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Alternative to the Proposed Project

 

ALTERNATIVES

 

Preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is guided by the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). One of those requirements is that the EIS consider a full range of alternatives to the proposed project. In the case of the EIS for the replacement airport at St. George, two prior studies have exhaustively considered alternative replacement sites. They concluded with the selection of the site being considered as the Proposed Project in this EIS.

 

The EIS will accept the findings of those prior studies, which are briefly summarized here.

 

 

Alternatives Considered in the Site Selection and Master Plan Study

 

The City of St. George commissioned a Master Plan and Airport Site Selection Study to determine the feasibility of continuing the use of the existing airport as compared to building a replacement airport at another site. Completed in 1998, the Master Plan Study identified deficiencies at the existing airport, concluded that the airport could not accommodate forecasted future demand at its present site, and evaluated potential replacement sites in the St. George vicinity.

 

Finding a site for development of a replacement airport in southwest Utah is a difficult undertaking. A suitable site must allow the following elements to be met:

  • Construction of a runway aligned with the prevailing winds, thereby meeting federal safety standards;

  • Construction of a runway that meets all federal safety and design standards outlined in FAR Part 77, Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace and AC 150/5300-13, Airport Design. High terrain within a 10,000-foot radius of the runway can pose a serious locational constraint.

  • Installation of a precision instrument approach to the runway that meets all federal safety and design standards (a precision instrument approach would allow aircraft to land at the airport in low visibility and/or low-cloud conditions, thereby reducing delays and increasing efficiency). High terrain within 50,000 feet of end of the runway with the precision instrument approach can pose a serious locational constraint.

  • Construction of a runway of sufficient length to safely accommodate existing aircraft in operation at St. George and aircraft forecast to operate at St. George by 2020;

  • Development of sufficient passenger terminal, general aviation, and corporate aviation facilities to accommodate current airport users and to meet forecast future demand;

  • Avoidance of significant environmental impacts;

  • Economically-viable construction costs;

  • Convenient access to St. George, which is the main population center in the area;

  • Sufficient land reserved for future airport expansion beyond 2020, as necessary.

The Site Selection and Master Plan Study identified and evaluated six potential relocation sites. The Study concluded that three of those sites should be removed from consideration due to limitations of the natural terrain, (i.e. natural land penetrations that would require extensive and costly grading, excavation, and filling) or excessive distance from St. George. The remaining three sites were recommended for further evaluation and analysis as potential replacement sites for the airport.

 

Additional Alternatives Considered in the 2001 Final Environmental Assessment

 

The City of St. George prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to assess the environmental effects of replacing the airport at a new site. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the consideration of a full range of alternatives to achieve the purpose and need for a proposed project. The EA considered fifteen potential airport replacement sites, including the six initial sites identified by the Site Selection and Master Plan Study.

 

Of the fifteen potential sites, six were chosen for initial analysis. After initial analysis, three of the six sites were removed from consideration because they were not capable of meeting safety and design standards required for the desired runway approach. The EA then cataloged the environmental conditions and evaluated potential environmental consequences of constructing the replacement airport at each of the three alternative sites. An Environmentally Preferred Alternative Site was then identified. This was also the site that best met all the other siting criteria. It allows for a runway aligned with the prevailing winds, providing excellent crosswind coverage, and includes sufficient topographic clearance for a precision instrument approach. It is also located near St. George, allowing for easy access to the region's main population center. In addition, the proposed site is on a gently sloping plain that will require less grading, excavation, and filling than some of the other sites.

 

Alternatives Retained for Consideration in the EIS

 

Given the intensive study that has already been devoted to the St. George Municipal Airport replacement project through the 1998 Site Selection and Master Plan Study and the 2001 Environmental Assessment, it is anticipated that the only alternatives that will be subject to detailed environmental evaluation in the EIS are the Proposed Project and the No-Action Alternative. NEPA requires that the alternative of No Action always be considered in environmental assessments and impact studies.

 

View the Proposed Relocation Site of St. George Municipal Airport

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View the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)