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Intent To Prepare a Draft and Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Reaches 1B, 1C and 1D on the Herbert Hoover Dike Major Rehabilitation Project, Martin and Palm Beach Counties

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PDF Version (1 pp, 43K, About PDF)

[Federal Register: July 28, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 143)]
[Notices]
[Page 37190]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28jy09-25]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

Intent To Prepare a Draft and Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement for Reaches 1B, 1C and 1D on the Herbert Hoover Dike
Major Rehabilitation Project, Martin and Palm Beach Counties

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of the project is to reconstruct and rehabilitate
Reaches 1B, 1C and 1D of the Herbert Hoover Dike to prevent
catastrophic failure of the system to retain the waters of Lake
Okeechobee. On July 8 2005, the Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (Corps) issued a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (FSEIS) for the Major Rehabilitation actions proposed for
Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD), Reach One. Herbert Hoover Dike is the levee
that completely surrounds Lake Okeechobee. On September 23, 2005, a
Record of Decision was signed adopting the preferred alternative as the
Selected Plan for Reach One.
    As plans and specifications were developed for Reach 1, it became
apparent that the cut-off wall with seepage berm alternative would not
work for all of Reach 1. The alternative for Reaches 1B, 1C and 1D will
be a combination of one or more of the following features dependent on
the geology and adjacent land factors with the cut-off wall: Seepage
Berm, Relief Trench, Soil Replacement Wedge, Relief Wells, Drainage
Feature and Sand Columns. Reaches 1B, 1C and 1D of the HHD extends for
approximately 17.7 miles within Palm Beach County, from the 10A culvert
south to L-14 at Belle Glade, Florida. The final full design of the
cutoff wall and landside rehabilitation feature will include lands
outside of the existing ROW. Therefore it is necessary to update the
July 2005 SEIS for Reach 1 to include these new landside rehabilitation
features and any impacts to lands outside of the existing ROW. This
study is a cooperative effort between the Corps and the South Florida
Water Management District (SFWMD).

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Planning Division,
Environmental Branch, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William Porter at (904) 232-3206
or e-mail at William.L.Porter2@usace.army.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    a. The proposed action will be the selected plan described in the
July 2005 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) with the
additional action of implementing the landside rehabilitation features
as needed based on geology and adjacent land factors. The proposed
action will not affect the Regulation Schedule for Lake Okeechobee.
Land may have to be acquired outside of the existing right-of-way (ROW)
and this SEIS will account for any impacts that result due to
acquisition of additional real estate.
    b. Alternatives to be considered separately for each subdivision of
Reach 1 are dependant upon the geology and adjacent land factors with
the cut-off wall. Reach 1 is divided into Subreaches A, B, C and D. The
alternatives to be implemented include one or more of the following
features: Seepage Berm, Relief Trench, Soil Replacement Wedge, Relief
Wells, Sand Column and Drainage Feature.
    c. A scoping letter will be used to invite comments on alternatives
and issues from Federal, State, and local agencies, affected Indian
Tribes, and other interested private organizations and individuals. A
scoping letter was sent in October 2007 in anticipation of writing a
single EIS for Reach 1. An additional scoping letter will be sent out
in September 2009 to address the change in the process of the
completing the Reach 1 Environmental Impact Statements. A scoping
meeting is not anticipated.
    d. A public meeting will be held after release of each of the Draft
Supplemental EIS's. The public meeting is anticipated to be held in
February 2010 for Reaches 1B, 1C and 1D in Clewiston, FL. The exact
location, date, and times will be announced in a public notice and
local newspapers.
    e. A Major Rehabilitation Evaluation Report (MRR) was approved by
Congress in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2000 that
addressed the need to repair the aging dike.

    Dated: July 15, 2009.
Eric P. Summa,
Chief, Environmental Branch.
[FR Doc. E9-17903 Filed 7-27-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P

 
 

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