[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 68 (Friday, April 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18316-18317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8674]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the John Redmond Lake Reallocation Study, Kansas

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense.

ACTION:  Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY:  The purpose of the EIS is to address alternatives and impacts 
pertaining to reallocation of water storage at John Redmond Lake, 
Kansas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Questions or comments concerning the 
proposed action should be addressed to Mr. David L. Combs, Chief, 
Environmental Analysis and Compliance Branch, 1645 South 101st East 
Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74128-4629, telephone 918-669-7660, e-mail: 
David L. [email protected].

[[Page 18317]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  John Redmond Lake was authorized by the 
Flood Control Act approved May 17, 1950, Public Law 81-516a; Project 
Document HD 442, 80th Congress, 2d Session. Public Law 85-327, dated 
February 15, 1958, changed the project name from Strawn Dam to John 
Redmond Dam and Reservoir. It is located on the Grand (Neosho) River at 
river mile 343.7, about 3 miles northwest of Burlington in Coffey 
County, Kansas. Project purposes include flood control, water supply, 
water quality, and recreation. Closure of the embankment was completed 
in September 1963 and the project was completed for full flood control 
operation in September 1964.
    In 1975, the state of Kansas and the Federal government entered 
into a water supply agreement for an estimated 34,900 acre-feet of 
storage remaining after 50 years of sedimentation. After the agreement 
was signed, it was determined that sediment was entering the lake 
unevenly from what had been predicted. Over time, sedimentation in the 
lake has changed the amount of storage the lake has for flood control, 
water supply and other purposes. Storage available for water supply 
purposes in the lake has been depleted by sediment distribution such 
that the water supply agreement obligations are being infringed upon.
    Most of the sediment deposited in the lake pool has been below 
elevation 1039.0 (top of conservation pool), National Geodetic Vertical 
Datum (NGVD). Based on the Corps sediment surveys for 1964-1993, it was 
predicted that adequate storage would be available below elevation 
1068.0 feet NGVD (top of flood control pool) at the end of the economic 
life of the project (Year 2014) to meet all authorized project 
purposes. However, the top of the conservation pool should ultimately 
be established at a higher elevation to reapportion equitably the 
storage between the conservation and flood control pools.
    When a lake is designed, each pool (flood control, conservation, 
sediment) is designed to capture a proportionate amount of sediment. In 
the case of John Redmond, the sediment load has been as predicted; 
however, the sediment is accumulating in the conservation pool while 
the flood control pool has experienced less than expected sedimentation 
losses.
    The reallocation study and EIS will focus on ways to accommodate 
for the uneven distribution of sediment within the lake and evaluate a 
number of alternatives. Alternatives presently identified include the 
no action plan, which follows the current operational practices and 
another alternative to raise the lake's conservation pool to 
accommodate for sediment buildup. This alternative includes a 2-foot 
pool rise with the intentions of raising the conservation pool to 
elevation 1040.0 feet NGVD and using a phased pool raise of the 
remaining one-foot, in one-half foot pool increments.
    The EIS will evaluate the effects of alternatives on the authorized 
project purposes and other identified concerns. Significant issues to 
be addressed in the EIS include: (1) potential impacts to the Flint 
Hills National Wildlife Refuge; (2) impacts on recreation and 
recreation facilities; (3) impacts on structure of the dam; (4) impacts 
on fish and wildlife resources within and also above and below the 
lake; (5) impacts on downstream flows on the Neosho River; and (6) 
other impacts identified by the public, agencies, or Corps studies.
    Scoping meetings for the project are planned to be conducted in 
March and April 2000. News releases informing the public and local, 
state, and Federal agencies of the proposed action will be published in 
local newspapers. Comments received as a result of this notice and the 
news releases will be used to assist the Tulsa District in identifying 
potential impacts to the quality of the human or natural environment. 
Affected local, state, or Federal agencies, affected Indian tribes, and 
other interested private organizations and parties may participate in 
the Scoping process by forwarding written comments to the above noted 
address or attending Scoping meetings.
    The draft EIS (DEIS) is expected to be available for public review 
and comment by September 2001. Any comments and suggestions should be 
forwarded to the above noted address no later than June 1, 2000, to be 
considered in the DEIS.

    Dated: March 27, 2000.
Leonardo V. Flor,
Colonel, U.S. Army District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 00-8674 Filed 4-6-00; 8:45 am]
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