Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Drawdown and Habitat Enhancement of East Lake Tohopekaliga in Osceola County, Florida, 51227-51229 [2017-23977]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 212 / Friday, November 3, 2017 / Notices
facility is fully handicap accessible.
Wheelchair access is available at the
main entrance of the building. For
additional information about public
access procedures, contact Mr. Kesten,
the subcommittee’s Alternate
Designated Federal Officer, at the email
address or telephone number listed in
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section.
Written Comments or Statements:
Pursuant to 41 CFR 102–3.105(j) and
102–3.140 and section 10(a)(3) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, the
public or interested organizations may
submit written comments or statements
to the subcommittee, in response to the
stated agenda of the open meeting or in
regard to the subcommittee’s mission in
general. Written comments or
statements should be submitted to Mr.
Kesten, the subcommittee Alternate
Designated Federal Officer, via
electronic mail, the preferred mode of
submission, at the address listed in the
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section. Each page of the comment or
statement must include the author’s
name, title or affiliation, address, and
daytime phone number. The Alternate
Designated Federal Official will review
all submitted written comments or
statements and provide them to
members of the subcommittee for their
consideration. Written comments or
statements being submitted in response
to the agenda set forth in this notice
must be received by the Alternate
Designated Federal Official at least
seven business days prior to the meeting
to be considered by the subcommittee.
Written comments or statements
received after this date may not be
provided to the subcommittee until its
next meeting.
Pursuant to 41 CFR 102–3.140d, the
Committee is not obligated to allow a
member of the public to speak or
otherwise address the Committee during
the meeting. Members of the public will
be permitted to make verbal comments
during the Committee meeting only at
the time and in the manner described
below. If a member of the public is
interested in making a verbal comment
at the open meeting, that individual
must submit a request, with a brief
statement of the subject matter to be
addressed by the comment, at least
seven business days in advance to the
subcommittee’s Alternate Designated
Federal Official, via electronic mail, the
preferred mode of submission, at the
address listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section. The
Alternate Designated Federal Official
will log each request, in the order
received, and in consultation with the
Subcommittee Chair, determine whether
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16:18 Nov 02, 2017
Jkt 244001
the subject matter of each comment is
relevant to the Subcommittee’s mission
and/or the topics to be addressed in this
public meeting. A 15-minute period
near the end of the meeting will be
available for verbal public comments.
Members of the public who have
requested to make a verbal comment
and whose comments have been
deemed relevant under the process
described above, will be allotted no
more than three minutes during the
period, and will be invited to speak in
the order in which their requests were
received by the Alternate Designated
Federal Official.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017–23976 Filed 11–2–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001–03–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Acquisition Regulations
System
[Docket DARS–2017–0007; OMB Control
Number 0704–0248]
Defense Acquisition
Regulations System, Department of
Defense (DoD)
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Defense Acquisition
Regulations System has submitted to
OMB for clearance, the following
proposal for collection of information
under the provisions of the Paperwork
Reduction Act.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all
comments received by December 4,
2017.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title, Associated Form, and OMB
Number: Defense Federal Acquisition
Regulation Supplement (DFARS),
Appendix F, Material Inspection and
Receiving Report; OMB Control Number
0704–0248.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profit and not-for profit institutions.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain benefits.
Reporting Frequency: On occasion.
Number of Respondents: 153,000.
Responses per Respondent: 18,
approximately.
Annual Responses: 2,800,000.
Average Burden per Response: .05
hours (3 minutes).
Annual Burden Hours: 140,000 hours.
Needs and Uses: The collection of this
information is necessary to process
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Fmt 4703
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shipping and receipt documentation for
goods and services provided by
contractors and permit payment under
DoD contracts.
OMB Desk Officer: Ms. Jasmeet
Seehra.
Comments and recommendations on
the proposed information collection
should be sent to Ms. Jasmeet Seehra,
DoD Desk Officer, at Oira_submission@
omb.eop.gov. Please identify the
proposed information collection by DoD
Desk Officer and the Docket ID number
and title of the information collection.
You may also submit comments,
identified by docket number and title,
by the following method:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
DoD Clearance Officer: Mr. Frederick
C. Licari.
Written requests for copies of the
information collection proposal should
be sent to Mr. Licari at: WHS/ESD
Directives Division, 4800 Mark Center
Drive, 2nd Floor, East Tower, Suite
03F09, Alexandria, VA 22350–3100.
