Engineers Corps May 5, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a Final Biological Opinion for the Modified Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park Project (MWD Project), the C-111 Project, and the Experimental Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park Project. FWS concluded that the operations, if continued, would likely jeopardize the continued existence of the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow and adversely modify its critical habitat. In response, the Corps implemented an Interim Structural and Operational Plan (ISOP) in March 2000, followed by the Interim Operating Plan (IOP) in July 2002. These operations were designed to protect the sparrow pending completion of construction of the MWD Project and the C-111 Project. Because of the urgency to implement IOP in time for the next sparrow breeding season, the IOP Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was completed prior to conclusion of modeling that supported the selected plan. Pursuant to a March 2006 order by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Corps will be preparing a supplement to the IOP FEIS. The Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) will update the FEIS with the modeling for the selected alternative, which was completed in November 2002, as well as actual data collected since the May 2002 FEIS. In addition the SEIS will update its analysis of the default condition for the reservoirs.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Huntington District will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose potential impacts to the natural, physical, and human environment resulting from modifications to Dover Dam. This high hazard dam does not conform to current design standards related to stability and sliding during a probable maximum flood. Modifications will be performed so the Dam will meet these standards.