[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 131 (Monday, July 10, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35576-35577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-16847]



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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement: Lamar County Alabama Water Supply 
Development

AGENCIES: Tennessee Valley Authority and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers (COE) will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
on water supply development for Lamar County, Alabama, located in west 
central Alabama. This EIS will consider a range of alternatives to 
provide an adequate and reliable water supply for the Lamar County 
area. Alternatives to be considered will include one or a combination 
of the following: construction of a surface impoundment on a tributary 
of Yellow Creek; installation of one or more water pipelines from 
existing reservoirs or streams, use of groundwater wells; direct 
withdrawal and storage from Yellow Creek; the no action alternative; 
and other alternatives identified during the scoping process. With this 
notice, TVA and the COE invite comments on the scope of this EIS. This 
notice is provided in accordance with the procedural requirements of 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as well as TVA's and the 
COE's implementing procedures.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS must be received at the 
address below on or before December 15, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Dale V. Wilhelm, NEPA Liaison, 
Tennessee Valley Authority, WT 8C, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, 
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jack L. Davis, Manager, Water Resource Projects, Tennessee Valley 
Authority, WT 10C, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 
37902-1499, phone (615) 632-7183.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Tennessee Valley Authority and Lamar 
County in West Central Alabama are addressing the water supply needs 
for the County, in order to assure a safe and reliable water supply for 
the future.
    At this time, Lamar County has abundant reserves of both surface 
and groundwater which are sufficient to meet the needs for the County. 
However, a county-wide study of development patterns, land use, and 
potential for contamination of existing groundwater sources indicates a 
high potential for contamination of groundwater from human activities. 
One well at Sulligent, Alabama, in the northern part of Lamar County, 
has already been abandoned as a result of groundwater contamination.
    Any new water supply for Lamar County must: (1) Provide sufficient 
water to serve an expected increased growth, (2) be of good water 
quality and, (3) be from reliable water sources. It must be sufficient 
to provide water during peak demands and drought cycles, and it must be 
free of contamination. At the present time, groundwater, including the 
County public water system (which depends 100 percent on groundwater) 
and private wells, provides 93 percent of Lamar County's drinking 
water. Currently, there is a potential for groundwater contamination 
from natural sources and from human activities such as waste disposal, 
use of pesticides, underground storage tanks, and spills. The 
Tuscaloosa aquifer, on which the County depends almost exclusively for 
its water needs, is overlaid by permeable soils that allow infiltration 
and make the aquifer vulnerable to potential contamination. The water 
from the primary groundwater well is also high in iron. For these 
reasons, an alternative surface water supply is being considered.
    TVA and Lamar County will evaluate alternatives to meet the water 
supply needs of the area. These analyses of water supply needs will 
include domestic, industrial, agricultural uses, and water quality. For 
planning purposes, projected benefits and costs will be evaluated for a 
30 to 50 year period, depending on the alternative under consideration. 
Conservation effects on water use will also be considered.
    The first step in the preparation of the EIS will be the 
determination of the scope of the EIS. It is anticipated that the scope 
will include possible construction of a surface impoundment on a 
tributary of Yellow Creek, installation of one or more water pipelines 
from existing reservoirs, in 

[[Page 35577]]
stream flow withdrawals, pumped storage, or a combination of any of 
these. Different design concepts will also be addressed. In addition, 
as required by NEPA, the no action alternative will also be analyzed. 
One alternative, construction of a surface impoundment directly on 
Yellow Creek will not be considered at this time because of the 
potential impacts to large areas of regulated wetlands. Potentially 
important issues for discussion in the EIS include:
    1. Effects on stream discharge, water quality, and availability;
    2. Impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecology, including threatened 
and endangered species and habitat loss;
    3. Impacts on floodplains, wetlands, recreation, and existing land 
uses; and
    4. Socioeconomic, historic, archeological, and cultural effects 
associated with completion of the project and alternatives to it.
    This list is not intended to be all inclusive, nor is it intended 
to be a predetermination of impacts. As scoping and preparation of the 
EIS proceeds, other issues may be revealed which will necessitate 
further analyses.
    TVA and COE invite comments on the above issues. Comments are also 
requested on environmental issues which should not be viewed as 
important and which should not be discussed in detail in the EIS.
    Sometime during the scoping period, a public meeting will be held 
in Vernon (Lamar County) to receive comments about the scope of this 
EIS. Details about this meeting will be announced in area newspapers. 
Comments received at this meeting will be accorded the same weight as 
written comments.
    As noted, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Mobile 
District) will participate in this EIS process as a joint lead agency. 
Other Federal Agencies may also become cooperating agencies.
    After the scoping process and the initial environmental analyses 
are completed, TVA and COE will prepare a draft EIS. A Notice of 
Availability of the draft EIS, soliciting public comments, will be 
published in the Federal Register and area newspapers. Those persons 
who choose not to comment on the scope of the document at this time, 
but wish to receive a copy of the draft for their review and comment, 
should write to the above address.

    Dated: June 30, 1995.
Kathryn J. Jackson,
Senior Vice President/Resource Group.
[FR Doc. 95-16847 Filed 7-7-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-01-M