[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44585-44586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15296]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Study of the 
Central and Southern Florida Project for Flood Control and Other 
Purposes, Lake Okeechobee, FL

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 Corps of Engineers (Corps), Jacksonville 
District, intends to prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (DSEIS) for the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Study 
(LORSS), Lake Okeechobee, FL. The DSEIS will supplement the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Lake Okeechobee 
Regulation Schedule Study prepared in 2000. The DSEIS will address 
additional alternatives to the current regulation schedule in order to 
optimize environmental benefits at minimal or no impact to the 
competing project purposes, primarily flood control and water supply. 
This study will consider operational changes to water management 
structures that discharge water from the lake as well as criteria used 
to determine those operations. Any operational changes will also 
consider current and planned water management activities within the 
Kissimmee River Basin. No new structural features will be considered 
except those already embedded within the South Florida Water Management 
Model.

DATES: Comments and recommendations on this notice should be received 
by September 30, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Ms. Yvonne Haberer, 
Biologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Planning Division, 
Environmental Branch, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Yvonne L. Haberer, at the address 
above, by electronic mail at [email protected] or 
telephone at (904) 232-1701.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    a. Authorization: Authority for this action is the Flood Control 
Act of 1948. It authorized the Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) 
Project, which is a multipurpose project that provides flood control, 
water supply for municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses; 
prevention of salt water intrusion; water supply for Everglades 
National Park; and protection of fish and wildlife resources.
    b. Study Area: The study area considered to be most affected by the 
regulation schedule is Lake Okeechobee, particularly within the 
littoral and marsh areas of the lake, the St. Lucie Estuary, the 
Caloosahatchee Estuary, the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), and the 
Water Conservation Areas south of Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee lies 
30 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean and 60 miles east of the Gulf of 
Mexico, in south central Florida. Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake 
in Florida covering approximately 730 square miles with an average 
depth of 10 feet.
    c. Need or Purpose. There have been various regulation schedules 
since authorization of the C&SF project in 1948. The current regulation 
schedule, Water Supply and Environment (WSE), was the preferred 
alternative in the LORSS FEIS and approved in July 2000 for the 
regulation of Lake Okeechobee. the WSE regulation schedule and the 
Operational Guidelines Decision Trees incorporate tributary hydrologic 
conditions and climate forecasts into guidelines for managing Lake 
Okeechobee discharges and water levels. This logic-driven regulation 
schedule balances the various purposes of flood storage, water supply, 
fish and wildlife resources, and water delivery to the St. Lucie and 
Caloosahatchee estuaries. The unusual range of weather conditions 
occurring since implementation of the WSE regulation schedule and the 
lessons learned as a result, have indicated that modifications to the 
WSE are needed. The regulation schedule would benefit from greater 
flexibility in achieving optimal lake levels and optimal discharges to 
various downstream parts of the C&SF system.
    d. Scoping Process. The scoping process as outlined by the Council 
on Environmental Quality would be utilized to involve Federal, State, 
and local agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other interested 
persons and organizations. A scoping letter will be sent to the 
appropriate parties requesting their comments and concerns. Any persons 
or organizations requesting to participate in the scoping process 
should contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (see ADDRESSES).
    e. Alternatives. The DSEIS will analyze reasonable alternatives, 
including the ``no action'' alternative to regulating lake levels and 
downstream discharges to various parts of the system.
    f. Issues. The work being performed for this study will consist of 
identifying the impacts (both beneficial and adverse) associated with 
alternative Lake Okeechobee regulation schedules and the approved 
regulation schedule currently in place, WSE. Studies and investigations 
will be conducted to provide the basis for determining the 
environmental and socio-economic impacts of any proposed modifications 
to the WSE regulation schedule.
    Significant issues anticipated include concern for: Water supply, 
continued flood control, agriculture, protection of the lake's 
environmental resources and its downstream estuaries, water quality, 
fish and wildlife habitat, endangered and threatened species, and any 
issues

[[Page 44586]]

identified through scoping and public involvement. Lake Okeechobee is 
one of the most critical components of the C&SF project and achieving 
the right balance among the many, oftentimes competing demands on the 
lake, remains a difficult challenge.
    The proposed action will be coordinated with the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 
pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, with the NMFS 
concerning Essential Fish Habitat, and with the State Historic 
Preservation Officer concerning historic and cultural resources.
    g. Agency Role. The Corps is the lead agency for this action. 
However, the non-Federal sponsor,and leading local expert, the South 
Florida Water Management District will provide extensive information 
and assistance on the resources to be impacted, mitigation measures, 
and alternatives.
    h. Draft Environmental Impact Statement Availability. The DSEIS 
would be available on or about June 2006.

    Dated: July 21, 2005.
Susan Scott Lucas,
Acting Chief, Planning Division.
[FR Doc. 05-15296 Filed 8-2-05; 8:45 am]
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