[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 146 (Friday, July 30, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45688-45689]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-17364]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Integrated Project Implementation 
Report/Environmental Impact Statement (PIR/EIS) for the Broward County 
Water Preserve Areas in South Florida, as Part of the Comprehensive 
Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for 
the Broward County Water Preserve Areas Project, in South Florida. This 
includes the C-11 Impoundment, C-9 Impoundment, and Water Conservation 
Area (WCA) 3A and 3B Levee Seepage Management Areas. The study is a 
cooperative effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and 
the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).

DATES: Public meetings will be held over the course of the study; the 
exact location, dates, and times will be announced in public notices 
and local newspapers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brad Tarr, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Planning Division, Environmental Branch, P.O. Box 4970, 
Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019, by e-mail, 
[email protected], or by telephone at 904-232-3582.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    a. Authorization: The Broward County Water Preserve Areas (Broward 
County WPA) project in South Florida was authorized by the Water 
Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000. Prior to the current project, 
a Water Preserve Areas Feasibility Study led to a publication of the 
Draft Feasibility Report and Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement, October 2001. The document and project were never finalized 
because additional information was required to comply with the 
requirements of WRDA 2000, which brought about the Broward County WPA 
project.
    b. Project Scope: The primary goal of the Broward County WPA is to 
provide a hydrologic buffer between the Everglades and developed lands, 
and to assist in meeting the future water needs of all users 
(agriculture and urban) and the environment by supplying additional 
regional storage. Specific objectives include reducing demands on the 
Everglades and Lake Okeechobee for water supply; reducing seepage 
losses from the Everglades by holding more water in the natural system; 
improving natural hydropatterns within existing natural areas; 
capturing, storing, and treating stormwater currently lost to tide; and 
eliminating discharge of polluted water into the Everglades Protection 
Area.
    The Broward County WPA project includes buffer marsh areas, canals, 
levees, water control structures and above-ground impoundments with a 
total storage capacity of approximately 6,000 acre-feet located in the 
western C-11 Canal basin and 6,600 acre-feet located in the western C-9 
Canal basin in western Broward County. This multi-purpose separable 
element is designed to direct runoff events from the western C-11 
drainage basin into the C-11 impoundment instead of pumping the 
untreated runoff into WCA-3A through the S-9 pump station. The purpose 
of the C-9 Impoundment features are to pump storm events from the 
western C-9 drainage basin into the impoundment along with runoff 
transferred from the western C-11 basin. The impoundment pools will 
assist in reducing seepage from adjacent natural areas WCA-3A/3B, WCA-
3A/3B Seepage Management areas, providing groundwater recharge, meeting 
the urban area water demands, and preventing saltwater intrusion in the 
surficial aquifer. Another function of this separable element is the 
ability to reduce seepage from WCA-3A to improve hydropatterns within 
the WCA by allowing higher water levels in the borrow canals and 
maintaining longer duration inundation within the marsh areas that are 
located east of the WCA and west of US Highway 27. This component also 
will attenuate high stages in WCA-2B and divert this excess water to 
Northeast Shark River Slough via C-500 if there are unmet demands or 
for storage in the future Central Lake Belt Storage Area.
    Modeling has already been conducted for the Comprehensive Review 
Study (Restudy) and the draft WPA Feasibility Study. The primary 
hydrologic model was the South Florida Water Management Model (SFWMM), 
version 3.5, and was used to evaluate responses to proposed structural 
and operational modifications to the water management system in South 
Florida during the Comprehensive Review Study. An evaluation of system-
wide effects based upon modeling results was made relative to both the 
current (1995) and future (2050) base conditions and performed during 
the WPA Feasibility Study.
    c. Preliminary Alternatives: The Restudy alternative for the 
Western C-11 Impoundment consists of a 1,600 ac. impoundment 4 ft. deep 
with appurtenant structures (providing 6,400 ac. ft. of storage 
volume). The Restudy alternative for WCA 3A/3B Levee Seepage Management 
consists of seepage levees (18 lineal miles in initial MCACES estimate) 
and water control structures. The Restudy alternative for the C-9 
Impoundment consists of a 2,500 ac. impoundment at 4 ft. depth and 
appurtenant structures (providing 10,000 ac. ft. of storage volume). 
The initial (1999) cost estimate for these three components was 
$314,318,000. This alternative plan (providing 16,400 ac. ft. of 
impoundment storage volume plus seepage management) will be included in 
the evaluation.
    d. Issues: The PIR/EIS will consider impacts on health and safety, 
aesthetics and recreation, cultural resources, socio-economic 
resources, hydrology, water quality, ecosystem habitat, fish and 
wildlife resources, threatened and endangered species, water 
availability, flood protection, and other impacts identified through 
scoping, public involvement, and interagency coordination.
    e. 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.
    f. Public Involvement: Public meetings 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. Coordination: The proposed action is in accordance with the Fish 
and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA) of 1958 and the Endangered Species 
Act (ESA) of 1973. The coordinating agencies include the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (FWS) and the South Florida Water Management District 
(SFWMD).
    h. Other Environmental Review and Consultation: The proposed action 
would involve evaluation for

[[Page 45689]]

compliance with guidelines pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Clean 
Water Act.
    i. Agency Role: As cooperating agency, non-Federal sponsor, and 
leading local expert, SFWMD will provide extensive information and 
assistance on the resources to be impacted, mitigation measures, and 
alternatives.
    j. DEIS Preparation: The integrated draft Project Implementation 
Report (PIR), including a DEIS, is currently estimated for publication 
in November 2005.

    Dated: July 22, 2004.
James C. Duck,
Chief, Planning Division.
[FR Doc. 04-17364 Filed 7-29-04; 8:45 am]
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