[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 196 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52699-52700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26798]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Corps of Engineers
Public Notice of Availability for the Final Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement and General Reevaluation Report of the
Green Brook Flood Control Project in the Green Brook Sub-Basin of the
Raritan River Basin, Middlesex, Union and Somerset Counties in the
State of New Jersey
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Army Corps of Engineers, New York District (NYDCOE), in
coordination with the project sponsor, the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection (NJDEP), has conducted a General Reevaluation
Study and prepared a Supplemental Impact Statement for an authorized
flood protection project in the Green Brook Sub-Basin of the Raritan
River in New Jersey. A Final Environmental Impact Statement and a
Record of Decision were prepared for the project in 1980. This report
has been prepared in association with the Reevaluation Study and is a
supplement to the 1980 Final Environmental Impact Statement.
The project proposes to provide flood protection to residents in
Somerset, Middlesex and Union Counties through the use of levees,
flood-proofing, flood walls, detention basins and stream
channelization. The plan also provides for a mitigation plan for
environmental impacts. The project is divided into three separate
portions of the Sub-basin: the upper portion, the lower portion and the
Stony Brook portion. The proposed flood protection measures which were
described in the DSEIS for the upper portion of the Sub-basin have been
deferred at the request of the local sponsor, pending further study.
The Draft Supplement Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) was
filed on January 6, 1997. The DSEIS was released for public review from
January 6, 1997 through March 7, 1997. This review period included four
formal public meetings and numerous informal information sessions with
various groups. The public coordination process confirmed the need for
the project. However, the coordination process identified concerns with
the proposed construction of the detentions basins in the upper portion
of the basin in the Boroughs of Berkeley Heights, Watchung, and Scotch
Plains. The local sponsor, NJDEP, has asked the NYDCOE to defer
construction of the upper portion of the project at this time but to
continue work on the lower and Stony Brook portions of the project.
Accordingly, this final document is considered a decision document for
construction implementation of the lower and Stony Brook portions of
the basin only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Bill Richardson, ATTN: CENAN-PL-ES, Army Corps of Engineers, New
York District, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278-0090, Tel. (212)
264-2199.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Green Brook Sub-basin is a component of the Raritan River
drainage basin in north central New Jersey. The Green Brook Sub-Basin
has a 65 square mile watershed. The Sub-Basin is located between the
Watchung Mountains and the Raritan River in Middlesex, Somerset, and
Union Counties.
In response to resolutions of the United States Senate Public Works
Committee adopted 15 September 1955 and 10 July 1972 to adopt
recommendations for flood control, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
New York District prepared a feasibility report and a final
environmental impact statement in August 1980. A project similar to
``Plan A'' as described in the 1980 feasibility study was authorized
for construction under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986.
The flood problems of the Green Brook Sub-Basin result from a
combination of natural hydrologic and hydraulic features coupled with
dense development within the floodplains. The Green Brook flows
southwest from the slopes of the Watchung Mountains. The path of the
streams within the sub-basin flow from relatively undeveloped mountains
through a broad flat floodplain which is largely suburban and
industrialized. Streams included in the study are: Ambrose Brook, Bound
Brook, Bonygutt Brook, Municipal Brook, Stony Brook, Blue Brook, Cedar
Brook, and Middle Brook. Flood damages in the tri-county basin are
quite severe due to the level of development within the sub-basin.
Notable storms which have caused flood conditions in the sub-basin
occurred in May 1968, August 1971, August 1973, July 1975, September
1979, July 1984, and October 1996.
The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS)
describes in the impacts of the proposed project on environmental and
cultural resources in the study area. The FSEIS also applies guidelines
issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, under the authority of
the Clean Water Act of 1977 (Pub. L. 96-217). An evaluation for the
purposed actions on the waters of the United States was performed
pursuant to the guidelines of the Administrator, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, under authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water
Act. The results of the evaluation are presented in the SEIS.
This Notice of Availability is being sent to organizations and
individuals known to have an interest in the project.
[[Page 52700]]
Please bring this notice to the attention of any other individuals with
an interest in this matter. Copies of the FSEIS and General
Reevaluation Report are available upon request for review at the
following locations:
Berkeley Heights Public Library, 290 Plainfield Avenue, Berkley
Heights, New Jersey.
Bound Brook Public Library, 402 Ease High Street, Bound Brook, New
Jersey.
Bridgewater Public Library, Box 6700, Bridgewater, New Jersey.
Dunellen Public Library, New Market Road, Dunellen, New Jersey.
Fanwood Public Library, North Avenue and Tillotson Road, Fanwood, New
Jersey.
Middlesex Public Library, 1300 Mountain Avenue, Middlesex, New Jersey.
North Plainfield Public Library, 6 Rockview Avenue, North Plainfield,
New Jersey.
Piscataway Public Library, 500 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, New Jersey.
Plainfield Public Library, 8th and Park Avenue, Plainfield, New Jersey.
Scotch Plains Public Library, 1927 Bartle Avenue, Scotch Plains, New
Jersey.
South Plainfield Public Library, 2840 Plainfield Avenue, South
Plainfield, New Jersey.
Summit Public Library, 75 Maple Street, Summit, New Jersey.
Watchung Public Library, 12 Stirling Road, Watchung, New Jersey.
John Sassi, P.E.,
Chief, Planning Division.
[FR Doc. 97-26798 Filed 10-8-97; 8:45 am]
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