[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50656-50657]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-19707]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Jacksonville 
District, intends to prepare an integrated Project Implementation 
Report/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (PIR/DEIS) for the Lake 
Okeechobee Watershed Project. The study is a cooperative effort between 
the Corps and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), 
which is also a cooperating agency for this DEIS. One of the 
recommendations of the final report of the Central & South Florida 
(C&SF) Comprehensive Review Study (Restudy) was the implementation of 
the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project. This project is intended to 
improve the water quality of Lake Okeechobee and it's tributaries by 
capturing and treating surface water discharges into the watershed, 
while managing optimal water levels necessary to improve the habitats 
within the lake and downstream bodies. This project is a component of 
the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a multi-year effort to 
restore the greater Everglades ecosystem while providing water supply 
and other water-related benefits to South Florida over many decades.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brad Tarr, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Planning Division, Environmental Branch, P.O. Box 4970,

[[Page 50657]]

Jacksonville, FL, 32232-0019, by e-mail [email protected], 
or by telephone at 904-232-3582.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   
    a. Authorization: The authority for this project is contained 
within the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2000. The ``Design 
Agreement between the Department of the Army and the SFWMD for the 
Design of Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the Everglades and 
South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Project'' contains additional 
guidance.
    b. Study Area: Lake Okeechobee lies 30 miles west of the Atlantic 
Ocean and 60 miles east of the Gulf of Mexico, in the central part of 
the Florida peninsula. The Lake is approximately 730 square miles, and 
is the principal natural reservoir in south Florida. The study area 
includes portions of St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee, Glades, and Hendry 
Counties.
    c. Project Scope: The Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project includes 
four separable elements including; North of Lake Okeechobee Storage 
Reservoir, Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough Storage and Treatment Area, Lake 
Okeechobee Watershed Quality Treatment Facilities, and Lake Okeechobee 
Tributary Sediment Dredging. The Restudy recommends the construction of 
14,375 acres of reservoir-assisted stormwater treatment areas, a 17,500 
acre reservoir with a 2,500 acre stormwater treatment area (providing 
up to 210,000 acre-feet of storage), the removal of 150 tons of 
phosphorus from tributaries, and the restoration of approximately 3,500 
acres of wetlands.
    The objectives of the project are to improve the water quality of 
inflows to Lake Okeechobee, store excess water to allow for better 
management of Lake Okeechobee water levels and reduce damaging fresh 
water releases to the Caloosahatchee estuary and the St. Lucie estuary, 
and restore several wetlands in the basins. Wet season runoff from the 
watershed north of the Lake will be attenuated by reservoirs and 
restored wetlands. The increased storage capacity in these basins will 
reduce the duration and frequency of both extreme high and low water 
levels in the Lake that are stressful to the Lake's littoral zone and 
ecosystem and will reduce large discharges from the Lake that damage 
the downstream estuarine ecosystems. Runoff from the basins will be 
diverted to stormwater treatments areas to reduce phosphorus loading to 
the Lake.
    The study will evaluate alternatives based on their ability to 
improve water deliveries to the natural system, protect and conserve 
water resources, improve water quality, protect or restore fish and 
wildlife and their associated habitat, restore and manage wetland and 
associated upland ecosystems, sustain economic and natural resources, 
and other performance criteria being developed by the Project Delivery 
Team.
    d. Preliminary Alternatives: Formulation of alternative plans will 
involve the selection of the most suitable locations, sizes, depths, 
and configurations of facilities through detailed planning and design.
    The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will include an evaluation 
of adverse environmental impacts, including but not limited to, water 
quality, socio-economic, archaeological and biological. In addition to 
adverse impacts, the evaluation will also focus on how well the plans 
perform with regard to specific performance measures.
    e. Issues: The EIS will address the impacts of capturing and 
holding excess water in large storage areas during wet periods and the 
subsequent release for later use during dry periods into stormwater 
treatment areas.
    The EIS will also address environmental issues: water quality; 
impacts to the estuaries; flood protection; aesthetics and recreation; 
fish and wildlife resources, including protected species; cultural 
resources; and other impacts identified through scoping, public 
involvement, and interagency coordination.
    f. Scoping: A scoping letter and public workshops will be used to 
invite comments on alternatives and issues from Federal, State, and 
local agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other interested private 
organizations and individuals. The next public workshop is scheduled 
for 13 August 2002, at the Okeechobee Freshman Campus Auditorium, on 
700 SW., Avenue, Okeechobee, Florida. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. 
and continue to 9 p.m.
    Other public meeting will be held over the course of the study; the 
exact location, dates, and times will be announced in public notices 
and local newspapers.
    g. DEIS Preparation: The integrated draft PIR, which will include a 
DEIS, is currently scheduled for publication in November 2005.

    Dated: February 2, 2002.
James C. Duck,
Chief, Planning Division.
[FR Doc. 02-19707 Filed 8-2-02; 8:45 am]
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