[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 221 (Thursday, November 15, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57428-57429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28674]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Availability Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 
Greers Ferry Lake Shoreline Management Plan, Arkansas

AGENCY: Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (as amended), the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (USACE), Little Rock District, has prepared a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed implementation 
of a revised Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) at Greers Ferry Lake, 
Heber Springs, Arkansas. This DEIS is being made available for a 60-day 
public comment period.

DATES: A public meeting for receiving comments on the DEIS will be held 
on December 4, 2001, at the Brighton Park Hotel Conference Center in 
Heber Springs, Arkansas. Written comments on the DEIS should be 
submitted on or before January 18, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions or comments concerning the 
DEIS should be addressed to Ms. Tricia Anslow, Project Manager, 
Planning Branch, PO Box 867, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-0867, 
telephone 501-324-5032, E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Setting

    The Greers Ferry Lake Project area is in the foothills of the Ozard 
Mountains in north-central Arkansas. The project area is approximately 
65 miles from Little Rock, Arkansas, and 130 miles from Memphis, 
Tennessee. The lake lies within Cleburne and Van Buren Counties. Large 
portions of Stone and Searcy Counties and small portions of Pope and 
Conway counties also fall within the lake's watershed. The area around 
the lake is principally rural in character. More than 80 percent of the 
land in the watershed is forested, and 12 percent is agricultural. 
Greers Ferry Lake was constructed between March 1959 and July 1964. The 
project area includes 45,548 acres (slightly more than 71 square 
miles). Within the project area, the government owns flowage easements 
over 4,634 acres. The lake's waters cover 31,500 acres when measured at 
the ``conservation pool'' level of 461 feet above mean sea level. When 
waters must be held to prevent flooding of areas below the dam, the 
surface of the lake may rise to 487 feet above mean sea level. When 
this happens, the lake's surface area increases to 40,500 acres, and 
adjacent lands subject to the flowage easements become inundated.

Background

    The Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, published a Notice 
of Intent in the Federal Register (65 FR 51299-51300, Aug. 23, 2000) 
stating its intent to prepare an EIS for a proposed revision of the 
Greers Ferry Lake Shoreline Management Plan (SMP). The SMP is a 
comprehensive plan for managing the shoreline at Greers Ferry Lake. The 
SMP is required by Federal regulations found at Title 36 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR), Sec. 327.30, which contain a set of 
requirements for a periodic SMP review. The current version of the 
Greers Ferry Lake SMP became effective on November 21, 1994. The 
proposed SMP would revise various elements of the 1994 SMP. These 
elements include zoning of limited development area, vegetation 
modification, provisions for grandfathered docks, and restrictions on 
boats with sleeping quarters and/or marine sanitation devices. As part 
of its decision-making process, the Corps is preparing an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) to determine the potential environmental effects 
of implementing a revised SMP.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    The Corps policy at Greers Ferry Lake is to protect and manage 
project shorelines in a manner that promotes safe and healthful use by 
the public while maintaining environmental safeguards to ensure a 
quality resource. Consistent with Corps policy and the purpose and need 
for the proposed action, the Little Rock District and the Greers Ferry 
Project Office propose to implement a revision of the Greers Ferry Lake 
SMP following review of pubic comments and appropriate environmental 
impact analysis. The SMP would adhere to Corps policy and Title 36 of 
the CFR, cited previously. The DEIS examines four action alternatives 
for revising the SMP and a no action alternative. These alternatives 
are described in the following paragraphs.
     Alternative 1 (No Action Alternative). Under the No Action 
Alternative, the Little Rock District would make no changes to the 
existing 1994 Greers Ferry Lake SMP. No new management elements would 
be adopted, and no existing management elements would be modified. 
Rezoning applications received during the current

[[Page 57429]]

