[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 165 (Thursday, August 24, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51595-51596]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21654]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent To Prepare Draft Supplement No. 1 to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement [FEIS] for Operation and Maintenance, 
Lake Greeson, Lake Ouachita, and DeGray Lake, Arkansas

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of the proposed action is to evaluate the 
environmental impacts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed 
continued operation and maintenance activities at Lake Greeson, Lake 
Ouachita, and DeGray Lake, Arkansas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Wendell King (telephone (601) 631-
5967), CEMVK-PP-PQ, 4155 Clay Street, Vicksburg, Mississippi 39183-
3435.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Lake Greeson, Lake Ouachita, and DeGray Lake 
are part of a comprehensive plan for flood control, navigation, and 
hydroelectric power production for the Ouachita River Basin. Lake 
Greeson is located on the Little Missouri River in Pike County, 
Arkansas, 6 miles north of Murfreesboro, and 64 miles southwest of Hot 
Springs. Lake Ouachita is located on the Ouachita River in Garland and

[[Page 51596]]

Montgomery Counties, Arkansas, 13 miles west of Hot Springs. DeGray 
Lake is located on the Caddo River in Clark and Hot Spring Counties, 
Arkansas, 8 miles north of Arkadelphia.
    Lake Greeson was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 18 August 
1941, Public Law 228, 77th Congress, 1st Session, as amended by the 
Flood Control Act of 22 December 1944. It is now officially named 
``Narrows Dam-Lake Greeson.'' Lake Ouachita was authorized by the Flood 
Control Act of 22 December 1944, Public Law 534, 78th Congress, Chapter 
655, 2nd Session, House Report No. 4485, which adopted the plan as set 
forth in House Document No. 647. It is now officially ``Blakely 
Mountain Dam-Lake Ouachita.'' DeGray Lake was authorized by Congress in 
the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1950.
    The authorized purposes of Lake Greeson and Lake Ouachita are flood 
control and hydroelectric power production. This authority was amended 
by Section 4 of the Flood Control Act of 1944 to include public 
recreation on these projects. Authority to construct, maintain, and 
operate public parks and recreational facilities at water resource 
development projects under the control of the Department of the Army 
was granted under section 207 of the Flood Control Act of 1962. The 
authorized purposes of DeGray Lake are flood control, hydroelectric 
power, water supply, navigation, and recreation. Lake Greeson became 
operational in 1950; Lake Ouachita became operational in 1953; and 
DeGray Lake was placed into operation in 1972.
    The FEIS for Operation and Maintenance, Lake Greeson, lake 
Ouachita, and DeGray Lake, Arkansas, was completed by the Corps in 
September 1977. The proposed action will evaluate the environmental 
impacts of Corps continued conduct of operation and maintenance 
activities in support of the authorized project purposes for the lakes.
    The significant issues tentatively identified for evaluation of the 
environmental impacts of operation and maintenance activities include 
(1) impacts of flood control storage, (2) impacts of hydroelectric 
generation, (3) impacts to water supply storage, and (4) impacts to 
resource management, including concession expansions.
    The National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR part 1501.7) requires 
all Federal agencies preparing EIS's to conduct a process termed 
``scoping.'' This scoping process determines the issues to be addressed 
and identifies the significant issues related to a proposed action. To 
accomplish this, public scoping meetings are tentatively scheduled to 
be held in Arkansas in September 2000. The Environmental Protection 
Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation 
Service, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, and Arkansas 
Game and Fish Commission will be invited to become cooperating 
agencies. All interested agencies, groups, tribes,and individuals will 
be sent copies of the Draft Supplemental EIS and FEIS.
    The Draft Supplemental EIS is scheduled to be completed in October 
2001.

Robert Crear,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 00-21654 Filed 8-23-00; 8:45 am]
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