[Federal Register: December 22, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 246)]
[Notices]
[Page 78337-78338]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22de08-60]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Balanced Vision Plan, a Multipurpose Project Containing
Ecosystem Restoration, Flood Risk Management, and Recreational
Enhancement Alternatives Along the Trinity River Within and Adjacent to
the Existing Dallas Floodway in Dallas County, Dallas, TX
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 (USACE), Fort Worth District,
in partnership with the City of Dallas recommends the incorporation of
various flood risk management measures, ecosystem restoration features,
and recreational enhancements to the Dallas Floodway, located along the
Trinity River in Dallas County, Dallas, TX. The Balanced Vision Plan
(BVP) project aims to achieve the designed Standard Project Flood
protection, maximize ecosystem restoration outputs for priority
resource categories, and optimize recreational opportunities, to
include providing trail connectivity to other regional visions/plans.
The USACE is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) in response to the authority contained in the United States
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Resolution dated April
22, 1988, and Section 5141 of the Water Resources Development Act
(WRDA) of 2007. The USACE must determine the technical soundness and
environmental acceptability of the authorized project. Thus, in
accordance with Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) as implemented by the regulations promulgated by the Council on
Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 1500-1508
and USACE Engineering Regulation 200-2-2), the USACE will prepare the
DEIS to evaluate and compare flood risk management, ecosystem
restoration, and recreation alternatives along the Trinity River within
and adjacent to the existing Dallas Floodway, Dallas, TX.
The BVP project study area is located within the Dallas Floodway
along the Trinity River, in Dallas, TX. The study area is bounded on
the upstream by the Loop 12 crossings of the West and Elm Forks and at
the downstream end by the existing terminus of the Dallas Floodway
approximated by the existing Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Bridge.
Of the 22.6 miles of levees within the study area, the East Levee is
11.7 miles in length and the West Levee is 10.9 miles in length. In
addition to the levees, the Floodway includes the modified channel, six
pumping plants and seven pressure conduits. There are approximately
1,422 acres of land in the study area.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions regarding the BVP EIS or
to add your contact information to the project mailing database, please
contact Mr. Jeffry A. Tripe, Regional Technical Specialist, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, P.O. Box 17300, Fort Worth,
TX, 76102-0300, (817) 886-1716, or via e-mail at
Jeffry.A.Tripe@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Dallas County Levee Improvement District
(DCLID) constructed the original Dallas Floodway levees between 1928
and 1931. The DCLID rerouted the Trinity River by constructing a
channel within the leveed floodway and filled the original river
channel or used it for sump storage. In the mid-forties, major floods,
compounded by continued urbanization in the watershed, resulted in
increased drainage into the Dallas Floodway and severe flooding. To
reduce flooding within the Dallas Floodway project area, Congress
authorized the Dallas Floodway flood control project in 1945 and 1950.
This resulted in several USACE improvements to the Dallas Floodway,
completed in 1958.
The existing Upper Trinity River Feasibility Study (UTRFS) serves
as an umbrella study to all USACE projects in the basin. The USACE
initiated the UTRFS in response to the authority contained in the
United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Resolution dated April 22, 1988. This authorizing legislation for the
overall study defines the area of investigations as the Upper Trinity
River Basin, with specific emphasis on the Dallas--Fort Worth
Metroplex. The UTRFS identified approximately 90 potential projects
addressing flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, and recreation
within the study area.
In May 1996, acting as the non-Federal sponsor on the on-going
UTRFS, the North Central Texas Council of Governments coordinated with
the USACE and City of Dallas to modify the UTRFS Cost Sharing Agreement
to include an Interim Feasibility Study of the existing Dallas Floodway
as part of the on-going UTRFS. The team assessed several flood risk
management
[[Page 78338]]
alternatives in the Dallas Floodway Interim Feasibility Study. The
USACE and City of Dallas also developed additional environmental
quality alternatives to benefit fish and wildlife habitat, water
quality, and aesthetic properties while minimizing adverse impacts to
existing cultural resources and flood risk management benefits. On
November 29, 2005, the USACE published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the
Federal Register (70 FR 71477) to prepare a DEIS for proposed
modifications to the existing Dallas Floodway based on the Interim
Feasibility Study and held a public scoping meeting on December 13,
2005.
During this time, the City of Dallas developed another variation to
the Trinity River Corridor Master Implementation Plan that included
similar environmental quality measures and interior drainage system
improvements to the Dallas Floodway, referred to as the BVP. During
development of the various alternatives for the Dallas Floodway Interim
Feasibility Study, the 2007 WRDA authorized the City of Dallas BVP.
This authorization superseded the need to continue development of the
Interim Feasibility Study and allowed implementation of the BVP and
interior drainage system components if the USACE determines they are
technically sound and environmentally acceptable.
In accordance with NEPA, a DEIS will be prepared to evaluate and
compare ecosystem restoration, flood risk management, and recreation
alternatives within and along the Dallas Floodway. The DEIS will also
assess the impacts to the quality of the human environment associated
with each alternative. Past channelization and clearing of the Dallas
Floodway, along with urbanization, has significantly degraded the
terrestrial and aquatic habitat along and within the Trinity River.
Consequently, ecosystem restoration measures will be developed and
evaluated to address the degraded habitats. In addition, recreation
measures will be developed and evaluated as complements to proposed
ecosystem restoration measures.
Alternatives for ecosystem restoration, flood risk management, and
recreation enhancement will be developed and evaluated based on ongoing
fieldwork and data collection and past studies conducted by the Corps
of Engineers, the City of Dallas, and regulatory agencies. Ecosystem
restoration alternatives that will be evaluated include creating
meanders within the Trinity River, restoring, protecting and expanding
the riparian corridor, improving aquatic habitat, creating riffle-pool
complexes, and constructing wetlands. It is anticipated that ecosystem
restoration measures would help improve water quality, enhance aquatic
and terrestrial habitat, and minimize erosion and scouring along and
within the river.
Alternatives for flood risk management measures will be evaluated
from both a non-structural and structural aspect. Non-structural
measures that will be evaluated include acquisition and removal of
structures or flood proofing of structures for protection from
potential future flood damage. Structural measures that will be
evaluated include levee height modification by fill or addition of
flood walls, changes in interior drainage by enlarging storage areas or
increasing widths and depths and/or a combination of these measures.
Recreation measures that will be evaluated include the West,
Natural, and Urban lakes, terraced playing fields, multipurpose trails,
whitewater facilities, pedestrian bridges, utilities, parking
facilities, amphitheaters, promenade, concession pads, boat/canoe
access points, and passive recreation features, such as interpretive
guidance, media, and picnic areas. Recreation measures will be
developed to a scope and scale compatible with proposed ecosystem
restoration measures without significantly diminishing ecosystem
benefits.
The USACE will coordinate with the public and regulatory agencies
to ensure full and open participation in the NEPA process and aid in
the development of the DEIS. The USACE requests that all affected
Federal, state, and local agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other
interested parties participate in the NEPA process. The public will be
invited to participate in the scoping process, invited to attend public
meetings, and given the opportunity to review the DEIS. The location
and time of the first public scoping meeting will be announced in the
local news media. Release of the DEIS for public comment is scheduled
for summer 2010. The exact release date, once established, will be
announced in the local news media. Furthermore, a project Web site
containing project information is available at http://
www.dallasbvpeis.com.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-30355 Filed 12-19-08; 8:45 am]
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