Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Public Scoping Meeting for Dow Chemical Company's Harris Reservoir Expansion Project, Brazoria County, Texas (Department of the Army Permit SWG-2016-01027), 19460-19462 [2020-07315]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 7, 2020 / Notices
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Dated: March 31, 2020.
Arminda Pappas,
Grant Review Manager.
[FR Doc. 2020–07217 Filed 4–6–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050–28–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of
Engineers
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement and Public Scoping
Meeting for Dow Chemical Company’s
Harris Reservoir Expansion Project,
Brazoria County, Texas (Department of
the Army Permit SWG–2016–01027)
U.S. Department of the Army,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (Corps), Galveston District,
has received a permit application for a
U.S. Department of the Army (DA)
permit pursuant to Section 10 of the
Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act from
Dow Chemical Company (Dow) (SWG–
2016–01027) for the Harris Reservoir
Expansion Project (proposed Project).
The proposed Project site is located
between the Brazos River and Oyster
Creek approximately 8 miles northwest
of the City of Angleton in Brazoria
County, Texas. The primary federal
involvement associated with the
proposed action (proposed Project) is
the discharge of dredged or fill material
into waters of the United States (U.S.),
and the construction of structures and/
or work that may affect navigable
waters. Federal authorizations for the
Project would constitute a major federal
action. Based on the potential impacts,
both individually and cumulatively, the
Corps intends to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) in
compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to
render a final decision on the permit
applications. The Corps’ decision will
be to issue, issue with modification, or
deny DA permits for the proposed
action. The EIS will assess the potential
SUMMARY:
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social, economic, and environmental
impacts of the construction and
operation of the proposed project, and is
intended to be sufficient in scope to
address federal, state, and local
requirements; environmental and
socioeconomic issues concerning the
proposed action; and permit reviews.
ADDRESSES: Written comments
regarding the proposed EIS scope
should be addressed to Mr. Jayson
Hudson, USACE, Galveston District,
Regulatory Branch, P.O. Box 1229,
Galveston, Texas 77553–1229.
Individuals who would like to
electronically provide comments should
contact Mr. Hudson by electronic mail
at SWG201601027@usace.army.mil.
Emailed comments, including
attachments, should be provided in
.doc, .docx, .pdf or .txt formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information about this project, to be
included on the mailing list for future
updates and meeting announcements, or
to receive a copy of the Draft EIS when
it is issued, contact Mr. Jayson Hudson,
at the Corps at (409) 766–3108, email
address SWG201601027@
usace.army.mil, or the address provided
above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps
Galveston District intends to prepare an
EIS for the proposed Harris Reservoir
Expansion Project located in Brazoria
County, Texas. The proposed Project
would include the construction of a
1,929-acre impoundment with a
nominal storage capacity of 50,000 acrefeet, an intake and pump station to
divert Dow’s existing surface water
rights from the Brazos River, an outlet
to Oyster Creek, and an emergency
spillway. The Project would also
include floodplain enhancements on
Oyster Creek, stream restoration, and
temporary construction staging and
laydown areas. As part of the
Department of the Army permit
application process, a public notice was
issued on March 2, 2018. The purpose
of the public notice was to initiate an
early public scoping process to solicit
comments and information from the
public as well as state and federal
agencies to better enable us to make a
reasonable decision on factors affecting
the public interest. All comments
received to date, including those
provided for review during the public
notice comment period, will be
considered by the Galveston District
during EIS preparation.
1. Scoping Process/Public
Involvement: The Corps invites all
affected federal, state, and local
agencies, affected Native American
Tribes, other interested parties, and the
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 7, 2020 / Notices
general public to participate in the
NEPA process during development of
the EIS. The purpose of the public
scoping process is to provide
information to the public, narrow the
scope of analysis to significant
environmental issues, serve as a
mechanism to solicit agency and public
input on alternatives and issues of
concern, and ensure full and open
participation in scoping for the Draft
EIS. To ensure that all of the issues
related to this proposed project are
addressed, the Corps will conduct
public scoping meeting(s) in which
agencies, organizations, and members of
the general public are invited to present
comments or suggestions with regard to
the range of actions, alternatives, and
potential impacts to be considered in
the EIS. The scoping meeting will begin
with an informal open house including
a presentation of the proposed action
and a description of the NEPA process.
These will be held in person, or
virtually, as determined by the Agency.
