[Federal Register: August 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 148)]
[Notices]
[Page 44585-44586]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03au05-80]
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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 Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Study of the
Central and Southern Florida Project for Flood Control and Other
Purposes, Lake Okeechobee, FL
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Jacksonville
District, intends to prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (DSEIS) for the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Study
(LORSS), Lake Okeechobee, FL. The DSEIS will supplement the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Lake Okeechobee
Regulation Schedule Study prepared in 2000. The DSEIS will address
additional alternatives to the current regulation schedule in order to
optimize environmental benefits at minimal or no impact to the
competing project purposes, primarily flood control and water supply.
This study will consider operational changes to water management
structures that discharge water from the lake as well as criteria used
to determine those operations. Any operational changes will also
consider current and planned water management activities within the
Kissimmee River Basin. No new structural features will be considered
except those already embedded within the South Florida Water Management
Model.
DATES: Comments and recommendations on this notice should be received
by September 30, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Ms. Yvonne Haberer,
Biologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Planning Division,
Environmental Branch, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Yvonne L. Haberer, at the address
telephone at (904) 232-1701.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
a. Authorization: Authority for this action is the Flood Control
Act of 1948. It authorized the Central and Southern Florida (C&SF)
Project, which is a multipurpose project that provides flood control,
water supply for municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses;
prevention of salt water intrusion; water supply for Everglades
National Park; and protection of fish and wildlife resources.
b. Study Area: The study area considered to be most affected by the
regulation schedule is Lake Okeechobee, particularly within the
littoral and marsh areas of the lake, the St. Lucie Estuary, the
Caloosahatchee Estuary, the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), and the
Water Conservation Areas south of Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee lies
30 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean and 60 miles east of the Gulf of
Mexico, in south central Florida. Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake
in Florida covering approximately 730 square miles with an average
depth of 10 feet.
c. Need or Purpose. There have been various regulation schedules
since authorization of the C&SF project in 1948. The current regulation
schedule, Water Supply and Environment (WSE), was the preferred
alternative in the LORSS FEIS and approved in July 2000 for the
regulation of Lake Okeechobee. the WSE regulation schedule and the
Operational Guidelines Decision Trees incorporate tributary hydrologic
conditions and climate forecasts into guidelines for managing Lake
Okeechobee discharges and water levels. This logic-driven regulation
schedule balances the various purposes of flood storage, water supply,
fish and wildlife resources, and water delivery to the St. Lucie and
Caloosahatchee estuaries. The unusual range of weather conditions
occurring since implementation of the WSE regulation schedule and the
lessons learned as a result, have indicated that modifications to the
WSE are needed. The regulation schedule would benefit from greater
flexibility in achieving optimal lake levels and optimal discharges to
various downstream parts of the C&SF system.
d. Scoping Process. The scoping process as outlined by the Council
on Environmental Quality would be utilized to involve Federal, State,
and local agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other interested
persons and organizations. A scoping letter will be sent to the
appropriate parties requesting their comments and concerns. Any persons
or organizations requesting to participate in the scoping process
should contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (see ADDRESSES).
e. Alternatives. The DSEIS will analyze reasonable alternatives,
including the ``no action'' alternative to regulating lake levels and
downstream discharges to various parts of the system.
f. Issues. The work being performed for this study will consist of
identifying the impacts (both beneficial and adverse) associated with
alternative Lake Okeechobee regulation schedules and the approved
regulation schedule currently in place, WSE. Studies and investigations
will be conducted to provide the basis for determining the
environmental and socio-economic impacts of any proposed modifications
to the WSE regulation schedule.
Significant issues anticipated include concern for: Water supply,
continued flood control, agriculture, protection of the lake's
environmental resources and its downstream estuaries, water quality,
fish and wildlife habitat, endangered and threatened species, and any
issues
[[Page 44586]]
identified through scoping and public involvement. Lake Okeechobee is
one of the most critical components of the C&SF project and achieving
the right balance among the many, oftentimes competing demands on the
lake, remains a difficult challenge.
The proposed action will be coordinated with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, with the NMFS
concerning Essential Fish Habitat, and with the State Historic
Preservation Officer concerning historic and cultural resources.
g. Agency Role. The Corps is the lead agency for this action.
However, the non-Federal sponsor,and leading local expert, the South
Florida Water Management District will provide extensive information
and assistance on the resources to be impacted, mitigation measures,
and alternatives.
h. Draft Environmental Impact Statement Availability. The DSEIS
would be available on or about June 2006.
Dated: July 21, 2005.
Susan Scott Lucas,
Acting Chief, Planning Division.
[FR Doc. 05-15296 Filed 8-2-05; 8:45 am]
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