United States Section; Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Improvements to the Donna-Brownsville Levee System, in the Lower Rio Grande Flood Control Project, Hidalgo and Cameron Counties, Texas, 35721-35722 [E7-12509]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 125 / Friday, June 29, 2007 / Notices
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND
WATER COMMISSION, UNITED
STATES AND MEXICO
United States Section; Notice of
Availability of a Draft Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for Improvements to
the Donna-Brownsville Levee System,
in the Lower Rio Grande Flood Control
Project, Hidalgo and Cameron
Counties, Texas
United States Section,
International Boundary and Water
Commission, United States and Mexico.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Draft
Environmental Assessment (EA) and
Draft Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI).
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Council on
Environmental Quality Final
Regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500 through
1508), and the United States Section,
International Boundary and Water
Commission’s (USIBWC) Operational
Procedures for Implementing Section
102 of NEPA, published in the Federal
Register September 2, 1981, (46 FR
44083); the USIBWC hereby gives notice
that the Draft Environmental
Assessment and FONSI for
Improvements to the Donna-Brownsville
Levee System, in the Lower Rio Grande
Flood Control Project, located in
Hidalgo and Cameron Counties, Texas,
are available. An environmental impact
statement will not be prepared unless
additional information which may affect
this decision is brought to our attention
within 30-days from the date of this
Notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Daniel Borunda, Environmental
Protection Specialist, Environmental
Management Division, United States
Section, International Boundary and
Water Commission; 4171 N. Mesa, C–
100; El Paso, Texas 79902. Telephone:
(915) 832–4767; e-mail:
daniel.borunda@ibwc.state.gov.
Comments on the Draft EA and
Draft FONSI will be accepted within 30
days from the date of this Notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Background
The USIBWC is authorized to
construct, operate, and maintain any
project or works projected by the United
States of America on the Lower Rio
Grande Flood Control Project (LRGFCP),
as authorized by the Act of the 74th
Congress, Sess. I Ch. 561 (H.R. 6453),
approved August 19, 1935 (49 Stat. 660),
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:20 Jun 28, 2007
Jkt 211001
35721
and codified at 22 U.S.C. Section 277,
277a, 277b, 277c, and Acts amendatory
thereof and supplementary thereto.
The LRGFCP was constructed to
protect urban, suburban, and highly
developed irrigated farmland along the
Rio Grande delta in the United States
and Mexico.
The USIBWC, in cooperation with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS), prepared this Draft
Environmental Assessment (Draft EA)
for the proposed action of raising the
Donna-Brownsville Levee System
located in Hidalgo and Cameron
Counties, Texas to improve flood
control. This levee system is part of the
LRGFCP that extends approximately 180
˜
miles from the Town of Penitas in south
Texas to the Gulf of Mexico. The DonnaBrownsville Levee extends 65 miles
along the Rio Grande, downstream from
the Donna Pump Station in Hidalgo
County to an area east of Brownsville,
approximately 28 miles upstream of the
Gulf of Mexico, in Cameron County.
of raising the Donna-Brownsville Levee
System to meet current requirements for
flood control. The EA, which supports
this Finding of No Significant Impact,
evaluated the Proposed Action and No
Action Alternative.
Proposed Action
The Proposed Action would increase
the flood containment capacity of the
Donna-Brownsville Levee System by
raising elevation of a number of levee
segments to meet a 3-foot freeboard
design criterion for flood protection.
Height increases up to 2 feet are
typically needed to reach the design
freeboard value. The increase in levee
height will result in an expansion to the
levee footprint by lateral extension of
the structure. Structural improvements
may be required for some levee
segments where seepage is a potential
problem.
Proposed Action
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
A No Action Alternative was
evaluated for the Donna-Brownsville
Levee System. This alternative will
retain the existing configuration of the
system, as designed over 30 years ago,
and the current level of protection
currently associated with this system.
Under severe storm events, current
containment capacity may be
insufficient to fully control Rio Grande
flooding, with risks to personal safety
and potential property damage.
Summary of Findings
Pursuant to NEPA guidance (40 Code
of Federal Regulations 1500–1508), The
President’s Council on Environmental
Quality issued regulations for NEPA
implementation, which included
provisions for both the content and
procedural aspects of the required
Environmental Assessment. The
USIBWC completed an EA of the
potential environmental consequences
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Levee System Evaluation
No Action Alternative
The No Action Alternative was
evaluated as the single alternative action
to the Proposed Action. The No Action
Alternative will retain the current
configuration of the Donna-Brownsville
Levee System, with no impacts to
biological and cultural resources, land
use, community resources, or
environmental health issues. In terms of
flood protection, however, current
containment capacity under the No
Action Alternative may be insufficient
to fully control Rio Grande flooding
under severe storm events, with
associated risks to personal safety and
property.