Comments will be accepted for 14 days
following the scoping meeting. Displays
and other forms of information about
the proposed action will be available,
and the Corps and Dow personnel will
be present at the informal session to
discuss the proposed project and the EIS
Process. The Corps invites comments on
the proposed scope and content of the
EIS from all interested parties. Verbal
transcribers will be available at the
scoping meeting to accept verbal
comments. A time limit will be imposed
on verbal comments. Written comments
may be submitted prior, during, or up to
14 days after the scoping meeting. The
specific dates, times, and locations of
the meetings will be published in press
releases, special public notices and on
the Corps’ project website: https://
www.swg.usace.army.mil/BusinessWith-Us/Regulatory/Special-ProjectsEnvironmental-Impact-Statements/.
2. Project Background: The proposed
Project would consist of the following:
Component 1: Construction of an
approximately 50,000-acre-foot offchannel impoundment reservoir would
be located directly upstream and
adjacent to the existing Harris Reservoir,
referred to as the Harris Reservoir
Expansion. The proposed reservoir
would cover approximately 2,000 acres
and would include a pumped intake
station on the Brazos River and gravity
outfall to Oyster Creek via a new bypass
channel that would be constructed. The
proposed reservoir would operate with
the existing Harris and Brazoria
Reservoirs in a manner similar to
current operations. During periods of
drought, the proposed reservoir would
be exhausted first, followed by the
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18:22 Apr 06, 2020
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existing Harris Reservoir, and then the
Brazoria Reservoir. As with current
operations, emergency releases would
occur because of severe weather, such as
tropical storms and hurricanes with
wind speeds that can overtop the
embankments.
Component 2: As part of the proposed
Project, Oyster Creek restoration is
planned under three projects (referred to
as Projects 1, 2, and 3) to enhance the
flood capacity and to provide riparian
restoration and enhancements. Stream
restoration projects comprise bankfull
benching, 100-foot buffer preservation,
and buffer re-establishment out to 200
feet. Project 1 is located on a 3,600linear-foot unnamed tributary to Oyster
Creek, and Project 2 is located on a
12,860-linear-foot segment of Oyster
Creek. Project 3, located on an 11,200linear-foot segment of Oyster Creek,
would serve as a receiving channel
conveying overflows from Oyster Creek
during high flows by providing
additional hydraulic conveyance
capacity in the floodplain, and would
provide additional flood storage
capacity by receiving backwater from
Oyster Creek at the downstream end of
Project 3 during flood events.
Planning: In response to public
concerns on potential impacts to
floodplains and hydrology raised during
the 2018 Public Notice scoping period,
Dow prepared the following studies:
(i) A geomorphic assessment of Oyster
Creek that applied Rosgen Stream
Classification Levels I, II, and III. The
assessment was used to develop the
proposed Oyster Creek enhancement
prescriptions.
(ii) A Level I and II stream condition
assessment to determine the functions
and values for wetlands and waters of
the U.S. that would be affected as a
result of reservoir and associated facility
placement.
(iii) A hydrology and hydraulic
modeling report using HEC–HMS,
RiverwareTM, and HEC–RAS models.
HEC–HMS provides hydrologic
modeling, RiverwareTM provides
reservoir operational modeling, and
HEC–RAS provides hydraulic modeling.
The modeling and analysis focused on
drought conditions during the life of the
proposed Project.
(iv) Planning-level floodplain analysis
and modeling for areas downstream of
the proposed Project to confirm the
floodplain storage changes that would
occur if the proposed Project is
implemented.
(v) An updated interim
hydrogeomorphic functional assessment
to determine the functional capacities of
wetlands and waters of the U.S. within
the proposed Project site.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
19461
(vi) Other planning studies, including
a Phase I Environmental Site
Assessment.
Mitigation: Since the Public Notice
was issued, additional wetland
delineation work was conducted in
September 2019 that included
preparation of a functional assessment
and stream assessment referred to
above. The Corps verified that wetland
delineation on October 10, 2019. A
conceptual mitigation plan was
submitted with the Section 404 Permit
application in 2018 to address
compensation of unavoidable impacts to
waters of the U.S. The conceptual
mitigation plan will be revised based on
the verified wetland delineation and
results of the functional assessment and
stream assessments and as part of the
EIS development.
