[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 75 (Friday, April 18, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19099-19101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10045]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


City of Albany, Kentucky, Cagle Water Expansion Project; Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft environmental impact statement 
and notice of public meeting.

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[[Page 19100]]

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 
is issuing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) related to the 
proposed potable water treatment plant expansion in Albany, Kentucky. 
The Draft EIS was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et seq.) in accordance with the 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing the 
procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and Agency 
regulations (7 CFR part 1940-G). RUS invites comments on the Draft EIS.
    The purpose of this Draft EIS is to evaluate the environmental 
impacts of the proposal to expand Albany's potable water treatment 
plant to increase its treatment capacity from 2.0 million gallons daily 
(MGD) to 5.0 MGD. As a result of the action, Cagle's, Inc., plans to 
build a poultry processing plant in Clinton County, Kentucky. Support 
operations such as a feed mill, hatchery, poultry farms, and associated 
utility lines would be built in the region. The Clinton County 
Industrial Park would also be built as a result of the water plant 
expansion.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft EIS will be accepted on or before 
June 9, 1997.

ADDRESSES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: To send comments or for more 
information, contact: Mark S. Plank, USDA, Rural Utilities Service, 
Engineering and Environmental Staff, 1400 Independence Avenue, Mail 
Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250, telephone (202) 720-1649, fax (202) 
720-0820, or e-mail: [email protected].
    Comments may also be made from Kentucky and Tennessee only, by 
calling 1-800-444-9765.
    A copy of the Draft EIS can be obtained over the Internet at http:/
/www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/ees.htm. The file is in a portable document 
format (pdf); in order to review the document, users need to obtain a 
free copy of Acrobat Reader. The Acrobat Reader can be obtained from 
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html.
    Copies of the Draft EIS will be available for public review during 
normal business hours at the following locations:

Clinton County Public Library, 205 Burkeville Road, Albany, KY 40601, 
(606) 387-5989
Goodnight Memorial Library, 203 South Main, Franklin, KY 42134, (502) 
586-8397
Simpson County Extension Service, 300 N. Main Street, Franklin, KY 
42134, (502) 586-4484
Warren County Extension Service, 1117 Cabell Drive, Bowling Green, KY 
42102-1018, (502) 842-1681
Bowling Green Public Library, 1225 State Street, Bowling Green, KY 
42102, (502) 843-1438
Helm-Cravers Library, 1 Big Red Way, Western Kentucky University, 
Bowling Green, KY 42101, (502) 745-3951