Biological Resources
Improvements to the DonnaBrownsville Levee System require
excavation and fill activities that would
affect plant communities within the
expanded levee footprint area. Nearly
all vegetation removal, 51.5 acres,
would be limited to invasive-species
grassland that is expected to be rapidly
re-established. While approximately 17
percent of the 65 mile levee system is
adjacent to conservation areas, those
non-native grasslands are located within
the right-of-way (ROW) and have very
limited value as wildlife habitat. No
significant effects are anticipated for any
of the 15 threatened and endangered
species with potential habitat in the
vicinity of the levee system. No
wetlands are located within the
potential levee expansion area.
Cultural Resources
Improvements to the DonnaBrownsville Levee System may
adversely affect known archaeological
resources, by mechanical excavation or
by burial under the expanded levee
footprint. Resources potentially affected
include eight areas that may contain
historic or prehistoric archaeological
materials, and one known
archaeological site. Out of 65 historicage resources located in the levee
system vicinity, twelve could be
affected by the proposed levee
improvements. Those historic-age
resources are mostly associated with
irrigation structures and canals adjacent
to the levee system.
E:\FR\FM\29JNN1.SGM
29JNN1
35722
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 125 / Friday, June 29, 2007 / Notices
Water Resources
Improvements to the levee system
would increase flood containment
capacity to control the design flood
event with a negligible increase in water
surface elevation. Levee footprint
expansion would not affect water
bodies.
Land Use
The expansion would take place
almost completely within the ROW and
would not affect urban or agricultural
lands. A minimum removal of
woodland from natural resources
management areas, less than 1 acre,
would be required.
Community Resources
In terms of socioeconomic resources,
the influx of federal funds into Hidalgo
and Cameron Counties from the levee
improvement project would have a
positive local economic impact limited
to the construction period; the impact
would represent less than 1 percent of
the annual county employment, income
and sales values. No adverse impacts to
disproportionately high minority and
low-income populations were identified
for construction activities. Moderate
utilization of public roads is required
during construction; a temporary
increase in access road use would be
required for equipment mobilization to
staging areas.
Environmental Health Issues
Estimated air emissions of five criteria
pollutants during construction represent
from 0.06 percent to 1.64 percent of the
Hidalgo and Cameron Counties annual
emissions inventory. There would be a
moderate increase in ambient noise
levels due to excavation and fill
activities. No long-term and regular
exposure is expected above noise
threshold values. A database search
identified a number of waste storage or
disposal sites in the levee system
vicinity, all located within the City of
Brownville. None of those sites would
affect, or be affected, by the levee
improvement project.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Best Management Practices and
Mitigation
Engineering design measures will be
used, including optimization of the
levee expansion alignment to avoid
impacts on wooded vegetation,
wetlands, and other natural resources.
Best management practices during
construction will include development
of a storm water pollution prevention
plan to avoid impacts to receiving
waters, and use of sediment barriers and
soil wetting to minimize erosion.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:20 Jun 28, 2007
Jkt 211001
To protect vegetation, the
construction corridor may be revegetated with herbaceous or woody
vegetation, as agreed with the natural
resources management organization
where the levee expansion corridor is
located. To protect wildlife,
construction activities will be scheduled
to occur, to the extent possible, outside
the March to August bird migratory
season.
To avoid significant impacts on
cultural resources, an additional survey
of archaeological and historical
resources will be conducted following
completion of the engineering design
phase, and mitigation actions will be
adopted as recommended by the Texas
Historical Commission (THC). Measures
to avoid or minimize potential impacts
to historical or archaeological resources
will be specified in a Memorandum of
Agreement between THC and the
USIBWC.
Availability
Single hard copies of the Draft
Environmental Assessment and Finding
of No Significant Impact may be
obtained by request at the above
address. Electronic copies may also be
obtained from the USIBWC Home Page
at https://www.ibwc.state.gov.
Dated: June 25, 2007.
Susan Daniel,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E7–12509 Filed 6–28–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7010–01–P
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
COMMISSION
U.S. Agricultural Sales to Cuba:
Certain Economic Effects of U.S.
Restrictions
United States International
Trade Commission.
ACTION: Extension of date for
transmitting report.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Following receipt of a letter
on June 18, 2007, from the Committee
on Finance of the United States Senate
(Committee), the Commission has
extended to July 12, 2007, the date for
transmitting its report to the Committee
in investigation No. 332–489, U.S.
Agricultural Sales to Cuba: Certain
Economic Effects of U.S. Restrictions.
DATES: June 18, 2007: Receipt of letter
from the Committee. July 12, 2007: New
date for transmitting the Commission’s
report to the Committee.
