Public Scoping Meetings and Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Glades Reservoir, 9634-9635 [2012-3359]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9634-9635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3359]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army: Corps of Engineers


Public Scoping Meetings and Preparation of Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Glades Reservoir

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Savannah District, 
has received an application (File Number SAS-2007-00388) for a 
Department of the Army Permit pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean 
Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) from the Hall County Board of Commissioners 
(Applicant) for a proposed water supply reservoir project to be located 
in Hall County, Georgia. The proposed project would be comprised of a 
new pump-storage water supply reservoir (Glades Reservoir), as well as 
pipelines and pumping stations to withdraw water from the Chattahoochee 
River and to connect with the existing Cedar Creek Reservoir. Water 
would be pumped to the existing Cedar Creek Reservoir located in 
eastern Hall County for treatment and distribution to Hall County 
customers. The Applicant believes this action is needed to supply water 
for Hall County through the year 2060.
    The primary federal involvement associated with the proposed action 
is the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United 
States, including jurisdictional wetlands. It is estimated, by the 
Applicant, that 39.2 acres of jurisdictional wetlands and approximately 
95,000 linear feet of streams would be adversely affected by the 
proposed action. Federal authorizations for the proposed project would 
constitute a ``major federal action.'' Based on the potential impacts, 
both individually and cumulatively, the USACE intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act to render a final decision on the permit 
application.
    The USACE's decision will be to either issue, issue with 
modification or deny a Department of the Army permit for the proposed 
action. The EIS will assess the potential social, economic and 
environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the 
reservoir, raw water conveyances, associated facilities, and 
appurtenances. The EIS is intended to be sufficient in scope to address 
federal, state and local requirements, environmental issues concerning 
the proposed action, and permit reviews.

DATES: The scoping period will commence with the publication of this 
notice. The formal scoping period will end 60 days after the 
publication of this notice. Comments regarding issues relative to the 
proposed project should be received by April 17, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by mail to U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, Attention: Regulatory Division, 100 West Oglethorpe 
Avenue, Savannah, Georgia 31401-3640. You may also submit written 
comments on-line at https://www.gladesreservoir.com. Documents pertinent 
to the proposed project may be examined at the Web site https://www.gladesreservoir.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Morgan, Project Manager, U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers, at (912) 652-5139.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USACE Savannah District intends to 
prepare an EIS on the proposed Glades Reservoir project. The Hall 
County Board of Commissioners proposes this project and is the 
applicant for a Department of the Army permit (File Number SAS-2007-
00388).
    1. Project Description: The Glades Reservoir is a proposed pumped-
storage reservoir on Flat Creek, a tributary to the Chattahoochee River 
upstream of Lake Sidney Lanier. The drainage area for the proposed 
Glades Reservoir is estimated to be 17.6 square miles. The proposed dam 
would impound an approximately 850-acre reservoir at a normal pool 
elevation of 1180 feet mean sea level (msl) and provide 11.7 billion 
gallons of water storage capacity. The proposed Glades Reservoir would 
be located approximately 12 miles northeast of Gainesville, Georgia, 
northeast of US 23/

[[Page 9635]]

