Connecticut State Council on Environmental Quality

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ENVIRONMENTAL MONITOR
The official site for project information under
the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act

January 16, 2007
Scoping Notices
      1. Middlebury Public Water Supply System Expansion and Regional Interconnection
Environmental Impact Evaluations available for review and comment
      1. NEW!  Colchester Maintenance and Repair Facility
Notice of UConn Comparative Project Evaluation available for review and comment
      1. NEW!  North Campus Master Plan EIE, University of Connecticut, North Hillside Road Extension (Storrs)
      
The next issue will be published on February 6, 2007.
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Scoping Notices

Scoping Notices have been issued for the following state projects.  These projects are in the earliest stages of planning.  At the scoping stage, detailed information on a project's design, alternatives, and environmental impacts does not yet exist.  Sponsoring agencies are asking for comments from other agencies and from the public as to the scope of alternatives and environmental impacts that should be considered for further study.  Send your comments to the contact person listed for the project by the date indicated.

1. Notice of Scoping for Middlebury Public Water Supply System Expansion and Regional Interconnection

Municipality where proposed project might be located: Middlebury

Project Description: The Town of Middlebury, Heritage Village Water Company and the Connecticut Water Company propose a water system expansion project that will connect water systems from the eastern and western portions of Town.  The driving force behind this project is the need to fulfill certain public water supply-related objectives in Middlebury and allow the Heritage Village Water System to maintain an adequate margin of safety through the use of shared regional resources.

Project Map:  Click here to view a map of the project area.

Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on:  February 2, 2007

Any person can ask the sponsoring agency to hold a Public Scoping Meeting by sending such a request to the address below.  If a meeting is requested by 25 or more individuals, or by an association that represents 25 or more members, by January 12, 2007, the Department of Environmental Protection must schedule a Public Scoping Meeting.

Additional information about the project can be viewed in person at:

Department of Environmental Protection
Inland Water Resources Division (3rd Floor)
79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106

Written comments and/or requests for a Public Scoping Meeting should be sent to:

Name: Cheryl Chase
Agency: Department of Environmental Protection
Address: 79 Elm Street
Hartford, CT  06106
Phone: (860) 424-3860
Fax: (860) 424-4075
E-Mail: cheryl.chase@po.state.ct.us  

If you have questions about a public scoping meeting or other questions about the scoping for this project, contact Ms. Chase, as directed above.

The agency expects to release an Environmental Impact Evaluation for this project, for public review and comment, shortly after the scoping period.

EIE Notices
The following Environmental Impact Evaluations (EIEs) have been completed by state agencies and are available for review and comment. 

1. Notice of EIE for Colchester Maintenance and Repair Facility

Municipality where project is proposed: Colchester

Address of Possible Project Location: Connecticut Route 85 and Lake Hayward Road

Project Description: The project consists of the construction of a DOT maintenance and repair facility.  The maintenance building will be approximately 62,580 square feet with a 4,000 square foot cold storage building plus 3.83 acres of paved parking and driveways. The facility will accommodate trucks, equipment and personnel currently associated with the Higganum, Lisbon and Montville DOT garages. 

Project Map:  Click here to view Project Map

Comments on this EIE will be accepted until the close of business on : March 7, 2007

The public can view a copy of this EIE at :   The Colchester Town Clerks Office - 127 Norwich Avenue, Colchester; Cragin Memorial Library - 8 Linwood Avenue, Colchester; Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments - 5 Connecticut Avenue, Norwich; Connecticut Department of Transportation - 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington

There is a public hearing scheduled for this EIE on :

DATE:   Wednesday, February 21, 2007 

TIME:   7:00 pm

PLACE: Colchester Town Hall - 127 Norwich Avenue, Colchester

Send your comments about this EIE to:

Name: Mr. Edgar T. Hurle
Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation
Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike
Newington, CT 06131
E-Mail: Edgar.Hurle@po.state.ct.us

If you have questions about the public hearing, or where you can review this EIE, or similar matters, please contact :

Name: Ms. Jessica L. DiLuca
Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation
Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike - Newington, CT 06131
E-Mail: Jessica.DiLuca@po.state.ct.us
Phone: 860-594-2135

Notice of UConn Comparative Project Evaluation

This is a unique type of notice that applies only to specific projects at the University of Connecticut that are proposed in an area that has been the subject of a previous Environmental Impact Evaluation.  This comparative evaluation process is described in the notice itself (below).

1. Notice for Comparative Evaluation,

North Campus Master Plan EIE, University of Connecticut, North Hillside Road Extension

Municipality where project is proposed: University of Connecticut – Storrs Campus, Mansfield

Address of Possible Project Location: North Hillside Road Extension

Project Description: The University of Connecticut proposes to construct a 3,400-foot extension of North Hillside Road on the UConn Storrs campus. The proposed extension of North Hillside Road is from its current terminus northward to U.S. Route 44 in the town of Mansfield, Connecticut. The proposed project will construct a road to provide an alternate entrance to the University and to relieve traffic on U.S. Route 44, Route 195, and Hunting Lodge Road. The new road is also intended to facilitate the development of UConn-related academic and research buildings, student housing, and recreational facilities on parcels of land adjacent to the Storrs campus, also known as the “North Campus.”  

The potential environmental consequences of the proposed extension of North Hillside Road and the associated development of the North Campus were evaluated in CEPA EIEs prepared in 1994 and 2001. The Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) had originally determined that the project would not require additional CEPA review provided that the road alignment is generally the same as the alignment approved in the 2001 North Campus Master Plan EIE.

However, OPM has since raised concerns regarding potential differences in background traffic growth anticipated by the previous EIEs and current traffic projections. OPM has determined that a new CEPA EIE will not be required for the project but has requested the comparative evaluation in order to compare the traffic impacts of the proposed project against those originally identified in the 2001 EIE.

Project Document:   Project Locus Map

Project Document:   Comparative Evaluation

Comments on this comparative evaluation will be accepted until the close of business on: January 30, 2007

Send your comments about this comparative evaluation to:

Name:

Richard A. Miller, Esq., Director of Environmental Policy

Agency:

University of Connecticut

Address:

31 LeDoyt Road U-3055

Storrs CT 06269-3055

E-Mail:

Rich.Miller@uconn.edu

If you have questions about the comparative evaluation, or similar matters, please contact:

Name:

Same as above

Agency:

Address:

E-Mail:

Phone:

 860-486-8741

Other information: Comments may also be faxed to Mr. Richard Miller at 860-486-5477

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Copyright 2006, Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality


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