Jennifer L. Hawes,
Editor, Defense Acquisition Regulations
System.
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
SUMMARY:
51227
[FR Doc. 2017–23984 Filed 11–2–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Drawdown and Habitat
Enhancement of East Lake
Tohopekaliga in Osceola County,
Florida
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville
District, Cocoa Permits Section field
office, has received a request for
Department of the Army (DA)
authorization, pursuant to Section 404
of the Clean Water Act and Section 10
of the Rivers and Harbor Act of 1899,
from the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC) for
activities associated with the proposed
drawdown, vegetation removal, and
demucking of East Lake Tohopekaliga
(ELT) to improve habitat conditions for
fish and wildlife. The drawdown would
require a deviation to the Water Control
Plan for ELT and a DA permit for
SUMMARY:
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51228
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 212 / Friday, November 3, 2017 / Notices
proposed fill in waters of the United
States.
The USACE will hold a public
scoping meeting for the Draft EIS on
December 5, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time. Interested parties are
invited to submit scoping comments to
USACE by January 4, 2018.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting
will be held at Osceola Heritage Park,
1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee, FL
34744. Scoping comments may be
submitted by mail or hand-delivered to:
Jeffrey S. Collins, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Cocoa Permits Section, 400
High Point Drive, Suite 600, Cocoa, FL
32926. Comments may also be
submitted by email to: jeffrey.s.collins@
usace.army.mil. All comments should
include ‘‘East Lake Tohopekaliga
Drawdown Comments’’ in the subject
line.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the Proposed Action
and Draft EIS should be directed to Mr.
Collins by telephone at (321) 504–3771
or by email: jeffrey.s.collins@
usace.army.mil.
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background/Project Authorization.
USACE is preparing this Draft EIS in
accordance with National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ) Regulations (40 Code of Federal
Regulation [CFR] 1500 et seq.), and
USACE provisions for implementing the
procedural requirements of NEPA (33
CFR 230, USACE Engineering
Regulation [ER] 200–2–2). A primary
purpose of a USACE Regulatory
Program EIS is to provide disclosure of
the significant impacts of a proposal
seeking a DA permit on the human
environment. The Draft EIS and Final
EIS are used to inform the public and
agency decision-makers of alternatives
to an applicant’s project that may avoid
or minimize impacts or enhance the
quality of the human environment.
The EIS will address all the
requirements of NEPA including
applicable federal and state laws,
regulations, and executive orders. A
partial list of statutes to be addressed in
the EIS includes: Section 404 of the
Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) and
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act
of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403); Coastal Zone
Management Act; Clean Air Act;
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act;
Endangered Species Act; Fish and
Wildlife Coordination Act; National
Historic Preservation Act; Archeological
and Historic Preservation Act; and
Executive Order 11990, Protection of
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:18 Nov 02, 2017
Jkt 244001
Wetlands. Additional authority is
provided in 33 CFR 222.5, Water
Control Management (ER 1110–2–240).
2. Need or Purpose of Project. The
purpose of the proposed activity is
aquatic habitat improvement in ELT.
Major contributors to deteriorating
aquatic habitat in the ELT are water
level stabilization and pollution from
watershed development. Negative
environmental changes include an
increase in aquatic plant density and
biomass, organic sediments, and a shift
to invasive species. Dense bands of
organic material have formed along the
lakeshore and, combined with aquatic
plants such as pickerelweed, cattail, and
tussucks, form a barrier that keeps fish
from shallow spawning areas. Decline in
coverage of desirable aquatic vegetation
negatively impact the diversity and
abundance of forage organisms that
depend on these plant communities. In
turn, this directly contributes to reduced
sport fish production and wading bird
utilization.
3. Project Description. East Lake
Tohopekaliga is an approximately
11,968-acre lake located in the
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. FWC is
pursuing authorization from USACE,
Jacksonville District Regulatory
Division, to conduct a temporary
drawdown of ELT to accomplish
demucking and vegetation removal
activities for purposes of littoral zone
habitat enhancement. FWC proposes to
draw down ELT in Osceola County from
57.0 National Geodetic Vertical Datum
(NGVD) feet to 53.0 NGVD feet. Four
pumps (combined capacity of 400 cfs)
are proposed to be used to drain ELT;
pumps are required because gravity-fed
conveyance becomes inefficient as the
lower ELT stage approaches that of Lake
Tohopekaliga. The proposed drawdown
would begin in October-November 2018,
work conducted in February-May 2019,
with the refill initiated in June 2019.
