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, 78337-78338 [E8-30355]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 246 / Monday, December 22, 2008 / Notices
102–3. 140 through 160, the Department
of the Army announces the following
committee meeting:
Name of Committee: Army Science
Board (ASB).
Date(s) of January Plenary Meeting:
January 13–14, 2009.
Time(s) of Meeting: 0800–1700,
January 13, 2009. 0800–1500, January
14, 2009.
Place of Meeting: University of
Maryland University College, Inn and
Conference Center, 3501 University
Boulevard East, Adelphi, MD 20783.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Army Science Board Studies Manager:
Ms. Vivian Baylor, 703–604–7472.
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
Proposed
Agenda: The purpose of the January
Plenary is to organize the board into
study panels for the upcoming study
year. After a presentation by Army
Research Laboratory, the board will
convene into small groups for the
purpose of completing administrative
and preparatory organizational
functions.
Filing Written Statement: Pursuant to
41 CFR 102–3.140d, the Committee is
not obligated to allow the public to
speak; however, interested persons may
submit a written statement for
consideration by the Subcommittees.
Individuals submitting a written
statement must submit their statement
to the Designated Federal Officer (DFO)
at the address detailed below. Written
statements not received at least 10
calendar days prior to the meeting, may
not be provided to or considered by the
subcommittees until the next meeting.
The DFO will review all timely
submissions with the subcommittee
Chairs and ensure they are provided to
the specific subcommittee members
before the meeting. After reviewing
written comments, the subcommittee
Chairs and the DFO may choose to
invite the submitter of the comments to
orally present their issue during a future
open meeting.
The DFO, in consultation with the
subcommittee Chairs, may allot a
specific amount of time for the members
of the public to present their issues for
review and discussion. Written
submissions are to be submitted to the
following address: Army Science Board,
ATTN: Designated Federal Officer, 2511
Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 11500,
Arlington, VA 22202–3911.
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E8–30364 Filed 12–19–08; 8:45 am]
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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
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
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78337
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 nonFederal 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
E:\FR\FM\22DEN1.SGM
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78338
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 246 / Monday, December 22, 2008 / Notices
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
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:07 Dec 19, 2008
Jkt 217001
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 https://
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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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Notice of Availability of the Final 1999
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for the Dredged Material
Management Plan for the Port of New
York and New Jersey
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Updated information on the
original Notice of Availability listing.
SUMMARY: The responsible lead agency
is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—
New York District (District). The
Dredged Material Management Plan
(DMMP) project area is in the Port of
New York/New Jersey and includes the
New York Bight Apex, the Lower Bay
Complex (Lower Bay, Raritian and
Sandy Hook Bays), the Upper Bay
Complex (Hudson and East Rivers, Kill
Van Kull, and Newark Bay), and the
lands contiguous to these water bodies
for a radius of approximately 20 miles.
The study area approximates the
boundaries of the Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ). The
Final Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement (PEIS) that was listed
in the October 31, 2008 Federal Register
(73 FR 64944) completed the NEPA
process, laying out the goals and generic
impacts of the alternatives considered in
preparing the overall DMMP. This
finalized PEIS includes Appendix (D)
which lists the comments received
during the draft PEIS comment period.
Comments, if warranted, were
incorporated into the main text of the
final PEIS as well.
It should be noted that the DMMP
outlines a series of goals and an overall
master plan on meeting the dredged
material needs of the Port through 2062.
Its alternatives analysis is, as of
necessity, generic in nature, identifying
potential concerns, generic impacts and
overall issues to be considered in greater
site-specific detail before implementing
any alternative in a given location. As
such, it does not recommend or
prioritize any site-specific alternative,
but clearly sets out the process to be
followed should any of the alternatives
be implemented. Since no sustentative
changes or addition of new alternatives
to the DMMP have been identified that
would alter the discussion or
conclusion of generic impacts in the
FPEIS, a supplemental PEIS was not
deemed warranted. However, separate
2005 and 2008 DMMP Update reports
are available tracking the progress in
meeting the DMMP goals and a copy of
E:\FR\FM\22DEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 246 (Monday, December 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78337-78338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30355]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 https://
www.dallasbvpeis.com.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-30355 Filed 12-19-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
