Army Department October 25, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Army announces the availability of the Final PEIS for the growth and realignment of the U.S. Army. Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of the Army has prepared a PEIS that evaluates the potential environmental and socioeconomic effects associated with alternatives for growing and realigning the Army's force structure. The Army's preferred alternative identified in the Final PEIS is Alternative 3 which will allow the Army to grow and restructure its forces to accommodate modular forces initiatives and critical shortfalls, while adding six Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) to the Army's end strength. Potential impacts have been analyzed at installations that are being considered for the stationing of 1,000 or more additional Soldiers.

The purpose of the project is to reconstruct and rehabilitate Reach 1 of the Herbert Hoover Dike to prevent catastrophic failure of the system to retain the waters of Lake Okeechobee. On July 8, 2005, the Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) issued a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) for the Major Rehabilitation actions proposed for Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD), Reach One. Herbert Hoover Dike is the levee that completely surrounds Lake Okeechobee. On September 23, 2005, a Record of Decision was signed adopting the preferred alternative as the Selected Plan for Reach One. As plans and specifications were developed for Reach 1, it became apparent that the cut-off wall with seepage berm alternative would not work for all of Reach 1. The alternative for Reach 1 will be a combination of one or more of the following features dependent on the geology and adjacent land factors with the cut-off wall: Seepage Berm, Relief Trench, Soil Replacement Wedge, Relief Wells, Drainage Feature and Sand Columns. Reach 1 of the HHD extends for approximately 22.5 miles within Martin and Palm Beach Counties, from the St. Lucie Canal at Port Mayaca, south to the Hillsboro Canal at Belle Glade, FL. This study is a cooperative effort between the Corps and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).