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NOTICE: NOTICES

ACTION: Environmental statements; notice of intent:

DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUBJECT CATEGORY: Intent To Prepare a Draft Feasibility Report/Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the Grayson and Murderer's Creeks Project, Contra Costa County, CA

DATES: A meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18, 2003, at 7 p.m. at the Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive, Pleasant Hill, California.

Comments: Submit comments regarding the study by January 10, 2004.

DOCUMENT SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Sacramento District, is preparing a Draft Feasibility Report/Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Feasibility Report/EIS/EIR) to evaluate the opportunities to reduce flood damages, restore wetland and riparian habitat, and support recreation adjacent to Grayson and Murderer's Creeks watershed, Contra Costa County, California. A reconnaissance study was funded under the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill of 2002. The Corps completed the resulting study in October 2002. The report found a Federal interest in reducing flood damages, restoring the ecosystem, and improving recreational opportunities in Contra Costa County. The basic study authority for the Walnut Creek watershed was provided under a House Resolution adopted on June 19, 1963.

The feasibility study will consist of two phases. Phase I will start with a public workshop designed to solicit input from the public and interested agencies on the nature and extent of issues to be addressed in the Draft Feasibility Report/EIS/EIR. It will conclude with a conference to present and discuss the detailed evaluation of existing and future conditions, including the comprehensive mapping of the flood plains, flood damages, and the identification of problems and opportunities associated with each watershed. Preliminary alternatives will be developed, evaluated, and screened. Important cultural and environmental resources in the study area along with the associated effects and mitigation requirements for each preliminary alternative will be considered during the evaluation. Federal interest in at least one preliminary alternative will be established.

Phase II will consist of further development of the preliminary alternatives including detailed designs, costs, and benefits. The project benefits associated with each final alternative plan will be evaluated. The Draft Feasibility Report/EIS/EIR will be completed in conjunction with additional public meetings. Upon the review and incorporation of the public feedback, the Final Feasibility Report/EIS/ EIR will be published. The final report will be forwarded through the Corps' Headquarters to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) for transmission to the Office of Management and Budget.

SUMMARY: Contra Costa County, CA; Grayson and Murderer's Creeks Project,

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Ms. Melisa Helton, E-mail at melisa.n.helton@usace.army.mil, telephone (916) 557-7948, or fax (916) 5575138.