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Environmental Impact Statement--Pickwick Reservoir Land Management Plan, Colbert and Lauderdale Counties, AL; Tishomingo County, MS; and Hardin County, TN

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: March 26, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 58)]
[Notices]
[Page 16514-16515]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26mr01-111]

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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement--Pickwick Reservoir Land
Management Plan, Colbert and Lauderdale Counties, AL; Tishomingo
County, MS; and Hardin County, TN

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality's regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508) and
TVA's procedures implementing the National Environmental Policy Act.
TVA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on
alternatives for management of Pickwick Reservoir project lands in
Colbert and Lauderdale Counties in Alabama, Tishomingo County in
Mississippi, and Hardin County in Tennessee.

DATES: Comments on the scope of the EIS should be received by June 1,
2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Jon M. Loney, Manager,
NEPA Administration, Environmental Policy and Planning, Tennessee
Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee
37902-1499.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harold M. Draper, NEPA Specialist,
Environmental Policy and Planning, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West
Summit Hill Drive, WT 8C, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499; telephone
(865) 632-6889 or e-mail hmdraper@tva.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pickwick Reservoir is the fourth largest of
23 multipurpose reservoirs operated by TVA for navigation, flood
control, power production, recreation, and other uses. Located on the
Tennessee River, the reservoir is 53 miles long and extends through
parts of four counties in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. TVA
originally acquired 63,625 acres for reservoir construction. Of that,
33,472 acres are covered by water during normal summer pool. Subsequent
transfers of land by TVA for economic, industrial, residential, or
public recreation development have resulted in a current balance of
17,400 acres of TVA land on Pickwick Reservoir. TVA is considering
updating a 1981 land allocation plan and allocating additional lands
that were not considered in the 1981 plan. Because of increasing
development pressure, the current plan may not reflect current demands
for land and may need to be updated to reflect community needs and
current TVA policies.
    TVA develops reservoir land management plans to help in the
management of reservoir properties in its custody. These plans allocate
lands to various categories of uses, which are then used to guide the
types of activities that will be considered on each tract of land. By
providing a clear statement of how TVA intends to manage land and by
identifying land for specific uses, TVA hopes to balance conflicting
uses and facilitate decision making for use of its land. Each plan is
submitted for approval by the TVA Board of Directors and adopted as
policy to provide for long-term land stewardship and accomplishment of
TVA responsibilities under the 1933 TVA Act. Since 1999, plans have
been finalized for the following reservoirs, Boone, Melton Hill,
Tellico, and Tims Ford, all in Tennessee. Plans are currently underway
for the four Bear Creek Reservoirs, Alabama, Cherokee and Norris
Reservoirs, Tennessee; and Guntersville Reservoir, Alabama and
Tennessee.
    In developing the Pickwick plan, it is anticipated that lands
currently committed to a specific use would be allocated to that
current use unless there is an overriding need to change. Commitments
include transfers, easements, leases, licenses, contracts, utilities,
outstanding land rights, or developed recreation areas. All lands under
TVA control would be allocated in the planning process. Alternative
approaches to land allocation would be analyzed in the EIS. The No
Action alternative would continue to rely on the existing 1981 Pickwick
Reservoir

[[Page 16515]]

Land Management Plan. The 1981 plan allocates land into 16 categories,
including natural areas, forest and wildlife management, recreation,
and industrial sites. The action alternatives would address options for
allocating reservoir lands into seven land use zones. It is anticipated
that the majority of the lands would be allocated to natural resource
management and sensitive resource protection categories. However,
existing uses would be grandfathered by allocating small acreages to
industrial and commercial development, recreation, and residential
access.
    This EIS will tier from TVA's Final EIS, Shoreline Management
Initiative: An Assessment of Residential Shoreline Development Impacts
in the Tennessee Valley (November 1998). That EIS evaluated alternative
policies for managing residential uses along TVA's reservoir system,
including Pickwick Reservoir.
    This notice publishes the intent of TVA to prepare an EIS for the
Pickwick Reservoir Land Management Plan. TVA anticipates that the EIS
will include discussion of the potential effects of alternatives on the
following resources and issue areas: aquatic ecology, water quality,
wetlands, terrestrial ecology, cultural resources, noise, recreation,
visual resources, threatened and endangered species, and navigation.
Other issues which may be discussed, depending on the potential impacts
of the alternatives, include floodplains, prime farmland, and air
quality.

Public Participation

    TVA is interested in receiving comments on the scope of issues to
be addressed in the EIS. The participation of affected Federal, state,
and local agencies and Indian tribes, as well as other interested
persons is invited. Further, pursuant to the National Historic
Preservation Act, TVA is interested in receiving comments on the
potential of the proposed land allocation plan to affect historic
properties. Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be received
on or before June 1, 2001.
    Comments may also be provided in an oral or written format at one
of the following public meetings:

 Thursday, March 29, 2001, 6 to 8 p.m. CST, Tishomingo County
High School, U.S. 72 West, Iuka, Mississippi;
 Tuesday, April 3, 2001, 6 to 8 p.m. CST, Adams Mark Hotel, 939
Ridge Lake Boulevard (Interstate 240 at Poplar Street), Memphis,
Tennessee;
 Friday, April 6, 2001, 6 to 8 p.m. CST, Pickwick Landing State
Park, Pickwick Dam, Tennessee.
 Thursday, April 12, 2001, 6 to 8 p.m. CST, Environmental
Research Center Auditorium, TVA Reservation, Muscle Shoals, Alabama;

    Upon consideration of the scoping comments, TVA will develop
alternatives and identify important environmental issues to be
addressed in the EIS. Following analysis of the environmental
consequences of each alternative, TVA will prepare a draft EIS for
public review and comment, and distribute it to commenting agencies and
the public. Notice of availability of the draft EIS will be published
in the Federal Register. Any meetings that are scheduled to receive
comments on the draft EIS will be announced by TVA.

    Dated: March 20, 2001.
Kathryn J. Jackson,
Executive Vice President, River System Operations & Environment.
[FR Doc. 01-7451 Filed 3-23-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-U

 
 

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