3. Location: The project site is located
between the Brazos River and Oyster
Creek approximately eight miles
northwest of the City of Angleton and
abuts the Brazos River. The project can
be located on the U.S.G.S. quadrangle
map titled: OTEY, Texas.
4. Purpose and Need: The purpose of
the proposed Project is to utilize Dow’s
existing run-of-river water rights from
the Brazos River to improve reliability
during extended drought conditions for
the existing water supply system that
serves Dow’s Texas Operations in
Freeport as well as other industrial,
community and potable water users that
rely on Dow’s water supply. Based on
modeling, Dow estimates that a total of
78,000 acre-feet of water storage
capacity is necessary to provide Texas
Commission on Environmental
Quality’s recommended 180 days of
drought resilience. The current
combined storage capacity in the
existing Brazoria and Harris reservoirs is
approximately 29,000 acre-feet.
Therefore, Dow will need to develop the
Harris Reservoir Expansion Reservoir to
provide an additional storage capacity
of at least 49,000 to provide a reliable
water supply during drought.
5. Alternatives: An evaluation of
alternatives to Dow’s preferred
alternative initially being considered
includes a No Action alternative;
alternatives that would avoid, minimize,
and compensate for impacts to the
environment within the proposed
Project footprint; alternatives that would
avoid, minimize, and compensate for
impacts to the environment outside the
footprint; alternatives using alternative
practices; and other reasonable
alternatives that will be developed
through the Project scoping process,
which may also meet the identified
purpose and need.
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 7, 2020 / Notices
6. Public Involvement: The purpose of
the public scoping process is used to
determine relevant issues that will
influence the scope of the
environmental analysis and EIS
alternatives. General concerns in the
following categories have been
identified to date: Waters of the U.S.
including wetlands, water quality,
sedimentation and erosion, hydrology
and flood hazards, water rights, wildlife
and aquatic species, migratory birds,
threatened and endangered species,
invasive species, air quality,
environmental justice, socioeconomic
environment, archaeological and
cultural resources, navigation and
recreational resources, hazardous waste
and materials, public health and safety,
downstream and off-site impacts, and
cumulative impacts. All parties who
express interest will be given an
opportunity to participate in the
process.
7. Coordination: The proposed action
is being coordinated with a number of
federal, state, regional, and local
agencies, including the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (a
cooperating agency under NEPA), U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. National
Marine Fisheries Service, Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality,
Texas General Land Office, and Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department.
8. Availability of Draft EIS and
Scoping: The draft EIS is estimated to be
available for public review and
comment no sooner than the spring of
2021. At that time a 45-day public
review period will be provided for
individuals and agencies to review and
comment on the DEIS.
Pete G. Perez,
Director, Programs Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2020–07315 Filed 4–6–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of
Engineers
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
[Department of the Army Permit Number
SWG–2019–00067]
[Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement and Public Scoping
Meeting for the Port of Corpus Christi
Channel Deepening Project, Nueces
and Aransas Counties, Texas
AGENCY:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
DoD.
ACTION:
Notice of intent.
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Galveston District (Corps),
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:22 Apr 06, 2020
Jkt 250001
has received a permit application for a
Department of the Army (DA) Permit
pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and
Harbors Act of 1899, Section 404 of the
Clean Water Act, and Section 103 of the
Marine Protection, Research and
Sanctuaries Act from the Port of Corpus
Christi Authority (PCCA) (SWG–2019–
00067) for the deepening of the Corpus
Christi Ship Channel (CCSC). The
primary Federal involvement associated
with the proposed action is the
discharge of dredged or fill material into
waters of the United States, the
construction of structures and/or work
that may affect navigable waters, and
ocean disposal of dredged material.
Federal authorizations for the proposed
project would constitute a ‘‘major
federal action.’’ Based on the potential
impacts, both individually and
cumulatively, the Corps intends to
prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) in compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) to render a final decision on the
permit application. The Corps’ decision
will be to issue, issue with modification,
or deny DA permits for the proposed
action. The EIS will assess the potential
social, economic, and environmental
impacts of the proposed project and is
intended to be sufficient in scope to
address Federal, State and local
requirements, environmental and
socioeconomic issues concerning the
proposed action, and permit reviews.
ADDRESSES: Written comments
regarding the proposed EIS scope
should be addressed to Mr. Jayson
Hudson, USACE, Galveston District,
Regulatory Branch, P.O. Box 1229,
Galveston, Texas 77553–1229.
