[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7550-7551]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1950]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability of the Supplement Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Proposed Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) A-
1 Reservoir Located in Palm Beach County, FL

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this 
notice to advise the public that a Supplement Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) has been completed and is available for review 
and comment.

DATES: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
we have filed the Supplemental Draft EIS with the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) for publication of their notice of availability 
in the Federal Register. The EPA notice officially starts the 45-day 
review period for this document. It is the goal of the USACE to have 
this notice published on the same date as the EPA notice. However, if 
that does not occur, the date of the EPA notice will determine the 
closing date for comments on the Supplemental Draft EIS. Comments on 
the Supplemental Draft EIS must be submitted to the address below under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and must be received no later than 5 
p.m. eastern standard time, Monday, March 27, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The Supplemental Draft EIS can be viewed online at http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/pao/hotTopics/hot_topics_acceler8.htm (follow 
the link to New Information). Copies of the Supplemental Draft EIS are 
also available for review at the following libraries:

Belle Glade Branch Public Library, 530 S. Main Street, Belle Glade, FL 
33430
Palm Beach County Main Library, 3650 Summit Blvd., W. Palm Beach, FL 
33406
Clewiston Public Library, 120 W. Osceola Ave., Clewiston, FL 33440
Pahokee Branch Public Library, 525 Bacom Point Rd., Pahokee, FL 33476
Legislative Library, 701 The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Glades County Public Library, PO Box 505, Riverside Dr., Moorehaven, FL 
33471
South Bay Public Library, 375 SW. 2nd Ave., South Bay, FL 33493

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tori White, U.S. Army Corps of

[[Page 7551]]

Engineers, Jacksonville District, 1400 Centrepark Suite 750, West Palm 
Beach, Florida 33410, Telephone: 561-472-8888.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action by the South Florida 
Water Management District (SFWMD) is a 16,768-acre water supply 
reservoir located north of Stormwater Treatment Area 3/4 and between 
the Miami and North New River Canals in the EAA in Palm Beach County, 
Florida. The purpose of the EAA Reservoir A-1 is to store water from 
stormwater runoff and releases from Lake Okeechobee at any given time. 
As part of the USACE's review process, this Supplemental Draft EIS has 
been prepared.
    The SFWMD's proposed project, identified as Cell A-1, is the same 
footprint as a portion of the Selected Plan, identified in the USACE's 
September 2005 Draft Project Implementation Report (PIR) / EIS for the 
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) EAA Storage Reservoirs 
project, which features a two-cell reservoir impoundment with a maximum 
normal pool storage depth of 12 feet at approximately 31,000 acres of 
above ground surface area storage. The SFWMD proposes to construct the 
EAA Reservoir A-1 project prior to implementation of any federal EAA 
Storage Reservoirs project. The USACE is proceeding with two separate 
and independent but related actions, the regulatory evaluation of the 
SFWMD's proposed EAA Reservoir A-1 project and the planning evaluation 
of the federal CERP EAA Storage Reservoirs project, both of which are 
described in the September 2005 Draft PIR/EIS (See the Executive 
Summary, pages 16-17 and Section 8, Plan Implementation, pages 1-2 and 
pages 12-13). The USACE and SFWMD had anticipated that the SFWMD would 
accelerate construction and achievement of benefits of certain CERP 
projects by obtaining required permits and initiating construction upon 
completion of the Final EIS for the federal CERP project. Because of 
delays in completion of the Final EIS for the CERP EAA Storage 
Reservoirs project, the SFWMD is pursuing a Department of the Army 
permit prior to completion of the CERP EAA Storage Reservoirs Final 
EIS. Accordingly, this separate Supplemental Draft EIS has been 
prepared by the Regulatory Division to address the environmental 
impacts of the SFWMD's proposed project. The Regulatory Division of the 
USACE will evaluate the SFWMD's proposed EAA Reservoir A-1 while the 
USACE Civil Works Planning Process continues with a separate and 
independent evaluation of the CERP project. Any regulatory decision on 
the SFWMD's proposed project will not affect the planning process and 
consideration of alternatives for the federal CERP EAA Storage 
Reservoirs project. The SFWMD's Acceler8 project may ultimately be a 
component of the federal CERP EAA Storage Reservoirs project. If it is 
not a part of the federal recommended plan, it will be considered as a 
locally preferred plan.

    Dated: February 6, 2006.
Erik L. Stor,
MAJ(P), Corps of Engineers, District Commander.
 [FR Doc. E6-1950 Filed 2-10-06; 8:45 am]
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