[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 16, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63900-63901]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-26335]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for 
Potential Multipurpose Projects for Ecosystem Restoration, Flood Damage 
Reduction, and Recreation Development Within and Along the Clear and 
West Forks of the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, TX

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: A resolution by the United States Senate Committee on 
Environment and Public Works dated April 22, 1988, requested that the 
Board of Engineers review the report of the Chief of Engineers on the 
Trinity River and Tributaries, TX, House Document No. 276, Eighty-Ninth 
Congress, and other pertinent reports, with a view to determining the 
advisability of modifying the recommendations contained therein, with 
particular reference to providing improvements in the interest of flood 
protection, environmental enhancement, water quality, recreation, and 
other allied purposes in the Upper Trinity River Basin with specific 
attention on the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. An initial assessment 
based on the resolution guidance indicates a Federal interest in 
continuing with more detailed studies for these purposes. In accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act, a Draft Environment Impact 
Statement (DEIS) will be prepared to evaluate and compare ecosystem 
restoration, flood damage reduction, and recreation alternatives within 
and along the Clear Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River in the 
Central City area of Forth Worth, TX. The DEIS will also assess the 
impacts to the quality of the human environment associated with each 
alternative. The study area will be bound by Interstate Highway 30 on 
the Clear Fork, Rockwood Park on the upstream end of the West Fork, 
Northeast 28th Street on Marine Creek, a tributary of the West Fork, 
and Riverside Drive on the downstream end of the West Fork. The 
construction and implemention of Benbrook Lake, Eagle Mountain Lake, 
Lake Worth, the Fort Worth Floodway project, and subsequent flood 
control projects, along with urbanization and development activities, 
have significantly degraded the terrestrial and aquatic habitat along 
and within the Trinity River. Consequently, ecosystem restoration 
measures will be developed and evaluated to address the degraded 
habitats. In addition, recreation measures will be developed and 
evaluated as complements to proposed ecosystem restoration measures. 
Although preliminary findings indicate that flood damage reduction 
opportunities would be limited, the floodway and the interior drainage 
in the study area will be evaluated for flood damage reduction 
opportunities and consistency with past improvements. Flood damage 
reduction measures will address the loss of the authorized level of 
flood protection for the area.

DATES: A public meeting will be held on October 29, 2002 from 6:30 p.m. 
to 8:30 p.m. at the YWCA (Grand Ballroom), 512 West 4th Street, Fort 
Worth, TX 76102

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions pertaining to the proposed 
action and DEIS can be answered by: Ms. Marcia R. Hackett, CESWF-PM-C, 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, P.O. Box 17300, Fort 
Forth, TX 76102-0300, (817) 886-1787.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Fort Worth Floodway was authorized by 
Section 2 of Public Law No. 14, 79th Congress, 2nd Session, approved 
March 2, 1945. The project, which was completed in September 1957, 
entailed the construction and/or strengthening of levees and the 
widening and straightening of the Clear Fork channel from Lancaster 
Street to its confluence with the West Fork and the West Fork channel 
from White Settlement Road to Riverside Drive, along with allied 
features such as removal of debris from the floodway, reconstruction 
and alteration of roads, bridges and public utilities, modifying 
channel diversions, and constructing drainage facilities. The Flood 
Control Act of 1960 provided for an extension upstream of the floodway 
project on the West Fork from White Settlement Road to just downstream 
of Meandering Road. Construction on the West Fork extension was 
initiated in March 1965 and completed in June 1971. Similar flood 
control features were authorized by the Flood Control Act dated October 
23, 1962, for an extension of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River 
between the existing Fort Worth Floodway and State Highway 183. 
Construction of the Clear Fork Extension was initiated in January 1966 
and completed in September 1971.
    Alternatives for ecosystem restorations, flood damage reduction, 
and recreation will be developed and evaluated based on ongoing 
fieldwork and data collection and past studies

[[Page 63901]]

conducted by the Corps of Engineers, the Tarrant Regional Water 
District, and the City of Fort Worth. Ecosystem restoration 
alternatives that will be evaluated include creating meanders within 
the Trinity River, restoring, protecting and expanding the riparian 
corridor, improving aquatic habitat, creating riffle-pool complexes, 
and constructing wetlands. it is anticipated that ecosystem restoration 
measures would aid in improving water quality, optimizing aquatic and 
terrestrial habitat, and minimizing erosion and scouring along and 
within the river. Alternatives for flood damage reduction measures will 
be evaluated from both a non-structural and structural aspect. Non-
structural measures that will be evaluated include acquisition and 
removal of structures or flood proofing of structures for protection 
from potential future flood damage. Structural measures that will be 
evaluated include diversion channels and/or channel modifications of 
various widths and depths and/or a combination of these measures. 
Recreation measures that will be evaluated for the enjoyment of 
residents and visitors alike include multipurpose trails and passive 
recreation features, such as interpretive guidance and media and picnic 
areas. Recreation measures will be developed to a scope and scale 
compatible with proposed ecosystem restoration measures without 
significantly diminishing ecosystem benefits.
    A Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the Upper 
Trinity River Basin Feasibility study addressing the potential 
cumulative effects of reasonable foreseeable projects, including the 
Clear Fork West Fork studies was completed in June 2000. The DEIS will 
be tiered to the PEIS.
    The public will be invited to participate in the scoping process, 
invited to attend public meetings, and given the opportunity to review 
the DEIS. The first public meeting will be on October 29, 2002 at the 
Grand Ballroom of the Downtown YWCA (see DATES). Subsequent public 
meetings, if deemed necessary, will be announced in the local news 
media. Release of the DEIS for public comment is scheduled for Summer 
2004. The exact release date, once established, will be announced in 
the local news media.
    Future coordination with other agencies and public scoping will be 
conducted to ensure full and open participation and aid in the 
development of the DEIS. All affected Federal, state, and local 
agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other interested private 
organizations and parties are hereby invited to participate. Future 
coordination will also be conducted with the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service (USFWS). The USFWS will furnish information on 
threatened and endangered species in accordance with the Endangered 
Species Act. In addition, the USFWS will also be requested to provide 
support with planning aid and to provide a Fish and Wildlife 
Coordination Act Report. The State Historic Preservation Office will be 
consulted as required by Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act.

Robert P. Morris, Jr.,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, Deputy District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 02-26335 Filed 10-15-02; 8:45 am]
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