by 16-foot equipment shelter, a stand-alone emergency backup generator and associated propane tank, and control utility board as shown in Figure 3. The proposed Glass Mountain Tower site will be located on mountainous rangeland of the Glass Mountains in Brewster, County. The existing utilities located on site will be used for power. An existing gravel access road will be used for site access for construction and operational maintenance. Figure 4 shows the aerial photograph of the project site location. The proposed site will allow for the following: Increased coverage area for emergency responders connected through the system Updated equipment to support new frequencies to improve and expand voice and data coverage Facilitate reliable interoperable communications among first responder organizations Enhanced security and facility control The Proposed Action will not involve any of the unusual risks or impacts to sensitive areas identified in Section 4. Therefore, the Proposed Action would