Other proposed activities include:
a. Modification of the Lake
Tohopekaliga and ELT regulation
schedules as established by the USACE
Water Control Plan, to allow a
temporary deviation in water levels in
both lakes.
b. Installation of sheet piling and a
flood control pump in the canal
between ELT and Fells Cove, and in the
canal between ELT and Lake
Runnymede. These constructed
elements may be necessary to maintain
normal lake stages upstream of the
canals.
c. Approximately 115 acres of littoral
zone will be mechanically scraped along
the east shore and consolidated into two
1–2 acre in-lake spoil islands. Woody
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
vegetation within the scrape zone would
be piled and burned.
d. Vegetation on the west shore would
be sprayed with herbicide and
subsequently burned.
4. Issues. Preliminary environmental
and public interest factors have been
identified and would be addressed in
the EIS. Additional issues may be
identified during the scoping process
through commenting cooperating
agencies and the public. USACE has
preliminarily identified potential issues
to include:
a. Potential impacts to threatened and
endangered species, particularly the
Everglades snail kite (Rostrhamus
sociabilis plumbeus).
b. Required alteration of the Water
Control Plan. The Master Water Control
Manual for Kissimmee River-Lake
Istokpoga Basin (USACE, 1994), which
contains the relevant Water Control
Plan, specifies coordination with
USACE South Atlantic Division for
review and approval of planned
deviation requests.
c. Potential impacts to navigation,
both commercial and recreational.
d. Potential aesthetic impacts to
landowners with a viewshed of
proposed disposal islands.
e. Potential impacts on public health
and safety.
f. Potential impacts on waterborne
recreation activities.
g. Potential impacts to cultural
resources.
h. Potential economic impact on local
businesses.
i. Potential air quality during burning
of woody debris.
j. Potential water quality impacts
during ELT drawdown, muck removal
and creation of islands.
k. Potential concern regarding
downstream discharges resulting from
the ELT Drawdown.
l. Cumulative impacts of past, present
and foreseeable future projects affecting
ELT.
5. Alternatives. The Draft EIS will
analyze reasonable alternatives to meet
the project purpose and need. These
alternatives will be further developed
during the scoping process and an
appropriate range of alternatives,
including the no federal action
alternative, will be considered in the
EIS. Other preliminary alternatives to be
considered include: Effectuating ELT
drawdown with pumps; ELT drawdown
without pumps; disposing of spoil
material by truck-hauling off-site; and
disposing of spoil material using in-lake
disposal islands.
6. Scoping Process. USACE is
furnishing this notice to advise other
Federal and State agencies, affected
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03NON1
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 212 / Friday, November 3, 2017 / Notices
federally recognized Tribes, and the
public of the proposed project. This
notice announces the initiation of a 30day scoping period which requests the
public’s involvement in the scoping and
evaluation process of the Draft EIS. A
public scoping meeting (see DATES) will
be held to receive public comment and
address public concerns concerning the
scope of issues and level of analysis to
be considered in preparation of the Draft
EIS. Participation in the public meeting
by federal, state and local agencies and
other interested organizations and
persons is encouraged. A detailed
description of the study area will be
developed following the scoping
meeting, at which time USACE will
determine the final study area for the
EIS.
7. Public Involvement. The USACE
invites Federal agencies, American
Indian Tribal Nations, state and local
governments, and other interested
private organizations and parties to
attend the public scooping meeting and
to provide comments in order to ensure
that all significant issues are identified
and the full range of issues related to the
permit request are addressed.
8. Coordination. The proposed action
is being coordinated with a number of
Federal, state, regional, and local
agencies including but not limited to the
following: U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, U.S. National Marine Fisheries
Service, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Florida Department of
Environmental Protection, federally
recognized Native American Indian
Tribes, Florida State Historic
Preservation Officer, Osceola County,
the City of St. Cloud, and other agencies
as identified in scoping, public
involvement, and agency coordination.
