Public Scoping: Navel Spring Water Collection System Repair and Maintenance

The Death Valley Conservancy and Rio Tinto have proposed performing maintenance and improvements to their water collection system at Navel Spring in Death Valley National Park.

U.S. Borax (a subsidiary of Rio Tinto) holds a pre-1914 claim to the spring and is in the process of conveying this claim, along with the longstanding borax mining camp of Ryan, California, to the Death Valley Conservancy. The purpose of this public comment period is to solicit public comments on the proposed action to upgrade the Navel Spring water collection system.

The purpose of the project is to increase public safety; remove exotic invasive vegetation from the spring area; better secure the water collection system from contamination; facilitate cleaning and maintenance; increase water storage capabilities for fire suppression and visitor use at Ryan; and enhance the long-term stability of the spring and water works.

The proposed project has three components: the repair and maintenance of the underground water diversion tunnels; the replacement of the pipeline which conveys water from the diversion tunnels to the water tank; and the replacement of the water tank.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, the National Park Service (NPS) is conducting public scoping in order to identify potential issues and develop alternatives regarding the proposed action. We appreciate your input in this planning process.

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