[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 135 (Friday, July 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36714-36715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17743]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Corps of Engineers


Notice of Public Scoping Meeting for an Environmental Impact 
Statement, and Request for Comments for the Bluestone Dam Safety 
Assurance Program, Hinton West Virginia

AGENCY: Corps of Engineers, Army.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: a. Under the Policy of Evaluating Modifications of Existing 
Dams Related to Hydrologic and Seismic Adequacy, the Huntington 
District is evaluating alternative measures to modify Bluestone Dam 
consistent with state of the art design criteria. The proposed action 
is being conducted through the Corps' Dam Safety Assurance Program for 
the evaluation of existing dams..

    b. The COE is forming working groups to exchange information with 
known interest groups; businesses; community development; local 
governments; environmental and cultural resources; emergency 
management; and cooperating/regulatory agencies. Membership in these 
working groups is open, and you may participate as a volunteer. 
Meetings are scheduled for:

    Date: July 18, 1996.
    Time: 12:30-2:30 pm--business interest group; 3:00-5:00 pm--
emergency management interest group.
    Place: The Blue & Gold Room, Golf Complex, Pipestem State Park, 
Pipestem WV.

    Date: July 19, 1996.
    Time: 10:00 am-12:00 noon--community development interest group; 
12:30-2:30 pm--cooperating/regulatory agencies; 3:00-5:00 pm--
environmental/cultural resources interest group.
    Place: The Blue & Gold Room, Golf Complex, Pipestem State Park, 
Pipestem WV.

    c. The COE is also holding public scoping meetings as follows:

    Date: August 5, 1996.
    Time: 7:00 pm.
    Place: The Conference Room C, Bldg. 7, State Capital Complex, 
1900 Kanawha Blvd., Charleston, WV.

    Date: August 6, 1996.
    Time: 7:00 pm.
    Place: The Faulconer Room, Main Lodge, Pipestem State Park, 
State Route 20, Pipestem, WV.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please address questions regarding 
this notice to Mr. C . Barry Passmore, PD-R, Huntington District, Corps 
of Engineers, 502 Eighth Street, Huntington, West Virginia 25701-2070, 
Telephone: (304) 529-5712.

.SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: a. The COE has determined that improvements 
to the dam are necessary to accommodate the probable maximum flood 
(PMF). Two dam corrections have been chosen as the most technically 
feasible:
     Alternative 1--Raising the dam to contain the PMF. 
Features of this alternative include: a 22-foot cantilever wall on top 
of the dam; an additional gravity monolith on the east bank; a gate 
closure across state route 20 on the west bank; removable closures at 
each end of the spillway; high-strength multi-strand anchors; and mass 
concrete thrust blocks topped with overburden.
     Alternative 2--Auxiliary Spillway to pass the PMF. 
Features of this alternative include: gated additional spillway over 
the penstocks; four 47' x 48' tainter gates; a flip-bucket energy 
dissipator and training walls; and high-strength multi-strand anchors.
    b. The COE plans no changes from current day-to-day operation of 
the Bluestone Dam following completion of construction of necessary 
modifications.
    c. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the COE to 
take into account the environmental impacts that could result from this 
Federal action. NEPA also requires that the COE discover and address 
concerns the public may have about the proposed project. This occurs 
during the ``scoping'' process. By this Notice, the COE requests public 
comments. All comments received related to the scope of the project are 
considered during the preparation for the EIS.
    d. The EIS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
construction and operation of the proposed project including impacts to 
biological resources, cultural resources, and socioeconomic effects, 
air quality, noise impact, and recreation resources.
    e. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend the 
meetings and to present oral comments on the environmental issues which 
they believe should be addressed in the Draft EIS. Anyone who would 
like to make an oral presentation should telephone or write Barry 
Passmore, the COE contact, before 4:00 pm, July 31, 1996, so that time 
can be allotted during the

[[Page 36715]]

meetings, and a name placed on the speakers' list.
    f. You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your 
specific comments or concerns about this project. Focus on the 
potential environmental effects of the alternatives, and methods to 
avoid or lessen impacts. The more specific your comments, the more 
useful they will be. Comments must be received by August 15, 1996.
    g. The COE will evaluate alternatives and make recommendations on 
how to lessen or avoid impacts. An independent analysis of the issues 
will be presented in the Draft EIS, available in June 1997. A 45-day 
comment period will be allotted for review of the Draft EIS.
    h. State and Federal agencies are asked to indicate whether they 
want to be cooperating agencies for the purpose of producing the EIS. 
Those identified to date include:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency
WV Department of Highways
WV Division of Environmental Protection
WV Division of Natural Resources
WV State Historic Preservation Office

    i. These, or any other Federal, State or local agencies that want 
to participate as a cooperating agency should send a letter describing 
the extent to which you wish to be involved to the contact provided 
with this notice. Please provide written comments by August 15, 1996.
    j. A Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register--March 
11, 1996, Volume 61, No. 48, page 9681.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 96-17743 Filed 7-11-96; 8:45 am]
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