[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 148 (Tuesday, August 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46563-46564]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-17589]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Environmental Impact Statement, Notice of Intent

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) and stream management plan for Herbert Hoover National Historic 
Site, West Branch, Iowa.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and regulations of the Council on 
Environmental quality (40 CFR 1506.6), the U.S. Department of the 
Interior, National Park Service (NPS) will prepare a draft stream 
management plan/environmental impact statement (EIS). The plan will be 
used to guide the management and rehabilitation of the stream located 
in Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (HEHO), West Branch, Iowa. The 
environmental impact statement will assess potential environmental 
impacts associated with various types of stream rehabilitation measures 
and restoration techniques on park resources such as water quality and 
hydrology, native plant communities, wildlife, cultural and historic 
resources, and public health and safety.

DATES: To determine the scope of issues to be addressed in the plan and 
EIS and to identify significant issues related to the management and 
rehabilitation of the stream in the NHS, the NPS will conduct a public 
scoping meeting in West Branch, Iowa. Representatives of the NPS and 
Parsons, the consulting firm assisting in the preparation of the EIS, 
will be available to discuss issues, resource concerns, and the 
planning process at the public meeting. When the public scoping meeting 
has been scheduled, its location, date, and time will be published in 
local newspapers.

ADDRESSES: Any comments or requests for information should be addressed 
to Superintendent, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Attn: Stream 
EIS, P.O. Box 607, West Branch, IA 52358. Comments may also be 
submitted at the following e-mail address: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Herbert Hoover 
National Historic Site, Stream EIS, P.O. Box 607, West Branch, IA 
52358, E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Hoover Creek is a small tributary with a 
base flow of about 3 cubic feet per second (cfs). The creek is subject 
to flash flooding. Historic resources of the park lie within the 50-
year floodplain and a few, including the Hoover Presidential Library 
and Museum, lie within the 25-year floodplain. Visitor service and park 
maintenance facilities and the primary access road into West Branch lie 
within the 10-year and 5-year floodplain.
    Anecdotal flood history indicates that Hoover Creek has exceeded 
its banks 18 times in 11 years. Precipitation events have resulted in 
storm surges of 1500 cubic feet per second (1967 flood) and 1650 cubic 
feet per second (1993 flood). Bank full flow is estimated at 650 cubic 
feet per second and flow above that level causes flooding of visitor 
service areas and the historic core. Analysis of 1967 and 1993 data 
suggests that the 1967 flood was a 20-year flood event and the 1993 
flood was a 30-year flood event. The 1993 flood was within inches of 
floor level in a few historic structures. Staff observations show that 
the stream is migrating toward the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-
Museum building. The bank of the creek is inherently unstable, with 
channel scouring causing the banks to slump as the toe of the bank 
erodes. Lateral cutting brings the stream closer to historic resources. 
The stream continues to entrench and poses a safety hazard to visitors 
with steep stream banks of 6 to 8 feet. The current instability of the 
stream threatens critical resources, contributes to sediment loads in 
the creek, and limits the creek's value as habitat for native plants 
and animals.
    The principle goal of the stream management plan is to re-establish 
natural processes that are in equilibrium within the creek. This will 
lead to:
     Improvement of water retention that will reduce flooding.
     Dissipation of stream energy that will reduce erosion.
     Development of root masses that will stabilize banks.
     Development of diverse channel characteristics to provide 
habitat and support biodiversity.
    We welcome all input into our planning process. Our practice is to 
make the public comments we receive in response to planning documents, 
including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public 
review during regular business hours. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. 
Individual respondents may request that we withhold their names and 
addresses from the public record, and we will honor such requests to 
the extent

[[Page 46564]]

allowed by law. If you wish to withhold your name and/or a address, you 
must state that request prominently at the beginning of your comment. 
The draft and final stream management plan/environmental impact 
statement will be made available to all known interested parties and 
appropriate agencies. Full public participation by Federal , State, and 
local agencies as well as other concerned organizations and private 
citizens is invited throughout the preparation process of this 
document.

    Dated: May 10, 2004.
Ernest Quintana,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 04-17589 Filed 8-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-94-M