Release Date: Monday, November 1, 2006                                 

For Immediate Release     

Bill Line (202) 619-7400 or Kevin Brandt (301) 714-2201

 

National Park Service Invites Public Comment on an Environmental Assessment to Analyze Impacts Associated with the Construction of the proposed New Design Raw Water Main and McKinney Treated Effluent Outfall

 

Hagerstown, MD. – The National Park Service (NPS) has prepared an environmental assessment to analyze impacts associated with the construction of a proposed raw water main and treated effluent outfall by Frederick County in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.  The environmental assessment also provides information to be used in fulfilling Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. 

 

The environmental assessment will be made available for public comment from November 1 through November 30, 2006 on the NPS Planning, Environment & Public Comment (PEPC) website:  http://parkplanning.nps.gov/choh.   This site provides access to the environmental assessment and should be used to submit comments on the document.   

 

On November 15, 2006, the NPS will hold a public meeting to elicit comments from the general public. The meeting will be held at the Administrative Offices for Frederick County Division of Utilities and Solid Waste, 4520 Metropolitan Court, Frederick, MD 21704.  The meeting will held in room 108 and is scheduled from 6:00-8:00 PM

 

Public reading copies of the environmental assessment will be available for review at the following locations:

 

                        C&O Canal National Historical Park Headquarters

                        1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100

                        Hagerstown, Maryland 21740

 

C&O Canal NHP Visitor Center

40 West Potomac Street

Brunswick, MD 21716

 

         Brunswick Branch

Frederick County Public Library

915 North Maple Avenue

Brunswick, MD 21716

 

                           Frederick County Administration Building

                        Division of Utilities and Solid Waste Management

                        4520 Metropolitan Court

         Frederick, MD 21904

 

United States Post Office

315 Brunswick Street

Brunswick, MD 21716

 

                        United States Post Office

1597 Bowis Drive

Point of Rocks, MD 21777

 

                        United States Post Office

                        5537 Mountville Road

                        Adamstown, MD  21710

 

                        United States Post Office

                        4001 Buckeystown Pike

                        Buckeystown, MD  21717 

 

                        United States Post Office

                        5709-a  Tuscarora Road

                        Tuscarora, MD  21790

 

The proposed project site is located within the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal NHP) at mile 44.85.  The portion of the project within the C&O Canal NHP is 1,210 linear feet.

 

The proposed action analyzed in the environmental assessment is the construction of a raw water main and a treated effluent outfall to support programmed improvements to the Frederick County water and wastewater infrastructure system. An associated power and communication ductbank is also proposed.  The purpose of the raw water main is to increase raw water conveyance capacity from the existing Potomac River intake pumping station to the existing New Design Water Treatment Plant.  The purpose of the treated effluent outfall is to provide greater transport capacity to the existing Potomac River diffuser.

 

The environmentally preferred alternative is the construction of the raw water main and treated effluent outfall with associated power and communications ductbank. 

 

Under the no build alternative, the raw water main and treated effluent outfall would not be constructed at the NPS site.  Failure to construct the project will not satisfy the demonstrated need for regional water/wastewater system improvements.

 

-NPS-