Thanks for comments on environmental assessment

I just want to say thank you to everyone who was able to submit comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on its San Gabriel River Discovery Center environmental assessment.

It felt like a chore to me to find the energy to comment on the EA after we put so much energy into commenting on the draft environmental impact report. But it had to get done, and it got done.

So again thanks for taking the time to review the EA and submit comments.

It looks like some of the next important steps are to be taken by the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The authority, I believe, will review and address the comments and then decide whether it is ready to issue a final EIR, which would include the alternative the agency had decided to pursue.

Similarly, the corps will review and address the comments on its EA and then decide whether a full environmental impact statement is required.

Please don't treat the above as gospel. I'm new to this environmental review business, so please consider these comments as the work of a a novice.

Deadline approaching for comments on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers environmental assessment

Just when you thought it was safe to put down your red pen for marking up Discovery Center environmental documents, another deadline approaches.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' environmental assessment is out and its Aug. 20 comment deadline is less than two weeks away.

The document can be found online at the Discovery Center Authority website.

It looks as if comments will only be accepted if they are submitted in writing and postmarked by Aug. 20.

Comments should be sent to:

Carvel Bass
Operations Branch
US Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District
915 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 11063
Los Angeles, CA 90017

You can find a list of questions to ask when reviewing environmental documents in a June 9 blog post.

Any help members of the community could provide in critiquing this document would be much appreciated.

Double charges for discovery center environmental review? USACE releases environmental assessment

I'm certain many of us have had the experience of seeing mystery charges on some of our bills. Well, something similar may be going on with the San Gabriel River Discovery Center.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its environmental assessment on the discovery center.

Wait, you say, how does this differ from the draft environmental impact report?

Why weren't these two environmental documents rolled into one?

Excellent questions.

USACE owns most of the land that would be used for the discovery center project. But in a situation such as we have here, it is common practice to create a single environmental document rather than have every agency produce its own. Saves the taxpayer money.

Not only were two separate but similar documents produced at significant taxpayer expense--but both were written by the same consultant: EDAW, Inc. EDAW certainly hit the jackpot with the discovery center.

Remember, folks: its YOUR money.

The public review period for the EA ends Aug. 20.