Individuals who would like to
electronically provide comments should
contact Mr. Hudson by electronic mail
at: SWG201900067@usace.army.mil.
Emailed comments, including
attachments, should be provided in
.doc, .docx, .pdf or .txt formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information about this project, to be
included on the mailing list for future
updates and meeting announcements, or
to receive a copy of the Draft EIS when
it is issued, contact Mr. Jayson Hudson,
at the Corps at (409) 766–3108, the
email address SWG201900067@
usace.army.mil, or the address provided
above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps
Galveston District intends to prepare an
EIS for the proposed Port of Corpus
Christi Deepening project. The proposed
project is needed to accommodate
transit of fully laden very large crude
carriers (VLCCs) that draft
approximately 70 feet. The deepening
PO 00000
Frm 00041
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
activities would be completed within
the footprint of the authorized CCSC
channel width. The proposed project
does not include widening the channel;
however, some minor incidental
widening of the channel is expected to
meet side slope requirements and to
maintain the stability of the channel. As
part of the Department of the Army
permit application process, a public
notice was published on August 1, 2019.
The purpose of the public notice was to
initiate an early public scoping process
to solicit comments and information
from the public as well as state and
federal agencies to better enable us to
make a reasonable decision on factors
affecting the public interest. All
comments received to date, including
those provided for review during the
public notice comment period, will be
considered by the Galveston District
during EIS preparation.
1. Scoping Process/Public
Involvement: The Corps invites all
affected federal, state, and local
agencies, affected Native American
Tribes, other interested parties, and the
general public to participate in the
NEPA process during development of
the EIS. The purpose of the public
scoping process is to provide
information to the public, narrow the
scope of analysis to significant
environmental issues, serve as a
mechanism to solicit agency and public
input on alternatives and issues of
concern, and ensure full and open
participation in scoping for the Draft
EIS. To ensure that all of the issues
related to this proposed project are
addressed, the Corps will conduct
public scoping meeting(s) in which
agencies, organizations, and members of
the general public are invited to present
comments or suggestions with regard to
the range of actions, alternatives, and
potential impacts to be considered in
the EIS. The scoping meeting will begin
with an informal open house including
a presentation of the proposed action
and a description of the NEPA process.
These will be held in person, or
virtually, as determined by the Agency.
Comments will be accepted for 14 days
following the scoping meeting. Displays
and other forms of information about
the proposed action will be available,
and the Corps and PCCA personnel will
be present at the informal session to
discuss the proposed project and the EIS
Process. The Corps invites comments on
the proposed scope and content of the
EIS from all interested parties. Verbal
transcribers will be available at the
scoping meeting to accept verbal
comments. A time limit will be imposed
on verbal comments. Written comments
E:\FR\FM\07APN1.SGM
07APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 67 (Tuesday, April 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19460-19462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07315]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Public
Scoping Meeting for Dow Chemical Company's Harris Reservoir Expansion
Project, Brazoria County, Texas (Department of the Army Permit SWG-
2016-01027)
AGENCY: U.S. Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Galveston District,
has received a permit application for a U.S. Department of the Army
(DA) permit pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of
1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act from Dow Chemical Company
(Dow) (SWG-2016-01027) for the Harris Reservoir Expansion Project
(proposed Project). The proposed Project site is located between the
Brazos River and Oyster Creek approximately 8 miles northwest of the
City of Angleton in Brazoria County, Texas. The primary federal
involvement associated with the proposed action (proposed Project) is
the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United
States (U.S.), and the construction of structures and/or work that may
affect navigable waters. Federal authorizations for the Project would
constitute a major federal action. Based on the potential impacts, both
individually and cumulatively, the Corps intends to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) in compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to render a final decision on the
permit applications. The Corps' decision will be to issue, issue with
modification, or deny DA permits for the proposed action. The EIS will
assess the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of the
construction and operation of the proposed project, and is intended to
be sufficient in scope to address federal, state, and local
requirements; environmental and socioeconomic issues concerning the
proposed action; and permit reviews.
ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the proposed EIS scope should be
addressed to Mr. Jayson Hudson, USACE, Galveston District, Regulatory
Branch, P.O. Box 1229, Galveston, Texas 77553-1229. Individuals who
would like to electronically provide comments should contact Mr. Hudson
by electronic mail at [email protected]. Emailed comments,
including attachments, should be provided in .doc, .docx, .pdf or .txt
formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this project, to
be included on the mailing list for future updates and meeting
announcements, or to receive a copy of the Draft EIS when it is issued,
contact Mr. Jayson Hudson, at the Corps at (409) 766-3108, email
address [email protected], or the address provided above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps Galveston District intends to
prepare an EIS for the proposed Harris Reservoir Expansion Project
located in Brazoria County, Texas. The proposed Project would include
the construction of a 1,929-acre impoundment with a nominal storage
capacity of 50,000 acre-feet, an intake and pump station to divert
Dow's existing surface water rights from the Brazos River, an outlet to
Oyster Creek, and an emergency spillway. The Project would also include
floodplain enhancements on Oyster Creek, stream restoration, and
temporary construction staging and laydown areas. As part of the
Department of the Army permit application process, a public notice was
issued on March 2, 2018. The purpose of the public notice was to
initiate an early public scoping process to solicit comments and
information from the public as well as state and federal agencies to
better enable us to make a reasonable decision on factors affecting the
public interest. All comments received to date, including those
provided for review during the public notice comment period, will be
considered by the Galveston District during EIS preparation.
1. Scoping Process/Public Involvement: The Corps invites all
affected federal, state, and local agencies, affected Native American
Tribes, other interested parties, and the
[[Page 19461]]
general public to participate in the NEPA process during development of
the EIS. The purpose of the public scoping process is to provide
information to the public, narrow the scope of analysis to significant
environmental issues, serve as a mechanism to solicit agency and public
input on alternatives and issues of concern, and ensure full and open
participation in scoping for the Draft EIS. To ensure that all of the
issues related to this proposed project are addressed, the Corps will
conduct public scoping meeting(s) in which agencies, organizations, and
members of the general public are invited to present comments or
suggestions with regard to the range of actions, alternatives, and
potential impacts to be considered in the EIS. The scoping meeting will
begin with an informal open house including a presentation of the
proposed action and a description of the NEPA process. These will be
held in person, or virtually, as determined by the Agency. Comments
will be accepted for 14 days following the scoping meeting. Displays
and other forms of information about the proposed action will be
available, and the Corps and Dow personnel will be present at the
informal session to discuss the proposed project and the EIS Process.
The Corps invites comments on the proposed scope and content of the EIS
from all interested parties. Verbal transcribers will be available at
the scoping meeting to accept verbal comments. A time limit will be
imposed on verbal comments. Written comments may be submitted prior,
during, or up to 14 days after the scoping meeting. The specific dates,
times, and locations of the meetings will be published in press
releases, special public notices and on the Corps' project website:
https://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Business-With-Us/Regulatory/Special-Projects-Environmental-Impact-Statements/.
2. Project Background: The proposed Project would consist of the
following:
Component 1: Construction of an approximately 50,000-acre-foot off-
channel impoundment reservoir would be located directly upstream and
adjacent to the existing Harris Reservoir, referred to as the Harris
Reservoir Expansion. The proposed reservoir would cover approximately
2,000 acres and would include a pumped intake station on the Brazos
River and gravity outfall to Oyster Creek via a new bypass channel that
would be constructed. The proposed reservoir would operate with the
existing Harris and Brazoria Reservoirs in a manner similar to current
operations. During periods of drought, the proposed reservoir would be
exhausted first, followed by the existing Harris Reservoir, and then
the Brazoria Reservoir. As with current operations, emergency releases
would occur because of severe weather, such as tropical storms and
hurricanes with wind speeds that can overtop the embankments.
Component 2: As part of the proposed Project, Oyster Creek
restoration is planned under three projects (referred to as Projects 1,
2, and 3) to enhance the flood capacity and to provide riparian
restoration and enhancements. Stream restoration projects comprise
bankfull benching, 100-foot buffer preservation, and buffer re-
establishment out to 200 feet. Project 1 is located on a 3,600-linear-
foot unnamed tributary to Oyster Creek, and Project 2 is located on a
12,860-linear-foot segment of Oyster Creek. Project 3, located on an
11,200-linear-foot segment of Oyster Creek, would serve as a receiving
channel conveying overflows from Oyster Creek during high flows by
providing additional hydraulic conveyance capacity in the floodplain,
and would provide additional flood storage capacity by receiving
backwater from Oyster Creek at the downstream end of Project 3 during
flood events.
