Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Little Colorado River at Winslow, a Feasibility Study of a Portion of the Little Colorado River From Chevelon Canyon to the North End of the Winslow Levee, in and Near Winslow, Navajo County, AZ, 8918-8920 [E9-4200]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
• Engineers Corps

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 38 (Friday, February 27, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8918-8920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-4200]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Little Colorado River at Winslow, a Feasibility Study of a Portion of 
the Little Colorado River From Chevelon Canyon to the North End of the 
Winslow Levee, in and Near Winslow, Navajo County, AZ

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Analyses of foreseeable environmental impacts from potential 
actions along the Little Colorado River in the vicinity of the City of 
Winslow, Navajo County, AZ, will commence. No explicit plans have been 
advanced as yet, so contents of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) remain to be determined during the public scoping 
process. The Little Colorado River at Winslow Study area encompasses 
the floodplain of the Little Colorado River (LCR) from Chevelon Canyon 
downstream (northwest) to the north end of the existing Winslow Levee, 
a distance of about 18 river miles. The study area includes the 
majority of the City of Winslow, including the Ruby Wash Diversion 
Levee and the Ruby Wash Levee.
    The purposes of this Feasibility Study are to develop and evaluate 
potential non-structural and engineered solutions to address flooding 
issues within the City of Winslow, and to investigate potential 
opportunities for ecosystem restoration along the LCR and its 
tributaries in the vicinity of Winslow. There is also an opportunity to 
provide much-needed recreational opportunities concurrent with flood 
risk management and ecosystem restoration. If there are measures and 
alternatives or plans that could be implemented within the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, (USACE) missions, Navajo County has indicated their 
interest to support and provide necessary cost-sharing and other 
requirements for the project. Navajo County has identified within this 
length of the river needs associated with loss of native riparian 
habitat and the presence of significant cultural resources. Those needs 
will guide the formulation of plans for this segment of the Little 
Colorado River. The USACE and Navajo County, AZ, will cooperate in 
conducting this Feasibility Study.

ADDRESSES: District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles 
District, ATTN: CESPL-PD-RP, P.O. Box 532711, Los Angeles, CA 90053-
2325.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael J. Fink, Environmental 
Manager, telephone (602) 640-2001, ext. 232, or Mr. Mike Ternak, 
Project Manager, telephone (602) 640-2004, ext. 272. The cooperating 
entity, Navajo County, requests inquiries be directed to Mr. Homero 
Vela, telephone (928) 524-4000, for any additional information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Authorization. This study has been conducted under the authority 
provided by the Flood Control Act of 1937. This authority amends the 
Flood Control Act of 1936 to permit the Secretary of the Army, through 
the Chief of Engineers, to conduct preliminary examinations and surveys 
for flood control at the Little Colorado River upstream from the 
boundary of the Navajo Indian Reservation. Further authority is 
provided under House Committee on Public Works Resolution (Docket 2425) 
May 17, 1994 which states:

* * * The Secretary of Army is hereby requested to review reports of 
the Chief of Engineers on the State of Arizona * * * in the interest 
of flood damage reduction, environmental protection and restoration, 
and related purposes.

    2. Background. The Little Colorado River (LCR) Watershed 
encompasses an area of approximately 27,051 square miles in 
northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico. The drainage basin of 
the LCR is about 245 miles long and 158 miles wide at the widest point. 
The mainstem of the LCR is entirely in Arizona, has a channel length of 
356 miles, and total elevation drop of about 6,300 feet from its 
headwaters in the White Mountains to its confluence with the Colorado 
River. The LCR flows in generally a northwest direction and receives 
runoff from 18 sub-watershed basins and contributing drainage areas 
with hundreds of miles of small tributary streams. The

[[Page 8919]]

