Halligan Seaman Water Management Project
Environmental Impact Statement (HSWMP EIS)
Introduction
The US Army Corps of
Engineers, Omaha District, (Corps) is preparing an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to analyze the
direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of a water supply project
referred to as the Halligan Seaman Water Management Project (HSWMP or
Project). The Projects are being proposed by the cities of Fort
Collins and Greeley (the Cities) and includes partnerships with the
North Poudre Irrigation Company (NPIC); three water districts
collectively known as the Tri-District including North Weld County Water
District (NWCWD), the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District (FCLWD), the
East Larimer County Water District (ELCO); the City of Evans, and the
Water Supply and Storage Company (WSSC).
HSWMP primarily involves enlarging two
existing reservoirs, Halligan and Milton Seaman, which are owned by the
cities of Fort Collins and Greeley, respectively. HSWMP proposes the
construction of larger dams down stream from the existing dam sites to
increase the raw water storage capacity of each reservoir. Currently,
Halligan Reservoir is capable of storing 6,400 acre feet (af) and Milton
Seaman 5,008 af of raw water. The proposed enlargements will result in a
raw water storage capacity of 40,000 af in the Halligan reservoir and
approximately 60,000 af active storage in the Milton Seaman reservoir.
Water that will be necessary to fill the enlarged Halligan reservoir is
proposed to come from existing Fort Collins water rights, while Greeley
proposes to acquire and convert agricultural water in the Poudre Basin
to municipal use in order to fill the enlarged Milton Seaman reservoir.
The Cities propose the enlargements of
these reservoirs to meet their needs to provide sufficient raw water
storage to ensure a reliable water supply during a 1 in 50 year drought,
and based on population forecasts more efficiently manage their existing
water rights. The Cities have identified the HSWMP as the preferred
alternative to address these needs, but the Corps will evaluate other
practicable alternatives through the NEPA process. Each alternative,
with the exception of possibly the No Action alternative, will represent
an alternative means of satisfying the project’s Purpose and Need.
(top of page)
What is an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)?
An environmental impact
statement (EIS) is a full-public-disclosure investigation required by the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) for federal government agency actions "significantly
affecting the quality of the human environment." Upon completion of
the EIS, a final EIS document in digital format is available to any
interested party.
Although the Corps is not proposing,
designing, funding or constructing the Project, the Project will require a Section 404 Permit, which is a federal permit required under
the Clean Water Act administered by the Corps and the EPA. Because a Section
404 Permit is required, the Corps is the lead federal agency managing the EIS process.
The NEPA process is designed to involve
the public in environmental decision-making, gather the best available information regarding the
project and disclose pertinent project information and impacts so decision makers can be fully informed when they make their
choices. An EIS describes the positive and negative environmental
effects of a proposed agency action, and cites alternative actions.
The agency and public components of the
EIS process are a notice of intent to prepare an EIS, scoping, preparation
of a Draft EIS, and preparation of a Final EIS and
Record of Decision. The Project is currently in
the Scoping Phase.
(top of page)
Notice of Intent to
Prepare an EIS
At the beginning of the EIS
process, the Corps posts a public Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS in the
Federal Register.
Notice of Intent Documents
Request for
Qualifications for 3rd party contractor teams
25-Feb-05
Federal Register Notice of Intent to
Prepare EIS 1-Feb-06
(top of page)
Scoping
Process
After posting a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS, the Corps conducts scoping
to introduce the project proposal to the public and to other agencies
and solicit input on the issues and alternatives to be evaluated.
Scoping Information Feb-2006
Final Scoping
Report 30-May-06
Appendix A Notice
of Intent and Public Notices
Appendix B Scoping Document
Appendix C Distribution List for Scoping Documents
Appendix D Scoping Meeting Attendance Sheets
Appendix E Public Comment Letters
Appendix F Corps Agency and Tribal Letters
Appendix G Agency Comment Letters
Appendix H List of Comment Letters Received
Appendix I Comments Extracted from Letters
(top of page)
Contact
Information for the Halligan-Seaman Project
Corps:
Chandler Peter,
EIS Project Mgr
US Army Corps of Engineers
9307 South Wadsworth
Blvd, Littleton, CO 80128
E-mail:
Fax: 303-979-0602
Monique Farmer, Corps Omaha District Public Affairs
402-995-2417 or Toll Free
1-888-835-5971
(top of page) |
