[Federal Register: July 16, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 136)]
[Notices]
[Page 42695-42696]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16jy04-44]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for the Lower Rio Grande Basin, Texas, Flood Control and
Major Drainage, Raymondville Drain Project
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Raymondville Drain Project is part of the Lower Rio Grande
Basin Project which was authorized by section 401 of the Water
Resources and Development Act of 1986 (Pub. L. 99-
[[Page 42696]]
962). The proposed Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
(DSEIS) will evaluate alternatives in the Raymondville Drain Project
watershed to identify the most acceptable alternative to reduce and
control flooding in Willacy and Hidalgo Counties, Texas. Alternatives
are intended to provide flood protection and drainage to a watershed
area of approximately 322 square miles including the City of
Raymondville and surrounding rural and agricultural areas of Hildalgo
and Willacy Counties. The local sponsor for the project is Hidalgo
County Drainage District No. 1.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and DSEIS can be answered by: Ms. Kristy Morten, Environmental Lead,
P.O. Box 1229, Galveston, TX 77553-1229; fax: (409) 766-3064; e-mail:
kristy.l.morten@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Proposed Action. The DSEIS will be an integral part of a General
Reevaluation Report (GRR) that will present the results of a new plan
to provide flood control and agricultural drainage improvements to the
City of Raymondville and Willacy and Hidalgo Counties, as authorized by
the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (WRDA 86). The Raymondville
Drain is one of three elements of the authorized Lower Rio Grande Basin
Project. The Phase 1 General Design Memorandum (GDM) and Programmatic
EIS were completed in August 1982 and approved in the September 1982.
A Limited Reevaluation Report (LRR) completed in 1997 concluded
that the Federal project for flood control and major drainage at
Raymondville was still economically and environmentally feasible.
However, Willacy County, the local sponsor, could not support the
project because of financial reasons. Hildalgo and Willacy Counties
have again expressed an interest in pursuing a flood control project
under this authorization. Given the last LRR completion nearly 7 years
ago, a GRR and SEIS will be completed by the Corps of Engineers in
partnership with Hildalgo County Drainage District 1 as the
Lead Sponsor to assure that the project recommended will be safe,
functional, economically justified, and environmentally acceptable and
that the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
have been met.
2. Alternatives. The alternatives that will be evaluated in the GRR
and SEIS include: (1) Non-structural measures that would include
acquisition and removal, flood proofing, or raising of existing
structures; (2) Channelization along the Raymondville Drain; (3)
Earthen levees of various heights and lengths; (4) Combinations of the
above measures; and (5) No action.
3. Scoping. The scoping process will involve Federal, State, and
local agencies and other interested persons and organizations. A series
of scoping meetings and workshops will be conducted in Hildalgo and
Willacy Counties, Texas to discuss various issues associated with
proposed flood protection and drainage measures. Initial Public Scoping
Meetings will be held July 21, 2004 at the UTPA Center for Border
Economic Study (IT2 Building) in Edinburg, TX from 7 pm-8:30 pm and
July 22, 2004 at the Raymondville Public Library in Raymondville, TX
from 7 pm-8:30 pm.
If you cannot attend the public meetings and have information or
questions concerning the study, written comments will be accepted for
30 days following the meetings or until August 22, 2004.
4. Coordination. Further coordination with environmental agencies
will be conducted under NEPA, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act,
the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Historic
Preservation Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Essential Fish Habitat), Farmland Protection Policy Act
and the Coastal Zone Management Act under the Texas Coastal Management
Program.
5. DSEIS Preparation. It is estimated that the DEIS will be
available to the public for review and comment in November 2007.
Carolyn E. Murphy,
Chief, Environmental Section.
[FR Doc. 04-16230 Filed 7-15-04; 8:45 am]
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