Background: The Committee’s letter
dated June 18, 2007 and received on
June 18, 2007, notes that Commission
PO 00000
Frm 00039
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
staff recently received visas to travel to
Cuba and notes that the Commission
will need additional time to incorporate
any new information obtained during
the travel into its report. To facilitate the
incorporation of new information, the
Committee has extended the transmittal
date for the report to July 12, 2007.
The Commission published notice of
institution of the investigation in the
Federal Register on April 15, 2007 (72
FR 16817). The notice is also available
on the Commission Web site at https://
www.usitc.gov. All other information
about the investigation, including a
description of the subject matter to be
addressed, contact information, and
Commission addresses, remains the
same as in the original notice. The
public record for this investigation may
be viewed on the Commission’s
electronic docket (EDIS) at https://
www.usitc.gov/secretary/edis.htm.
Issued: June 25, 2007.
By order of the Commission.
Marilyn R. Abbott,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. E7–12657 Filed 6–28–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Civil Rights Division
[OMB Number 1190–0008]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Three-Year Extension
Request Proposed Collection;
Comments Requested: Coordination
and Review Section, Civil Rights
Division, United States Department of
Justice
30-Day Notice of Information
Collection Under Review: COR
Complaint Form.
ACTION:
The Department of Justice (DOJ), CRT
will be submitting the following
information collection request to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed
information collection is published to
obtain comments from the public and
affected agencies. This proposed
information collection was previously
published in the Federal Register
Volume 72, Number 79, Pages 20560–
20561, on April 25, 2007, allowing for
a 60 day comment period.
The purpose of this notice is to allow
for an additional 30 days for public
comment until July 30, 2007. This
process is conducted in accordance with
5 CFR 1320.10.
E:\FR\FM\29JNN1.SGM
29JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 125 (Friday, June 29, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35721-35722]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12509]
[[Page 35721]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION, UNITED STATES AND MEXICO
United States Section; Notice of Availability of a Draft
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for
Improvements to the Donna-Brownsville Levee System, in the Lower Rio
Grande Flood Control Project, Hidalgo and Cameron Counties, Texas
AGENCY: United States Section, International Boundary and Water
Commission, United States and Mexico.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment (EA)
and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Council on Environmental Quality Final
Regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500 through 1508), and the United States
Section, International Boundary and Water Commission's (USIBWC)
Operational Procedures for Implementing Section 102 of NEPA, published
in the Federal Register September 2, 1981, (46 FR 44083); the USIBWC
hereby gives notice that the Draft Environmental Assessment and FONSI
for Improvements to the Donna-Brownsville Levee System, in the Lower
Rio Grande Flood Control Project, located in Hidalgo and Cameron
Counties, Texas, are available. An environmental impact statement will
not be prepared unless additional information which may affect this
decision is brought to our attention within 30-days from the date of
this Notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Borunda, Environmental
Protection Specialist, Environmental Management Division, United States
Section, International Boundary and Water Commission; 4171 N. Mesa, C-
100; El Paso, Texas 79902. Telephone: (915) 832-4767; e-mail:
daniel.borunda@ibwc.state.gov.
DATES: Comments on the Draft EA and Draft FONSI will be accepted within
30 days from the date of this Notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The USIBWC is authorized to construct, operate, and maintain any
project or works projected by the United States of America on the Lower
Rio Grande Flood Control Project (LRGFCP), as authorized by the Act of
the 74th Congress, Sess. I Ch. 561 (H.R. 6453), approved August 19,
1935 (49 Stat. 660), and codified at 22 U.S.C. Section 277, 277a, 277b,
277c, and Acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto.
The LRGFCP was constructed to protect urban, suburban, and highly
developed irrigated farmland along the Rio Grande delta in the United
States and Mexico.
The USIBWC, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS), prepared this Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) for
the proposed action of raising the Donna-Brownsville Levee System
located in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties, Texas to improve flood
control. This levee system is part of the LRGFCP that extends
approximately 180 miles from the Town of Pe[ntilde]itas in south Texas
to the Gulf of Mexico. The Donna-Brownsville Levee extends 65 miles
along the Rio Grande, downstream from the Donna Pump Station in Hidalgo
County to an area east of Brownsville, approximately 28 miles upstream
of the Gulf of Mexico, in Cameron County.
Proposed Action
The Proposed Action would increase the flood containment capacity
of the Donna-Brownsville Levee System by raising elevation of a number
of levee segments to meet a 3-foot freeboard design criterion for flood
protection. Height increases up to 2 feet are typically needed to reach
the design freeboard value. The increase in levee height will result in
an expansion to the levee footprint by lateral extension of the
structure. Structural improvements may be required for some levee
segments where seepage is a potential problem.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
A No Action Alternative was evaluated for the Donna-Brownsville
Levee System. This alternative will retain the existing configuration
of the system, as designed over 30 years ago, and the current level of
protection currently associated with this system. Under severe storm
events, current containment capacity may be insufficient to fully
control Rio Grande flooding, with risks to personal safety and
potential property damage.