9. Agency Role. The USACE will be
the lead agency for the EIS. The USACE
expects to receive input and critical
information from federal, state and local
agencies (see Coordination), either as
commenting or cooperating agencies.
10. Draft EIS Preparation. The Draft
EIS is expected to be published and
circulated in late spring 2018. A Notice
of Availability will be issued, which
will open the public comment period.
Comments will be accepted during the
Draft EIS public comment period, which
will last approximately 30 days.
Dated: October 24, 2017.
Donald W. Kinard,
Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2017–23977 Filed 11–2–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
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16:18 Nov 02, 2017
Jkt 244001
DELAWARE RIVER BASIN
COMMISSION
Notice of Public Hearing and Business
Meeting November 15 and December
13, 2017
Notice is hereby given that the
Delaware River Basin Commission will
hold a public hearing on Wednesday,
November 15, 2017. A business meeting
will be held the following month on
Wednesday, December 13, 2017. The
hearing and meeting are open to the
public and will be held at the
Washington Crossing Historic Park
Visitor Center, 1112 River Road,
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania.
Public Hearing. The public hearing on
November 15, 2017 will begin at 1:30
p.m. Hearing items subject to the
Commission’s review will include draft
dockets for withdrawals, discharges,
and other water-related projects, as well
as a resolution authorizing the
Executive Director to enter into an
agreement with the University of
Maryland for the analysis of ambient
water samples from the Delaware
Estuary for primary productivity and
associated nutrient parameters.
The list of projects scheduled for
hearing, including project descriptions,
and the text of the proposed resolution
will be posted on the Commission’s
Web site, www.drbc.net, in a long form
of this notice at least ten days before the
hearing date.
Written comments on matters
scheduled for hearing on November 15
will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on
November 20. Time permitting, an
opportunity for Open Public Comment
will be provided upon the conclusion of
Commission business at the December
13 Business Meeting; in accordance
with recent format changes, this
opportunity will not be offered upon
completion of the Public Hearing.
The public is advised to check the
Commission’s Web site periodically
prior to the hearing date, as items
scheduled for hearing may be postponed
if additional time is deemed necessary
to complete the Commission’s review,
and items may be added up to ten days
prior to the hearing date. In reviewing
docket descriptions, the public is also
asked to be aware that project details
commonly change in the course of the
Commission’s review, which is ongoing.
Public Meeting. The public business
meeting on December 13, 2017 will
begin at 10:30 a.m. and will include:
Adoption of the Minutes of the
Commission’s September 13, 2017
Business Meeting, announcements of
upcoming meetings and events, a report
on hydrologic conditions, reports by the
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Frm 00020
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
51229
Executive Director and the
Commission’s General Counsel, and
consideration of any items for which a
hearing has been completed or is not
required. The latter are expected to
include a resolution authorizing the
Executive Director to execute an
agreement for the preparation of an
actuarial evaluation of the
Commission’s ‘‘Other Post-Employment
Benefit’’ (‘‘OPEB’’) obligations, in
accordance with Government
Accounting Standards Board Statement
No. 75 (‘‘GASB 75’’).
After all scheduled business has been
completed and as time allows, the
Business Meeting will also include up
to one hour of Open Public Comment.
There will be no opportunity for
additional public comment for the
record at the December 13 Business
Meeting on items for which a hearing
was completed on November 15 or a
previous date. Commission
consideration on December 13 of items
for which the public hearing is closed
may result in approval of the item (by
docket or resolution) as proposed,
approval with changes, denial, or
deferral. When the Commissioners defer
an action, they may announce an
additional period for written comment
on the item, with or without an
additional hearing date, or they may
take additional time to consider the
input they have already received
without requesting further public input.
Any deferred items will be considered
for action at a public meeting of the
Commission on a future date.
Advance Sign-Up for Oral Comment.
Individuals who wish to comment on
the record during the public hearing on
November 15 or to address the
Commissioners informally during the
Open Public Comment portion of the
meeting on December 13 as time allows,
are asked to sign-up in advance through
EventBrite, the online registration
process recently introduced by the
Commission. Links to EventBrite for the
Public Hearing and the Business
Meeting are available at drbc.net. For
assistance, please contact Ms. Paula
Schmitt of the Commission staff, at
paula.schmitt@drbc.nj.gov.