365, near the US 23/365 State Route (SR) 52 intersection.
    The proposed Glades Reservoir water supply project would be 
comprised of a new water supply reservoir, as well as pipelines and 
pumping stations for withdrawing water from the Chattahoochee River and 
for interconnecting with the existing Cedar Creek Reservoir. Water 
would be withdrawn from the Cedar Creek Reservoir for treatment and 
distribution to customers in Hall County.
    The total system (Glades Reservoir-Cedar Creek Reservoir system) 
safe yield is estimated to be 80 million gallons per day (mgd) (on an 
annual average daily basis), which includes 7.5 mgd of safe yield from 
the existing Cedar Creek Reservoir. The Glades Reservoir water supply 
project is proposed to meet an unmet projected water demand of 72.5 mgd 
in 2060.
    When adequate flows are available in the Chattahoochee River, water 
would be withdrawn from the Chattahoochee River and delivered to the 
Hall County through the existing Cedar Creek Reservoir.
    When insufficient flow occurs, water would be released from the 
Glades Reservoir to meet water supply demand while maintaining the 
minimum in-stream flow in the Chattahoochee River.
    In May 2011, a Jurisdictional Waters of the U.S. Delineation was 
conducted by the Applicant on the reservoir site using sub-meter global 
positioning system (GPS). The delineation determined that the impacts 
at elevation 1,180 feet msl would be 39.2 acres of wetlands and 
approximately 95,000 linear feet of stream.
    2. Scoping and Public Involvement Process: The purpose of the 
public scoping process is to determine relevant issues that will affect 
the scope of the environmental analysis and EIS alternatives. Some 
areas of potential significant impact have been identified, but are not 
limited to the following:

    a. Loss of aquatic resources, including wetlands
    b. Water quality
    c. Water quantity, including downstream impacts
    d. Air quality
    e. Secondary and cumulative impacts
    f. Federal navigation
    g. Federal projects
    h. Socioeconomics, including environmental justice
    i. Cultural resources
    j. Threatened and endangered species.

    The EIS process is being implemented so that the application can be 
fully evaluated and a permit decision can be made. The purpose of the 
EIS scoping meetings is to gather information on the subjects to be 
studied in detail in the EIS.
    3. Purpose and Need. The purpose of the proposed action is to 
provide sufficient water supply to meet projected water demand in Hall 
County through the year 2060.
    4. Alternatives. An evaluation of alternatives to the Applicant's 
preferred alternative initially being considered includes a No Action 
alternative, alternatives that would avoid, minimize and compensate for 
impacts to the aquatic environment, alternatives utilizing alternative 
practices, and other reasonable alternatives that will be developed 
through the project scoping process which may also meet the identified 
purpose and need.
    5. Additional Resources to be Evaluated. Resource areas to be 
evaluated that have been identified to date include the following: 
potential direct effects to waters of the U.S. including aquatic 
species; environmental justice; socioeconomic environment; 
archaeological and cultural resources; recreation and recreational 
resources; energy supply and natural resources; hazardous waste and 
materials; aesthetics; public health and safety; navigation; erosion 
and accretion; cumulative impacts; public benefit and needs of the 
people along with potential effects on the human environment. All 
parties who express interest will be given an opportunity to 
participate in the process.
    6. Public Scoping Meetings. Three public scoping meetings will be 
held at the following locations/dates:

a. March 20, 2012, 4 to 8 p.m. at Gainesville State College, 3820 Mundy 
Mill Road, Oakwood, GA 30566
b. March 21, 2012, 4 to 8 p.m. at Lexington Auburn University 
Convention Center, 1577 South College Street, Auburn, AL 36832;
c. March 22, 2012, 4 to 8 p.m. at Apalachicola National Estuarine 
Research Reserve, 108 Island Drive, Eastpoint, FL 32328

    The USACE will announce the public scoping meetings through local 
news media and the Web page at least 15 days prior to the first 
meeting. Comments are encouraged from the public, federal, state, and 
local agencies and officials, Indian tribes, and other interested 
parties so that the scope of the EIS may be properly identified.
    7. Coordination. The proposed action is being coordinated with a 
number of Federal, state, regional and local agencies including, but 
not limited to, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources 
Environmental Protection Division. These agencies were requested by the 
USACE Savannah District to be cooperating agencies for this EIS per 
Council on Environmental Quality regulations at 40 CFR 1501.6. The U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental 
Protection Division have agreed to participate in the EIS process as 
cooperating agencies. Other agencies, including the state resource 
protection agencies of the States of Alabama and Florida and the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service may also comment during the scoping process.
    8. Availability of the Draft EIS. The USACE currently expects the 
Draft EIS to be made available to the public by December 30, 2012.

Russell L. Kaiser,
Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-3359 Filed 2-16-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P