Summary of Findings
Pursuant to NEPA guidance (40 Code of Federal Regulations 1500-
1508), The President's Council on Environmental Quality issued
regulations for NEPA implementation, which included provisions for both
the content and procedural aspects of the required Environmental
Assessment. The USIBWC completed an EA of the potential environmental
consequences of raising the Donna-Brownsville Levee System to meet
current requirements for flood control. The EA, which supports this
Finding of No Significant Impact, evaluated the Proposed Action and No
Action Alternative.
Levee System Evaluation
No Action Alternative
The No Action Alternative was evaluated as the single alternative
action to the Proposed Action. The No Action Alternative will retain
the current configuration of the Donna-Brownsville Levee System, with
no impacts to biological and cultural resources, land use, community
resources, or environmental health issues. In terms of flood
protection, however, current containment capacity under the No Action
Alternative may be insufficient to fully control Rio Grande flooding
under severe storm events, with associated risks to personal safety and
property.
Proposed Action
Biological Resources
Improvements to the Donna-Brownsville Levee System require
excavation and fill activities that would affect plant communities
within the expanded levee footprint area. Nearly all vegetation
removal, 51.5 acres, would be limited to invasive-species grassland
that is expected to be rapidly re-established. While approximately 17
percent of the 65 mile levee system is adjacent to conservation areas,
those non-native grasslands are located within the right-of-way (ROW)
and have very limited value as wildlife habitat. No significant effects
are anticipated for any of the 15 threatened and endangered species
with potential habitat in the vicinity of the levee system. No wetlands
are located within the potential levee expansion area.
Cultural Resources
Improvements to the Donna-Brownsville Levee System may adversely
affect known archaeological resources, by mechanical excavation or by
burial under the expanded levee footprint. Resources potentially
affected include eight areas that may contain historic or prehistoric
archaeological materials, and one known archaeological site. Out of 65
historic-age resources located in the levee system vicinity, twelve
could be affected by the proposed levee improvements. Those historic-
age resources are mostly associated with irrigation structures and
canals adjacent to the levee system.
[[Page 35722]]
Water Resources
Improvements to the levee system would increase flood containment
capacity to control the design flood event with a negligible increase
in water surface elevation. Levee footprint expansion would not affect
water bodies.
Land Use
The expansion would take place almost completely within the ROW and
would not affect urban or agricultural lands. A minimum removal of
woodland from natural resources management areas, less than 1 acre,
would be required.
Community Resources
In terms of socioeconomic resources, the influx of federal funds
into Hidalgo and Cameron Counties from the levee improvement project
would have a positive local economic impact limited to the construction
period; the impact would represent less than 1 percent of the annual
county employment, income and sales values. No adverse impacts to
disproportionately high minority and low-income populations were
identified for construction activities. Moderate utilization of public
roads is required during construction; a temporary increase in access
road use would be required for equipment mobilization to staging areas.
Environmental Health Issues
Estimated air emissions of five criteria pollutants during
construction represent from 0.06 percent to 1.64 percent of the Hidalgo
and Cameron Counties annual emissions inventory. There would be a
moderate increase in ambient noise levels due to excavation and fill
activities. No long-term and regular exposure is expected above noise
threshold values. A database search identified a number of waste
storage or disposal sites in the levee system vicinity, all located
within the City of Brownville. None of those sites would affect, or be
affected, by the levee improvement project.
Best Management Practices and Mitigation
Engineering design measures will be used, including optimization of
the levee expansion alignment to avoid impacts on wooded vegetation,
wetlands, and other natural resources. Best management practices during
construction will include development of a storm water pollution
prevention plan to avoid impacts to receiving waters, and use of
sediment barriers and soil wetting to minimize erosion.
To protect vegetation, the construction corridor may be re-
vegetated with herbaceous or woody vegetation, as agreed with the
natural resources management organization where the levee expansion
corridor is located. To protect wildlife, construction activities will
be scheduled to occur, to the extent possible, outside the March to
August bird migratory season.
To avoid significant impacts on cultural resources, an additional
survey of archaeological and historical resources will be conducted
following completion of the engineering design phase, and mitigation
actions will be adopted as recommended by the Texas Historical
Commission (THC). Measures to avoid or minimize potential impacts to
historical or archaeological resources will be specified in a
Memorandum of Agreement between THC and the USIBWC.
Availability
Single hard copies of the Draft Environmental Assessment and
Finding of No Significant Impact may be obtained by request at the
above address. Electronic copies may also be obtained from the USIBWC
Home Page at https://www.ibwc.state.gov.
Dated: June 25, 2007.
Susan Daniel,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E7-12509 Filed 6-28-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7010-01-P