Addresses for Written Comment.
Written comment on items scheduled
for hearing may be made through
SmartComment, the Web-based
comment system recently introduced by
the Commission, a link to which is
posted at drbc.net. Although use of
SmartComment is strongly preferred,
comments may also be delivered by
hand at the public hearing; or by hand,
U.S. Mail or private carrier to
Commission Secretary, P.O. Box 7360,
25 Cosey Road, West Trenton, NJ 08628.
E:\FR\FM\03NON1.SGM
03NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 212 (Friday, November 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51227-51229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23977]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for the Drawdown and Habitat Enhancement of East Lake
Tohopekaliga in Osceola County, Florida
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), Jacksonville
District, Cocoa Permits Section field office, has received a request
for Department of the Army (DA) authorization, pursuant to Section 404
of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor Act of
1899, from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
for activities associated with the proposed drawdown, vegetation
removal, and demucking of East Lake Tohopekaliga (ELT) to improve
habitat conditions for fish and wildlife. The drawdown would require a
deviation to the Water Control Plan for ELT and a DA permit for
[[Page 51228]]
proposed fill in waters of the United States.
DATES: The USACE will hold a public scoping meeting for the Draft EIS
on December 5, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Interested
parties are invited to submit scoping comments to USACE by January 4,
2018.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be held at Osceola Heritage
Park, 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee, FL 34744. Scoping comments may
be submitted by mail or hand-delivered to: Jeffrey S. Collins, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Cocoa Permits Section, 400 High Point Drive,
Suite 600, Cocoa, FL 32926. Comments may also be submitted by email to:
jeffrey.s.collins@usace.army.mil. All comments should include ``East
Lake Tohopekaliga Drawdown Comments'' in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the Proposed Action
and Draft EIS should be directed to Mr. Collins by telephone at (321)
504-3771 or by email: jeffrey.s.collins@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background/Project Authorization. USACE is preparing this Draft
EIS in accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations (40 Code of Federal
Regulation [CFR] 1500 et seq.), and USACE provisions for implementing
the procedural requirements of NEPA (33 CFR 230, USACE Engineering
Regulation [ER] 200-2-2). A primary purpose of a USACE Regulatory
Program EIS is to provide disclosure of the significant impacts of a
proposal seeking a DA permit on the human environment. The Draft EIS
and Final EIS are used to inform the public and agency decision-makers
of alternatives to an applicant's project that may avoid or minimize
impacts or enhance the quality of the human environment.
The EIS will address all the requirements of NEPA including
applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and executive orders. A
partial list of statutes to be addressed in the EIS includes: Section
404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) and Section 10 of the
Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403); Coastal Zone Management
Act; Clean Air Act; Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act; Endangered Species Act; Fish and Wildlife Coordination
Act; National Historic Preservation Act; Archeological and Historic
Preservation Act; and Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands.
Additional authority is provided in 33 CFR 222.5, Water Control
Management (ER 1110-2-240).
2. Need or Purpose of Project. The purpose of the proposed activity
is aquatic habitat improvement in ELT. Major contributors to
deteriorating aquatic habitat in the ELT are water level stabilization
and pollution from watershed development. Negative environmental
changes include an increase in aquatic plant density and biomass,
organic sediments, and a shift to invasive species. Dense bands of
organic material have formed along the lakeshore and, combined with
aquatic plants such as pickerelweed, cattail, and tussucks, form a
barrier that keeps fish from shallow spawning areas. Decline in
coverage of desirable aquatic vegetation negatively impact the
diversity and abundance of forage organisms that depend on these plant
communities. In turn, this directly contributes to reduced sport fish
production and wading bird utilization.
