[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 168 (Tuesday, August 31, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53052-53053]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-19825]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for Mississippi River and Tributaries, Len Small Levee 
Project, Alexander County, IL

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) 
will supplement the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 
``Mississippi River and Tributaries, Mississippi River Levees and 
Channel Improvement,'' prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(USACE), Vicksburg District, dated February 1976. The DSEIS is being 
prepared in conjunction with a feasibility study, a joint effort 
between the St. Louis and Memphis districts, to determine the need for 
federal flood damage reduction and navigation improvements along the 
Mississippi River between approximate River Miles (RM) 21 and 34 
upstream of the Ohio River in Alexander County, IL. The study will also 
address National Ecosystem Restoration (NER) features.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tamara Atchley, telephone (314) 
331-8044, CEMVS-PM-N, 1222 Spruce Street, St. Louis, MO 63103. 
Questions regarding the DSEIS may be directed to Ms. Leighann Gipson, 
telephone (901) 544-4015, CEMVM-PM-E, 167 North Main Street, Room B-
202, Memphis, TN 38103.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Proposed Action

    The project study consists of determining the need for flood damage 
reduction and maintaining navigation on the Mississippi River, 
Alexander County, IL. The area of focus is the Mississippi River from 
RM 21 to RM 34. The project is authorized under a resolution of the 
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure adopted March 7, 1996, as well as Section 517 of the 
Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1996 and the 1928 Flood 
Control Act (H.R. 8497). Studies involve reevaluation of the project 
design flood flowline, evaluating alternatives that will not affect 
navigation, and developing ecosystem restoration features. The Flood 
Control Act of 1928 and WRDA 1986 authorized the project originally. A 
final EIS, entitled Mississippi Rivers and Tributaries, Mississippi 
River Levees (MRL) and Channel Improvement, was prepared by the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Vicksburg District, in February 1976. 
This document was filed with the Council of Environmental Quality in 
April 1976. Based on additional environmental laws and regulations 
enacted after 1976, information from other federal agencies, and 
litigation by private environmental groups, the decision was made to 
supplement the 1976 FEIS to cover construction of all remaining 
Mississippi River mainline levees and seepage control with a 
supplemental FEIS, Mississippi River Mainline Levees Enlargement and 
Seepage Control, prepared by USACE, Vicksburg, Memphis, and New Orleans 
districts, dated July 1998. It covered a total of 225 potential work 
items along the mainstem of the Mississippi River, which included 
construction of borrow areas for fill material, levee enlargements, and 
installation of additional seepage control measures. The resolution by 
Congress in 1996, the Flood Control Act of 1928, as amended, and WRDA 
1996 authorized the present study and reevaluation of the MRL system. 
The Len Small Levee Project was not included in the 1998 supplemental 
EIS. It was decided that a separate feasibility study should be 
conducted because of its complexity. Len Small Levee is a privately 
owned levee that is being studied because of its effect on the Commerce 
to Birds Point section of the federal MRL system. Extensive hydraulics 
and other engineering and environmental analyses are being conducted to 
evaluate project alternatives.

2. Reasonable Alternatives

    Project alternatives are being formulated and analyzed in order to 
develop an optimal plan. Alternatives to be considered include possible 
modifications to the MRL system, routing floodwaters across Dogtooth 
Bend Peninsula, and no federal action. An ecosystem restoration plan is 
also being developed.

3. The Scoping Process

    A public involvement program has been initiated and will be 
maintained throughout the study. The broad goal is to identify 
significant issues through an exchange of information on project-
related topics. Input will be sought from the public including local 
residents, agencies, and individuals from the private sector. Federally 
recognized American Indian tribes and the Illinois State Historic 
Preservation Officer will be consulted regarding cultural

[[Page 53053]]

resources in the study area. Status reports will be made to interested 
parties throughout the study. A public scoping meeting was held on 
March 18, 2003, in Tamms, IL. Comments and concerns raised at this 
meeting will be addressed in the study to the extent justified. It is 
anticipated that a draft SEIS will be available for public review 
during 2004. It is likely that a workshop will be held prior to release 
of the draft EIS to gain additional input from interested parties. A 
public hearing will be held during the draft EIS review period to 
receive comments and questions concerning the draft report.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-19825 Filed 8-30-04; 8:45 am]
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