SMP review would not be allowed but would be returned to the applicants 
at the completion of the current review. Applicants would be advised 
that they could reapply during the next review. Permit applications for 
placement of private floating facilities within present Limited 
Development Areas (LDA's) could be approved. Treatment of applications 
concerning grandfathered docks would proceed based on the 1994 SMP, 
which would mean no changes or enlargements. The allowance for 
vegetation modification would permit mowing up to a maximum of 50 feet 
from habitable structures, as currently allowed under the 1994 SMP. 
Restrictions on locations for boats with sleeping quarters and/or 
marine sanitation devices would remain in effect.
    It should be noted that if the No. Action Alternative were adopted, 
no new rezoning requests would be approved during the period that would 
commence following issuance of the ROD upon completion of this EIS. 
However, during future reviews of the SMP, rezoning applications could 
be approved to the extent of the level described in Alternative 5 
(Maximum Modification). It is expected that under No Action, some level 
of growth would occur over a much longer period of time than that 
described under Alternative 3 (No Growth).
     Alternative 2 (Preferred Alternative, Approval of Rezoning 
Requests Meeting the 80 Percent Criteria). Under this alternative, no 
future rezoning requests would be accepted. The 93 rezoning requests 
that met the 80 percent criteria during the 1999 review of the 1994 SMP 
would be allowed. A minimum 50-foot buffer would be established; that 
is, mowing would be prohibited from the vegetated edge of the shoreline 
for 50 feet. This buffer requirement would affect only Corps property. 
Authorization for mowing from habitable structures would be increased 
from 50 to 100 feet, except where is would conflict with the vegetated 
buffer. The project rules on use of boats with sleeping quarters and/or 
marine sanitation devices would defer to State and Federal regulations, 
except that the requirement that such boats be moored at commercial 
docks would remain in effect. Grandfathered docks would be allowed to 
be reconstructed to alternative dimensions, or the locations of 
existing grandfathered docks would be reallocated outside the buffer 
zones or prohibited areas to limited development.
    In designating Alternative 2 as the preferred configuration of key 
SMP elements for incorporation into and implementation through a 
revised SMP, the Little Rock District is guided by Corps regulations 
and policy governing shoreline management plans, the District's 
objectives for the Greers Ferry Lake SMP, public input to the SMP and 
EIS development processes, and court-ordered mandates. The District 
views the Preferred Alternative as the alternative that conforms with 
existing laws and regulations and best balances public uses of lake 
shoreline for recreational opportunity, public safety, and 
environmental protection.
     Alternative 3 (No Growth Alternative). This alternative, 
which is the most restrictive to lake access and recreational use, 
would seek to maintain the Corps land around the lake as it currently 
exists, at least until the next review. Rezoning applications would not 
be accepted. No new shoreline use permits would be allowed. Expiring 
permits could be renewed, but only according to the permit's current 
terms. For example, a two-slip dock permit could be renewed only as a 
two-slip dock permit. It could not be changed to a permit for a 
community dock.) No new permits for vegetation modification would be 
issued, and expiring permits would not be renewed. Restrictions on 
locations for boats with sleeping quarters and/or marine sanitation 
devices would remain in effect.
     Alternative 4 (Approval of Rezoning Requests Meeting the 
90 Percent Criteria). This alternative would implement the same 
measures as described under Alternative 2 (Preferred Alternative); 
however, only rezoning requests that met 90 percent of the rezoning 
criteria would be approved. A minimum 100-foot buffer would be 
established; that is, mowing would be prohibited from the vegetated 
edge of the shoreline for 100 feet.
     Alternative 5 (Maximum Modification). This alternative 
would allow the maximum rezoning from ``protected'' to ``limited 
development.'' The shoreline would be rezoned to increase the LDA's 
from 7 to 33 percent. Rezoning would be based on suitable topography 
(shoreline with a 20 to 49 percent slope). No rezoning requests would 
be accepted or approved at future SMP reviews. Authorization for mowing 
would be increased from 50 to 200 feet from habitable structures. 
Restrictions on use of boats with sleeping quarters and/or marine 
sanitation devices would be abolished, but the requirement for such 
boats to be moored at commercial docks would remain in effect. 
Grandfathered docks would be allowed to be reconstructed to alternative 
dimensions, or the locations of existing grandfathered docks would be 
reallocated outside the buffer zones or published areas.

DEIS Availability

    The DEIS will be available for public review at the following 
locations:
    1. Cleburne County Library, 1010 West Searcy, Heber Springs, AR 
72543.
    2. Greers Ferry Public Library, 8743 Edgemont Road, Greers Ferry, 
AR 72067.
    3. Central Arkansas Main Library, 100 Rock Street, Little Rock, AR 
72203.
    4. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 700 West Capital, ATTN: CESWL-PR-
P, Little Rock, AR 72203.
    5. Van Buren County Library, ATTN: Ms. Karla Fultz, 110 Page 
Street, Clinton, AR 72031.
    6. Laman Library, 2801 N Orange, North Little Rock, AR 72114.
    7. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 700 Heber Springs Rd. North, 
Greers Ferry Project Office, Heber Springs, AR 72543.

Commenting

    Comments received in response to this DEIS, including names and 
addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public 
record. Comments submitted anonymously will also be accepted and 
considered. Pursuant to Title 7 of the CFR 1.27(d), any person may 
request that the Corps withhold a submission from the public record if 
he or she can demonstrate that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 
permits such confidentiality. Persons requesting such confidentiality 
should be aware that, under FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in 
only very limited circumstances, such as toe protect trade secrets. The 
Corps will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the 
request for confidentiality. If the request is denied, the Corps will 
return the submission with notification that the comments may be 
resubmitted either with or without the commentor's name and address. 
Affected local, State, or Federal agencies, affected American Indian 
tribes, and other interested private organizations and parties may 
participate in the review process by forwarding written comments to the 
address given previously or by attending the pubic meeting.

Luz D. Ortiz,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-28674 Filed 11-14-01; 8:45 am]
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