3. Project Description. East Lake Tohopekaliga is an approximately
11,968-acre lake located in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. FWC is
pursuing authorization from USACE, Jacksonville District Regulatory
Division, to conduct a temporary drawdown of ELT to accomplish
demucking and vegetation removal activities for purposes of littoral
zone habitat enhancement. FWC proposes to draw down ELT in Osceola
County from 57.0 National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) feet to 53.0
NGVD feet. Four pumps (combined capacity of 400 cfs) are proposed to be
used to drain ELT; pumps are required because gravity-fed conveyance
becomes inefficient as the lower ELT stage approaches that of Lake
Tohopekaliga. The proposed drawdown would begin in October-November
2018, work conducted in February-May 2019, with the refill initiated in
June 2019. Other proposed activities include:
a. Modification of the Lake Tohopekaliga and ELT regulation
schedules as established by the USACE Water Control Plan, to allow a
temporary deviation in water levels in both lakes.
b. Installation of sheet piling and a flood control pump in the
canal between ELT and Fells Cove, and in the canal between ELT and Lake
Runnymede. These constructed elements may be necessary to maintain
normal lake stages upstream of the canals.
c. Approximately 115 acres of littoral zone will be mechanically
scraped along the east shore and consolidated into two 1-2 acre in-lake
spoil islands. Woody vegetation within the scrape zone would be piled
and burned.
d. Vegetation on the west shore would be sprayed with herbicide and
subsequently burned.
4. Issues. Preliminary environmental and public interest factors
have been identified and would be addressed in the EIS. Additional
issues may be identified during the scoping process through commenting
cooperating agencies and the public. USACE has preliminarily identified
potential issues to include:
a. Potential impacts to threatened and endangered species,
particularly the Everglades snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis
plumbeus).
b. Required alteration of the Water Control Plan. The Master Water
Control Manual for Kissimmee River-Lake Istokpoga Basin (USACE, 1994),
which contains the relevant Water Control Plan, specifies coordination
with USACE South Atlantic Division for review and approval of planned
deviation requests.
c. Potential impacts to navigation, both commercial and
recreational.
d. Potential aesthetic impacts to landowners with a viewshed of
proposed disposal islands.
e. Potential impacts on public health and safety.
f. Potential impacts on waterborne recreation activities.
g. Potential impacts to cultural resources.
h. Potential economic impact on local businesses.
i. Potential air quality during burning of woody debris.
j. Potential water quality impacts during ELT drawdown, muck
removal and creation of islands.
k. Potential concern regarding downstream discharges resulting from
the ELT Drawdown.
l. Cumulative impacts of past, present and foreseeable future
projects affecting ELT.
5. Alternatives. The Draft EIS will analyze reasonable alternatives
to meet the project purpose and need. These alternatives will be
further developed during the scoping process and an appropriate range
of alternatives, including the no federal action alternative, will be
considered in the EIS. Other preliminary alternatives to be considered
include: Effectuating ELT drawdown with pumps; ELT drawdown without
pumps; disposing of spoil material by truck-hauling off-site; and
disposing of spoil material using in-lake disposal islands.
6. Scoping Process. USACE is furnishing this notice to advise other
Federal and State agencies, affected
[[Page 51229]]
federally recognized Tribes, and the public of the proposed project.
This notice announces the initiation of a 30-day scoping period which
requests the public's involvement in the scoping and evaluation process
of the Draft EIS. A public scoping meeting (see DATES) will be held to
receive public comment and address public concerns concerning the scope
of issues and level of analysis to be considered in preparation of the
Draft EIS. Participation in the public meeting by federal, state and
local agencies and other interested organizations and persons is
encouraged. A detailed description of the study area will be developed
following the scoping meeting, at which time USACE will determine the
final study area for the EIS.
7. Public Involvement. The USACE invites Federal agencies, American
Indian Tribal Nations, state and local governments, and other
interested private organizations and parties to attend the public
scooping meeting and to provide comments in order to ensure that all
significant issues are identified and the full range of issues related
to the permit request are addressed.
8. Coordination. The proposed action is being coordinated with a
number of Federal, state, regional, and local agencies including but
not limited to the following: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.
National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, federally
recognized Native American Indian Tribes, Florida State Historic
Preservation Officer, Osceola County, the City of St. Cloud, and other
agencies as identified in scoping, public involvement, and agency
coordination.
9. Agency Role. The USACE will be the lead agency for the EIS. The
USACE expects to receive input and critical information from federal,
state and local agencies (see Coordination), either as commenting or
cooperating agencies.
10. Draft EIS Preparation. The Draft EIS is expected to be
published and circulated in late spring 2018. A Notice of Availability
will be issued, which will open the public comment period. Comments
will be accepted during the Draft EIS public comment period, which will
last approximately 30 days.
Dated: October 24, 2017.
Donald W. Kinard,
Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2017-23977 Filed 11-2-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
