[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 119 (Wednesday, June 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 32306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-15104]



[[Page 32306]]

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Study (LORSS) of the 
Central and Southern Florida Project for Flood Control and Other 
Purposes.

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) upon 
completion of the feasibility study and prior to implementation of an 
alternative regulation schedule for Lake Okeechobee, Florida.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposed action and draft EIS can be answered by: 
Mark Ziminske, U.S. Army Engineer District, P.O. Box 4970, 
Jacksonville, Florida 32232-0019; Telephone 904-232-1786.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Lake Okeechobee is a large, shallow, 
subtropical lake, of 1,732 km\2\ surface area located in Central-
South Florida. Lake Okeechobee's drainage basin covers almost 12,000 
km\2\ much of which is agricultural land, dairy and beef cattle to 
the north, and the 280,000 ha Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA; mostly 
sugar, rice, and winter vegetable crops) to the south. Major surface 
water inflows to the lake are from the Kissimmee River, Harney Pond and 
Indian River basins, Fisheating Creek, and Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough. 
Major outflows include evapotransporation, the Caloosahatchee River to 
the west, the St. Lucie Canal to the east, and several canals draining 
into the EAA and south to the Water Conservation Areas and ultimately 
to the Everglades and Florida Bay.
    The scope of this study is to consider a range of regulation 
schedule alternatives for Lake Okeechobee in order to optimize 
environmental benefits at minimal or no impact to the competing project 
purposes, primarily flood control and water supply. The alternatives to 
be considered include: The existing Run 25-3, Run 25-3 with Natural 
System Model (NSM) demands, Run 22 AZE, Run 22 AZE with NSM demands, 
and the Lower East Coast Regional Water Supply Plan (LECRWSP) 
Alternative 1.
    The current regulation schedule (Run 25-3) maintains lake surface 
water elevations ranging from 15.65 feet to 16.75 feet and releases 
water to the estuaries at relatively high lake stages, in a more 
graduated fashion. Run 22 AZE is basically Run 25-3 with the addition 
of a large Zone E, which allows for low level discharges at low stages 
of 13.75 feet to 15.60 feet. The NSM demands put an additional water 
supply demand on Lake Okeechobee by establishing targets for delivering 
water to restore the Everglades to their pre-drainage condition. Runs 
25-3 and 22 AZE with NSM demands would tend to lower the water surface 
in the lake without changing the regulated water levels. The LECRWSP 
Alternative 1 schedule varies from 14.0 feet to 17.0 feet and differs 
significantly from the other schedules described above.
    The scoping process as outlined by the Council on Environmental 
Quality will be utilized to involve Federal, State, and local agencies 
and other interested persons and organizations. A scoping letter will 
be sent to interested Federal, State, and local agencies requesting 
their comments and concerns regarding issues they feel should be 
addressed in the EIS. Interested persons and organizations wishing to 
participate in the scoping process should contact the Corps of 
Engineers at the address above. Significant issues anticipated include 
concern for: water supply, continued flood control, agricultural 
impacts, protection of the lake's environmental resources and its 
downstream estuaries, water quality, and fish and wildlife habitat 
enhancement. Public scoping meetings will be conducted in the future, 
the exact location, dates, and times will be announced in public 
notices and local newspapers.
    It is estimated that the DEIS will be available to the public in 
July 1997.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-15104 Filed 6-20-95; 8:45 am]
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