[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 180 (Friday, September 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55947-55948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-23756]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of Army Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Restoration Report and Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Dents Run Acid Mine 
Drainage Restoration Project in Elk County, Pennsylvania

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), the Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has 
initiated the Dents Run Acid Mine Drainage Feasibility Study in Elk 
County, Pennsylvania. The study and project construction will be 
implemented through the Corps' Section 206 Aquatic Ecosystem 
Restoration Authority of the Continuing Authorities Program. The goal 
is to provide environmental habitat and water quality benefits for 
brook trout, other aquatic life, and elk. This study and DEIS will 
include documentation of baseline conditions; an evaluation of the no 
action alternative, and active and passive treatment alternative; and 
an evaluation of the proposed action and associated impacts. The degree 
of restoration will be determined through an assessment of improvement 
to pH and habitat diversity; degree of adverse and beneficial impacts 
to the cultural, environmental, and socio-economic surroundings; and a 
cost-effectiveness and incremental cost analysis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and DEIS can be address to Mr. Greg Nielson, Project Manager, Baltimore 
District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CEN AB-PP-C, P.O. Box 
1715, Baltimore, Maryland 21203-1715, telephone (410) 962-8111. E-mail 
address: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. The study area is the Dents Run watershed, located in Elk 
County, Pennsylvania. Dents Run is a tributary to the Bennetts Branch 
of the Sinnemahoning Creek. The Dents Run Preliminary Restoration Plan 
(PRP) was completed by the Corps in March 1999 and determined that 
there was both Federal and non-Federal interest in pursuing a 
feasibility study and implementation of an environmental restoration 
project to abate acid mine drainage. Previous mining endeavors (both 
deep and strip mines) as early as the late 1800's have rendered the 
streams in the area highly acidic, laden with toxic metals (iron, 
manganese, and aluminum), and created substantial ``dead zones'' within 
the watershed. Aquatic life is nearly non-existent. The PRP identified 
eight site, primarily along Porcupine Run (a tributary to Dents Run) 
for possible abatement that would restore over 5 miles of trout and 
other aquatic species habitat and reclaim over 300 acres of scarred 
mine lands within the Dents Run Watershed.
    2. In June 1999, the Corps began this environmental restoration 
feasibility study to abate acid mine drainage in cooperation with the 
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection--Bureau of 
Abandoned Mine Reclamation and Bureau of Forestry, Pennsylvania Game 
Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bennetts Branch Watershed 
Association, and other agencies and organizations. Preliminary 
alternatives have been identified and are being considered in 
consultation with all interested agencies and stakeholders. To date, 
the alternatives analysis is not complete and a recommended plan has 
not been finalized.
    3. Environmental issues will focus on, but are not limited to, 
effects on air quality, wetlands, water quality; fish and wildlife 
resources (including threatened and endangered species); hazardous, 
toxic, and radioactive waste; aesthetic resources; and cultural 
resources (including archaeological sites and historical architecture). 
Environmental benefits, costs, and impacts will be examined in detail 
to determine what level of restoration is needed and justified. The 
team will evaluate the environmental impacts (both adverse and 
beneficial) of the proposed actions.
    4. The decision to implement these actions will be based on an 
evaluation of the probable impact of the proposed activities on the 
public interest, and will also be based on the national concern for 
protection and utilization of important resources. The benefit that 
reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal will be balanced 
against the project's reasonably foreseeable costs. The Baltimore 
District is preparing a DEIS that will describe the impacts of the 
proposed project on environmental and cultural resources in the study 
area, and the overall public interest. The DEIS will be in accordance 
with NEPA and will document all factors that may be relevant to the 
proposal, including the cumulative effects thereof. If applicable, the 
DEIS will also apply guidelines issued by the Environmental Protection 
Agency,

[[Page 55948]]

under the authority of Section 404(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act of 1977 
(Public Law 95-217).
    5. The public involvement program will include meetings and other 
coordination with interested private individuals and organizations, as 
well as with concerned Federal, state and local agencies as part of the 
scoping process. Additional information inviting the public to 
participate will be provided through print media and mailings.
    6. Other participants that will be involved in the study and DEIS 
process in addition to the Corps, Bennetts Branch Watershed 
Association, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental 
Protection include the following: The U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. 
Geological Survey, Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. National 
Park Service, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania 
Audubon Society, and Canaan Valley Institute. The Baltimore District 
invites potentially affected Federal, state, and local agencies, and 
other organizations and entities to participate in this study.
    8. The Dents Run Environmental Restoration Report and DEIS are 
tentatively scheduled for public review in December 2000.

Robert W. Lindner,
Chief, Planning Division.
[FR Doc. 00-23756 Filed 9-14-00; 8:45 am]
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