[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 73 (Monday, April 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20113-20114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-7607]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement for Community Relocation, Newtok, AK

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 Engineer District, Alaska, intends to prepare a 
Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to evaluate 
the feasibility of erosion protection measures for the community of 
Newtok, Alaska. Newtok, population 284 (2000 census), is a coastal 
community situated on the west bank of the Newtok River, just north of 
the Ninglick River and approximately 9 miles northwest of Nelson 
island, The Ninglick River connects the Bering Sea with the Baird 
Inlet, located farther upstream from Newtok. The village is located 94 
miles

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northwest of Bethel, in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of Western 
Alaska. The north, east, and south boundaries of the community are 
contiguous with the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
    The Newtok community is approximately 735 feet to the south of the 
encroaching Ninglick River, which is eroding toward the village at an 
average rate of 64 feet per year. Thermal degradation of the riverbank 
is causing shoreline sloughing.
    A typical soil profile has deep-frozen silts layered with peat at 
the surface. Permafrost continuously underlies a 2-foot active layer 
(sometimes thicker when a greater layer of peat is present). The 
shoreline is highly vulnerable to flooding, especially during spring 
ice jams in the river or during severe westerly windstorms on the 
Bering Sea.
    The programmatic DEIS will determine whether Federal action is 
warranted and will define alternative actions for Congressional 
consideration. Site specific alternatives will be addressed in more 
detail in a second tier of the EIS process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lizette Boyer (907) 753-2637, Alaska 
District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Resources Section 
(CEPOA-EN-CW-ER), P.O. Box 6898, Elmendorf AFB, AK 99506-0898. E-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This study is authorized under section 203, 
33 U.S.C. Tribal Partnership Program. The community of Newtok has 
existed on the present town site since 1949 when they moved from Old 
Kealavik, 3 miles away. The people of Newtok share a strong cultural 
heritage with the Nelson Island communities; their ancestors have lived 
on the Bering Sea coast for at least 2,000 years. Relative isolation 
from outside influences has enabled the area to retain its traditions 
and customs.
    The programmatic DEIS will consider various erosion protection 
alternatives, including relocation of the community and construction of 
erosion protection structures in Newtok to prevent land and property 
losses. The feasibility of extensive bank protection will be analyzed 
and compared with relocation alternatives. Relocation would mean the 
abandonment of the Newtok community town site near the river. 
Relocation alternatives include moving the people of Newtok to a larger 
hub community such as Bethel where they would be incorporated into the 
fabric of that community; moving the population to a smaller, closer 
community such as one of the three existing communities on Neslon 
Island (Toksook, Nightmure or Tununak), which would involve developing 
additional or shared infrastructure in those locations, or constructing 
a new town at a site on the north end of Nelson Island called 
Takikchak. The community is intent on relocating to Takikchak. The 
Newtok Native Corporation owns the Takikchak townsite. A portion of the 
land was conveyed to the Newtok Native Corporation from the Yukon Delta 
Fish and Wildlife Refuge in 2003 in accordance with Pub. L. 108-129. 
The Nelson Island area is within their traditional subsistence 
corridors.
    Issues: The programmatic DEIS will consider the need of Newtok to 
preserve its community identity and the potential impacts of the 
alternatives on the cultural resources and infrastructure of the 
community. In addition, the programmatic DEIS will address the 
importance of maintaining the community's traditional subsistence 
lifestyles, while providing modern infrastructure and housing. Issues 
associated with relocation to an existing community include property 
and business losses, impacts of social/cultural changes, and impacts on 
the infrastructure capacity of the receiving location. Issues 
associated with relocation and construction of a new townsite include 
engineering constructability criteria and environmental suitability. 
Constructability criteria include geologic stability, availability of 
fill material, and potable water sources. Environmental issues include 
effects to endangered species and wildlife habitat, and justifiable and 
practicable mitigation measures. Other resources and concerns will be 
identified through scoping, public involvement, and interagency 
coordination.
    Scoping. A copy of this notice and additional public information 
will be sent to interested parties to initiate scoping. All parties are 
invited to participate in the scoping process by identifying any 
additional concerns, issues, studies, and alternatives that should be 
considered. A scoping meeting will be held in Newtok, Alaska, in summer 
2005 at a place and time to be announced. The programmatic DEIS is 
scheduled for releast in 2007.

Guy R. McConnell,
Chief, Environmental Resources Section.
[FR Doc. 05-7607 Filed 4-15-05; 8:45 am]
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