Prineville BLM opens public comment period on Redmond’s proposed wastewater treatment facility, wetland complex

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Bureau of Land Management's Prineville District is seeking input on an environmental assessment that shares the details and potential effects of the City of Redmond’s proposal to acquire a 541.5-acre parcel of public land to accommodate expanding the city’s wastewater treatment facility and associated wetland complex.

The proposed acquisition was recently announced in the Federal Register, and the office is now accepting comments on the environmental analysis that the staff completed to demonstrate the potential impacts of expanding the city’s wastewater treatment facility, building the associated wetland complex, and developing other amenities, as well as the office’s finding of no significant impact (FONSI).

The 30-day public comment period starts Thursday and ends December 14.

Comments are most helpful if they do one of following: identify a different way to meet the purpose of the project, provide new information about the proposed actions or the analysis, point out a specific flaw in the analysis, suggest alternate methodologies and the reason(s) why they should be used, make factual corrections, or identify different sources of credible research, which, if used in the analysis, could result in different effects.

Comments may be submitted electronically through the BLM’s ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2022284/510, can be emailed to blm_or_pr_lands@blm.gov, or sent in hard copy to the address listed below. Those interested in submitting a comment over the phone can call Ferris Couture at (541) 416-6711.

Deschutes Field Office
Lisa M. Clark
3050 NE 3rd Street
Prineville, OR 97754

All comments, including personal identifying information, may be made publicly available. People can ask to withhold personal identifying information from public review; however, it cannot be guaranteed.

Project information, including the environmental assessment, can be accessed through the BLM's ePlanning website (link above). For additional information, please contact Ferris Couture, Planning and Environmental Coordinator, at the phone number above or by email at fcouture@blm.gov.

More information about the overall project from the City of Redmond can be found here: https://redmondwetlandscomplex.com/

People in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.