Environmental Assessment, Decision Record, and Finding of No Significant Impact for the IXC Communications, Inc.\u27s Proposed Fiber Optic Telecommunications System, Denver, Colorado, to Salt Lake City, Utah

Abstract

IXC proposes to install and operate a telecommunications system from Denver, Colorado, to Salt Lake City, Utah, to provide service to these and other western cities. The approximately 611-mile long cable would cross 116 miles of federal land administered by the BLM (all within Wyoming), 1 mile of National Forest lands administered by the Forest Service (all within Utah), and 494 miles of state, county, municipal, and private lands. Three 1.9-inch and three 2.4-inch high-density polyethylene conduits would be installed simultaneously and a fiber optic cable would be installed in one conduit; the other conduits would be used for future communication system upgrades. A ROW term of 30 years, with the right of renewal, would be granted. A temporary construction ROW of 40 feet and a permanent operations and maintenance ROW of 20 feet would be required. Direct surface disturbance width would average 15 feet and would occur on areas traversed by tracked machinery used to plow the duct into the ground. Additional disturbance would result from other traffic on the ROW, trenching, and excavation and installation of splice vaults and manholes. An area of up to 40 X 40 feet would be needed at each pit for boring under roads, driveways, railroads, pipelines, canal, streams, wetlands, and endangered species habitat. Nine optical amplifiers and two regeneration stations would be built along the route. All but one amplifier site and both regeneration stations would be built on private land. Approximately 1.8 acres/mile would be disturbed. Approximately 212 acres of BLM lands would be disturbed (all in Wyoming), as would 2 acres of Forest Service lands (all in Utah), and 899 acres of state and private lands (in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah). Total disturbance would be approximately 1,113 acres