tributaries of Ruby Wash, Clear Creek, Cottonwood Wash and Salt Creek 
join the LCR within the study area. The LCR joins the Colorado River in 
the Grand Canyon on the northwest edge of the basin. The City of 
Winslow is located in the west-central part of the LCR Watershed in 
western Navajo County, AZ.
    The LCR was once a broad and flat bottomland environment, conveying 
shallow perennial flows along a braided, meandering channel. As a 
result, numerous backwater sloughs and marshes offered appropriate 
biotic conditions and habitat for a diversity of riparian species. 
Today the LCR is a deep, narrow, incised channel which experiences only 
intermittent to ephemeral flows. This entrenchment has disconnected 
large parts of the floodplain from the river. During flooding, channel 
migration results from sedimentation deposition and scour. This erosion 
has contributed to habitat degradation and threatened cultural 
resources throughout the Watershed. Riparian vegetation has been 
largely replaced by the non-native salt cedar, which forms almost pure 
in-channel stands. Changes in vegetation types, channel morphology and 
sediment transport are believed to be contributing to the flooding 
problems being experienced by the Winslow community.
    In response to recurrent flooding problems along the LCR, Navajo 
County requested assistance from the Arizona Department of Water 
Resources (ADWR) to build the Winslow Levee in 1979. The 7.2 mile 
Winslow Levee was constructed along the west side of the LCR between 
1986 and 1989 for the purpose of providing 100-year flood protection to 
the city. This levee has failed twice in recent years. The levee was 
overtopped in 1993, resulting in washout of a 400-foot levee section, 
and damage to an additional 3,000 feet of levee. The resulting flooding 
inundated 204 parcels and 140 structures. Permanent levee repairs were 
completed in 1994. However, problems with the levee continue as 
evidenced by a second levee failure in 2003. This was a piping failure, 
believed to have been caused by desiccation cracks, root channels, 
rodent burrows, a structural flaw, and other factors.
    Recent studies indicate that the levee now only provides a 55-year 
level of protection. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has 
completed decertification of the levee for 100-year protection, 
returning approximately 2,700 individual parcels and 1,500 structures 
to the regulated floodplain. Owners of developed properties in this 
area will now be required to obtain flood insurance from the National 
Flood Insurance Program. The Navajo County Public Works Department is 
attempting to rehabilitate the levee along the 7.2 mile reach east of 
Winslow. Navajo County is seeking assistance from the USACE to resolve 
recurrent flooding problems in the Winslow community.
    The potential environmental impacts to be evaluated by this DEIS 
will include: (1) Non-structural solutions to address flooding issues; 
(2) engineered solutions to address flooding issues; (3) opportunities 
for ecosystem restoration, especially as necessary to support the 
primary purpose of flood risk management; (4) mitigation of impacts to 
cultural resources, and; (5) designs for recreational features which 
would be most compatible with the natural resources of the region.
    Prehistoric and historic cultural resources are abundant along the 
18 mile reach of the Little Colorado River Feasibility Study area. 
Sensitive natural habitats for federally listed species in the general 
vicinity of the confluence of Chevelon Creek with the Little Colorado 
River have previously been identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (USFWS), and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).
    3. Proposed Action. No plan of action has yet been identified.
    4. Alternatives. a--No Action: No plans would be implemented to 
reduce flood risk to the Winslow area.
    b--Proposed Alternative Plans: None have been formulated to date.
    5. Public Involvement. Public involvement, an essential part of the 
EIS process, is integral to assessing the environmental consequences of 
the proposed action and improving the quality of the environmental 
decision making. The public includes affected and interested Federal, 
State, and local agencies, Indian tribes, concerned citizens, 
stakeholders, and other interested parties. Public participation in the 
EIS process will be strongly encouraged, both formally and informally, 
to enhance the probability of a more technically accurate, economically 
feasible, and socially and politically acceptable EIS. Public 
involvement will include but is not limited to: Information 
dissemination; identification of problems, needs and opportunities; 
idea generation; public education; problem solving; providing feedback 
on proposals; evaluation of alternatives; conflict resolution by 
consensus; public and scoping notices and meetings; public, stakeholder 
and advisory groups consultation and meetings; and making the EIS and 
supporting information readily available in conveniently located 
places, such as libraries and on the Internet.
    Participation of all interested Federal, State, and County resource 
agencies, as well as Native American peoples, groups with environmental 
interests, and all interested individuals is encouraged. Public 
involvement will be most beneficial and worthwhile in identifying 
pertinent environmental issues, offering useful information such as 
published or unpublished data, direct personal experience or knowledge 
which inform decision making, assistance in defining the scope of plans 
which ought to be considered, and recommending suitable mitigation 
measures warranted by such plans. Those wishing to contribute 
information, ideas, alternatives for actions, and so forth can furnish 
these contributions in writing to the points of contacts indicated 
above, or by attending public scoping meetings. Notice of public 
scoping meetings will be published in the local and regional 
newspapers.
    When plans have been devised and alternatives formulated to embody 
those plans, potential environmental and social impacts will be 
evaluated in the DEIS. These analyses will emphasize at least fifteen 
categories of resources: Land use, impromptu historic landfills created 
by dumping trash over the banks, hazardous wastes, physical 
environment, hydrology, groundwater, biological, archaeological, 
historical, geological, air quality, noise, transportation, 
socioeconomics, and safety.
    6. Scoping Process. Scoping, an early and open process for 
identifying the scope of significant issues related to the proposed 
action to be addressed in the EIS, will be used to: (a) Identify the 
affected public and agency concerns; (b) facilitate an efficient EIS 
preparation process; (c) define the issues and alternatives that will 
be examined in detail in the EIS; and (d) save time in the overall 
process by helping to ensure that the Draft EIS adequately addresses 
relevant issues. An initial public scoping meeting will be held on 
Tuesday, March 24, 2009, in Winslow, AZ. Announcements through local 
and regional media, as well as a scoping meeting public notice 
announcing the location, date and time of the scoping meeting will be 
mailed to all interested parties during February 2009. Interested 
parties are encouraged to express their views throughout the entire 
study process. Comments will be welcomed at the public scoping meeting. 
In addition, written comments will also be accepted during the scoping 
comment period

[[Page 8920]]

which will extend 30 days from the date of the scoping meeting public 
notice.
    7. Interagency Coordination and Cooperation. The USACE and the 
USFWS have formally committed to work together to conserve, protect, 
and restore fish and wildlife resources while ensuring environmental 
sustainability of our Nation's water resources under the January 22, 
2003, Partnership Agreement for Water Resources and Fish and Wildlife. 
The USFWS will provide a Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report. 
Coordination will be maintained with the USFWS regarding threatened and 
endangered species under their jurisdictional responsibilities. The 
Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) will be consulted concerning 
potential impacts to sensitive species and habitats. Coordination will 
be maintained with the Advisory Counsel on Historic Preservation and 
the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). Coordination will be 
maintained with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 
concerning compliance with Executive Order 12898, ``Federal Action to 
Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income 
Populations.''
    8. Availability of the EIS. It is anticipated that the DEIS will be 
available for public review during the spring of 2011. The DEIS or a 
Notice of Availability (NOA) will be provided during the 45-day review 
period to affected Federal, State and local agencies, Indian Tribes, 
and other interested parties.

    Dated: February 25, 2009.
Thomas H. Magness,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. E9-4200 Filed 2-26-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P