PUBLIC MEETING: A public meeting to solicit review comments will be 
held on April 29, 1997, at the Clinton County High School, at 4 p.m. 
and 7 p.m. Agencies, organizations, and the general public are invited 
to participate in the meeting and to offer comments on the Draft EIS. 
Oral statements will be heard and transcribed by a stenographer. 
However, to ensure accuracy of the record, RUS requests that statements 
also be submitted in writing. All statements, both oral and in writing, 
will become part of the public record on this study. All comments 
submitted by mail must be postmarked by no later than June 9, 1997 to 
become part of the public record.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The City of Albany, located in south-central 
Kentucky, applied for Federal financial assistance to expand its 
potable water treatment plant on September 5, 1996. This action is a 
part of a Federal program that empowers depressed rural communities to 
develop economically through a government and private business 
partnership. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Utilities 
Service (RUS), announced its intent on November 29, 1996, to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed expansion.
    This EIS is the evaluation of the potential impacts on the 
environment from the proposed potable water treatment plant expansion. 
In addition, the EIS considers the potential environmental impacts from 
the construction and operation of industries that would locate in the 
Albany, Kentucky area as a result of the expansion. Cagle's, Inc., 
plans to build a poultry processing facility in the area. This would 
require construction of support operations such as a feed mill, 
hatchery, poultry farms, and associated utility lines or ancillary 
systems. The Clinton County Industrial Park is also proposed as a 
result of the expansion, even though no specific plans have been made 
for the industrial park.
    In preparing this EIS, the study team considered several 
alternatives to the proposed action, but most were considered unlikely, 
impracticable, or unreasonable. Therefore, this EIS evaluates in depth 
only two alternatives: the proposed action to expand the potable water 
treatment plant and the no action alternative.
    The affected environment of the proposed facilities consists of 
rural settings that are dominated by agricultural operations. The 
proposed expansion would require building a new potable water treatment 
plant next to the existing plant. This would increase the overall raw 
water treatment capacity from 2 million gallons per day to 5 million 
gallons per day. The raw water would be drawn from Lake Cumberland, a 
major recreational lake in the area.
    The proposed poultry processing facility would be located about 3 
miles from Lake Cumberland. The proposed poultry processing facility 
would use an on-site no discharge wastewater treatment system that 
would spray irrigate treated water on a hay farm. No wastewater would 
be directly discharged to Indian Creek, which drains into Lake 
Cumberland. A feed mill and hatchery would be located about 70 miles 
due west of the poultry processing facility, with poultry farms likely 
to span throughout fifteen counties in Kentucky and Tennessee. The 
Clinton County Industrial Park would be located about four miles south 
of the proposed raw water treatment plant.
    The EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts from the 
construction and operation of the various proposed facilities and 
associated utility lines. Construction and operation of the proposed 
facilities and utility lines would have no significant impact on 
biological resources, noise, aesthetics, and air quality of the region.
    Construction of the facilities and utility lines would use best 
management practices to control erosion, runoff, and sedimentation, as 
required by Kentucky regulations. Therefore, minimal impacts on soils 
and surface water would occur. The geology of the area consists largely 
of limestone, containing sinkholes, crevices, and caves. Therefore, to 
minimize the risk of problems associated with sinkholes, subsurface 
investigations would have to be used to help determine the exact siting 
of buildings, lagoons, and the other facilities.
    Operation of the proposed potable water treatment plant would have 
little impact on Lake Cumberland's water capacity. The proposed spray 
irrigation of treated water at the poultry processing facility would 
have no

[[Page 19101]]

significant impact on soils or surface and groundwater. However, a 
monitoring program for soils, surface, and groundwater would be set up 
to assess any potential long-term effects. The proposed feed mill and 
hatchery would have minimal impact on the environment since its 
wastewater would be discharged to a local municipal sewer.
    Disposal of poultry wastes from the poultry processing facility and 
poultry farms would use best management practices as required by the 
Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Plan, which is in the process of 
being implemented. Each new agriculture operation would need to comply 
with the plan. The plan also includes long-term monitoring of the 
state's water quality to evaluate the effectiveness of the best 
management practices. Therefore, no significant impacts on water 
quality are expected.
    For most of the proposed facility areas, no significant cultural 
resources have been found. However, an ongoing archaeological 
investigation is being conducted at the poultry processing facility 
site to recover any significant archaeological resources. The site is 
expected to receive clearance from the State Historical Preservation 
Officer before any construction activity would begin.
    Most of the socioeconomic effects would result from the 
construction and operation of the poultry processing facility and its 
support operations. The proposed poultry farming operations would be 
consistent with U.S. Department of Agriculture's family farming policy. 
The projected industrial growth in the area would result in increased 
employment and income. This would in turn stimulate economic growth of 
this low-income area. No significant impact on the transportation 
system in the region is expected.
    The proposed Clinton County Industrial Park would be able to 
accommodate businesses interested in locating to the area in the 
future. This would further stimulate economic growth in the area.
    The construction and operation of the proposed facilities and 
utility lines would meet all federal, state, and local regulations and 
permitting requirements. Best management practices for construction 
activities and poultry farming operations would prevent any 
significantly adverse impacts on the environment. Funding of the 
potable water treatment plant is the preferred alternative at this 
time.
    The No Action Alternative is not to award Federal financial 
assistance to the City of Albany. If the No Action Alternative is 
chosen, the potential environmental effects of the various proposed 
facilities, discussed above, would not occur. However, potential 
economic development in the area would not be realized, and the goals 
of the federal assistance program would not be met. The area would 
continue to suffer from high unemployment, poverty, and dependence on 
Federal and State entitlements.

    Dated: April 11, 1997.
John P. Romano,
Deputy Administrator, Water and Environmental Program.
[FR Doc. 97-10045 Filed 4-17-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P