Planning: In response to public concerns on potential impacts to
floodplains and hydrology raised during the 2018 Public Notice scoping
period, Dow prepared the following studies:
(i) A geomorphic assessment of Oyster Creek that applied Rosgen
Stream Classification Levels I, II, and III. The assessment was used to
develop the proposed Oyster Creek enhancement prescriptions.
(ii) A Level I and II stream condition assessment to determine the
functions and values for wetlands and waters of the U.S. that would be
affected as a result of reservoir and associated facility placement.
(iii) A hydrology and hydraulic modeling report using HEC-HMS,
RiverwareTM, and HEC-RAS models. HEC-HMS provides hydrologic
modeling, RiverwareTM provides reservoir operational
modeling, and HEC-RAS provides hydraulic modeling. The modeling and
analysis focused on drought conditions during the life of the proposed
Project.
(iv) Planning-level floodplain analysis and modeling for areas
downstream of the proposed Project to confirm the floodplain storage
changes that would occur if the proposed Project is implemented.
(v) An updated interim hydrogeomorphic functional assessment to
determine the functional capacities of wetlands and waters of the U.S.
within the proposed Project site.
(vi) Other planning studies, including a Phase I Environmental Site
Assessment.
Mitigation: Since the Public Notice was issued, additional wetland
delineation work was conducted in September 2019 that included
preparation of a functional assessment and stream assessment referred
to above. The Corps verified that wetland delineation on October 10,
2019. A conceptual mitigation plan was submitted with the Section 404
Permit application in 2018 to address compensation of unavoidable
impacts to waters of the U.S. The conceptual mitigation plan will be
revised based on the verified wetland delineation and results of the
functional assessment and stream assessments and as part of the EIS
development.
3. Location: The project site is located between the Brazos River
and Oyster Creek approximately eight miles northwest of the City of
Angleton and abuts the Brazos River. The project can be located on the
U.S.G.S. quadrangle map titled: OTEY, Texas.
4. Purpose and Need: The purpose of the proposed Project is to
utilize Dow's existing run-of-river water rights from the Brazos River
to improve reliability during extended drought conditions for the
existing water supply system that serves Dow's Texas Operations in
Freeport as well as other industrial, community and potable water users
that rely on Dow's water supply. Based on modeling, Dow estimates that
a total of 78,000 acre-feet of water storage capacity is necessary to
provide Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's recommended 180
days of drought resilience. The current combined storage capacity in
the existing Brazoria and Harris reservoirs is approximately 29,000
acre-feet. Therefore, Dow will need to develop the Harris Reservoir
Expansion Reservoir to provide an additional storage capacity of at
least 49,000 to provide a reliable water supply during drought.
5. Alternatives: An evaluation of alternatives to Dow's preferred
alternative initially being considered includes a No Action
alternative; alternatives that would avoid, minimize, and compensate
for impacts to the environment within the proposed Project footprint;
alternatives that would avoid, minimize, and compensate for impacts to
the environment outside the footprint; alternatives using alternative
practices; and other reasonable alternatives that will be developed
through the Project scoping process, which may also meet the identified
purpose and need.
[[Page 19462]]
6. Public Involvement: The purpose of the public scoping process is
used to determine relevant issues that will influence the scope of the
environmental analysis and EIS alternatives. General concerns in the
following categories have been identified to date: Waters of the U.S.
including wetlands, water quality, sedimentation and erosion, hydrology
and flood hazards, water rights, wildlife and aquatic species,
migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, invasive species,
air quality, environmental justice, socioeconomic environment,
archaeological and cultural resources, navigation and recreational
resources, hazardous waste and materials, public health and safety,
downstream and off-site impacts, and cumulative impacts. All parties
who express interest will be given an opportunity to participate in the
process.
7. Coordination: The proposed action is being coordinated with a
number of federal, state, regional, and local agencies, including the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (a cooperating agency under NEPA),
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service,
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas General Land Office,
and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
8. Availability of Draft EIS and Scoping: The draft EIS is
estimated to be available for public review and comment no sooner than
the spring of 2021. At that time a 45-day public review period will be
provided for individuals and agencies to review and comment on the
DEIS.
Pete G. Perez,
Director, Programs Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2020-07315 Filed 4-6-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
