[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 227 (Monday, November 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64827-64829]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25557]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Notice of Availability of the Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement for the Little Otter Creek Watershed Plan, Caldwell
County, Missouri
AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of availability for the Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (FSEIS).
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SUMMARY: NRCS announces the availability of the FSEIS for the Little
Otter Creek Watershed Plan (LOCWP), Caldwell County, Missouri,
involving the proposed construction of a multi-purpose reservoir. The
purpose of this supplement is to address changes which have occurred
since NRCS prepared the LOCWP and Environmental Impact Statement in
2003. The FSEIS updates the original EIS with more recent relevant
environmental information and expands the alternatives analysis beyond
those previously considered. The FSEIS evaluates reasonable and
practicable alternatives and their expected environmental impacts under
the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) provisions of the Council on
Environmental Quality.
DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by December 26, 2019.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. In your
comments, include the volume, date, and page number of this issue of
the Federal Register. Comments may be submitted by the following
methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ and search for Docket ID NRCS-2019-0019. Follow
the instructions for submitting comments.
[[Page 64828]]
NRCS will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. Copies
of the FSEIS are available at: http://tiny.cc/1fd33y.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Hamilton, Assistant State
Conservationist, Water Resources and Easements, at
[email protected] or (573) 876-0912. Persons with disabilities
who require alternative means for communication should contact the USDA
Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The NRCS in cooperation with the Caldwell County Commission,
Caldwell County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE) has prepared a FSEIS for the LOCWP in
Caldwell County, Missouri authorized pursuant to the Watershed
Protection and Flood Prevention Act, Public Law 83-566, (16 U.S.C.
1001-1008). The NRCS determined that additional analysis was required
and that the purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
would be furthered through the preparation of a FSEIS. The USACE is a
cooperating federal agency in the preparation of the FSEIS. The FSEIS
has considered all reasonable and practicable alternatives to meet the
purpose and need for the Federal action. The FSEIS has assessed the
potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of the project,
and addressed Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements along
with pertinent environmental and socio-economic issues. The FSEIS
analyzed the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of the proposed
action.
A Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for the LOCWP was published in the Federal Register on
December 23, 2013. A Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the LOCWP was published in
the Federal Register on March 29, 2019. A public open house was held
from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, 2019, at Kingston,
Missouri to answer questions and solicit comments on the DSEIS
document. The 45-day public comment period ended on May 13, 2019. NRCS
has responded to all substantive comments received. Copies of comments
received and NRCS responses to those comments appear in Appendix C of
the FSEIS.
The 6,323-acre Little Otter Creek Watershed is located two miles
east of Hamilton in Caldwell County in northwest Missouri. It is a
tributary to Otter Creek which drains to Shoal Creek; the Grand River,
and the Missouri River.
Engineering reports dating back nearly 50 years document water
supply problems in Caldwell County. Underlying geologic formations
severely limit groundwater quality and availability. The Missouri
Drought Plan places Caldwell County in a region classified as having
``severe surface and groundwater supply drought vulnerability.''
Digital models estimate that existing water sources could supply only
37 percent of the county's demand during the drought of record. In
addition, the LOCWP documented annual flood damages to crop and pasture
land, fences, roads and bridges. The LOCWP also identified the need for
additional recreational opportunities in the surrounding area.
At the request of the Caldwell County Commission and the Caldwell
County Soil and Water Conservation District, the NRCS began watershed
planning activities in July 2000 under the authority of the Watershed
Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954, Public Law 83-566, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1001-1008). NRCS issued a Notice of Intent to
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in July of 2002. On August 6,
2002, the voters of Caldwell County approved a one-half percent sales
tax to assist in funding the local match for project installation. NRCS
completed the LOCWP and Environmental Impact Statement in March 2003
and announced a Record of Decision to proceed with installation in May
2003. The project has not been installed because sufficient funding has
not been available. Installation of the proposed action will result in
temporary and permanent impacts to jurisdictional waters of the United
States requiring a Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 permit. The USACE
has not issued a Section 404 permit for this project. Comments received
during the EIS process suggested that a larger number of reasonable and
practicable alternatives be considered. Potential impacts of all
reasonable and practicable alternatives have been updated and analyzed
in the SEIS in compliance with Section 404(b)(1) of the CWA. The USACE
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed an
Approved Jurisdictional Determination in March 2010.
Proposed Action
The proposed Federal action as presented in the 2003 EIS includes
one approximately 362-acre multiple-purpose reservoir on Little Otter
Creek, a water intake structure, a raw water line, fish and wildlife
habitat enhancement, and recreational facilities. The purpose of the
proposed Federal action is to:
Provide approximately 1.24 million gallons per day of
locally-controlled raw water supply to meet the projected 50-year usage
demand for Caldwell County;
Provide approximately 60,000 annual recreational user-
days; and
Provide an approximate 96 percent reduction in annual
flood damages in the 3.8 miles of Little Otter Creek between the
reservoir and the confluence with Otter Creek.
Alternatives
The SEIS evaluated environmental impacts of the following
alternatives and other action alternatives identified that were
reasonable and practicable:
(1) Creation of a multi-purpose reservoir;
(2) A combination of independent purpose alternatives to meet the
overall project purposes and needs; and
(3) The no-action alternative.
The SEIS identified the National Economic Development alternative,
which is the alternative with the greatest net economic benefit
consistent with protecting the Nation's environment and documents the
estimated direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the proposed
action and alternatives on the environment.
Scoping
In developing the LOCWP, numerous scoping meetings were held to
gather public input and keep the community informed on the status of
project planning activities. Several community surveys and interviews
were conducted to gather information, and periodic news articles were
published to update local citizens. The Caldwell County Lake Project
Steering Committee was formed to further insure public input into the
planning process. A public open house was held from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00
p.m. on Thursday, May 2, 2019, at Kingston, Missouri, to answer
questions and solicit comments on the DSEIS document. NEPA procedures
do not require additional public scoping meetings for the development
of a SEIS and none are planned at this time. Comments received were
used to revise the Draft and Final SEIS.
Public Involvement
The NRCS invites full public participation to promote open
communication and better decision-making. All persons and organizations
with an interest in the LOCWP are urged
[[Page 64829]]
to comment. Public comments are welcome, and comments may be submitted
to the NRCS for 30 days after publication of the Final SEIS.
Distribution of the comments received will be included in the
Administrative Record without change and may include any personal
information provided, unless the commenter indicates that the comment
includes information claimed to be confidential business information.
Other Environmental Review and Coordination Requirements
The USACE is a cooperating agency in the preparation of the FSEIS.
The NRCS as the lead Federal agency will continue to coordinate with
other agencies and entities throughout the NEPA process including:
Caldwell County Commission, Missouri Department of Natural Resources,
Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
and EPA. The FSEIS addresses project compliance with applicable laws
and regulations, including NEPA, CWA, Endangered Species Act, and the
National Historic Preservation Act.
Permits or Licenses Required
The proposed Federal action requires a CWA Section 404 permit from
the USACE. The project also requires certification by the State of
Missouri, Department of Natural Resources, under Section 401 of the
CWA, that the project would not violate State water quality standards.
A land disturbance permit issued by the Missouri Department of Natural
Resources under Section 402 of the CWA (National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System Permit) is required. Construction and Safety Permits
issued by the Missouri Dam and Reservoir Safety Program are also
required.
Serapio Flores,
Missouri State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-25557 Filed 11-22-19; 8:45 am]
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