[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 106 (Friday, June 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32060-32061]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-5057]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
White River Minimum Flow Reallocation Study, AR

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (as amended), the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (USACE), Little Rock District, has prepared a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed implementation 
of the White River Minimum Flow, Arkansas. This DEIS is being made 
available for a 45-day public comment period.

DATES: Public meetings for receiving comments on the DEIS are 
tentatively scheduled for June 19, 2006 at Springdale, AR; June 20, 
2006 at Branson, MO; and June 21, 2006 at Mountain Home, AR. Specific 
times and locations will be announced at a later date. Written comments 
on the DEIS should be submitted on or before July 18, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions or comments concerning the 
DEIS should be addressed to Mike Biggs, Project Manager, Programs and 
Project Management Division, P.O. Box 867, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-
0867, telephone 501-324-5842, x1071, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Setting: The White River and its tributaries drain a total area of 
27,765 square miles (10,620 square miles in Missouri and 17,145 square 
miles in Arkansas). The White River basin originates in the Boston 
Mountains of northwest Arkansas (AR), near the city of Fayetteville. 
Three forks, the White River, the Middle Fork, and the West fork, come 
together in Washington County, AR to form the mainstem of the White 
River. The White River is first impounded as Lake Sequoyah, a 500-acre 
impoundment at the junction of the Middle Fork and the White River, 
near Fayetteville. The White River flows south out of Lake Sequoyah and 
joins the West Fork before entering Beaver Lake just west of Eureka 
Springs, AR. The White flows out of Beaver Dam (the first in a series 
of four hydroelectric dams) northward into Missouri (MO) near the town 
of Eagle Rock, Barry County. The White then flows eastward where it has 
been impounded as Table Rock Lake, just below its confluence with the 
James River near Branson. The White River below Table Rock Lake is 
again impounded by Powersite Dam near Forsythia, MO and forms Lake 
Tenneco. The river flow takes a southerly turn and flows back into 
Arkansas where it has again been impounded by Bull Shoals Dam near 
Cotter, Marion County. The White River flows towards the southeast from 
Bull Shoals Dam. The White river exits the Ozark Plateau and enters the 
Mississippi Alluvial Plain near Newport, AR. The White River continues 
to flow in a southerly direction from where it enters the delta until 
its confluence with the Mississippi River near Montgomery Point, AR, 
some 720 miles from its origin.
    The primary focus of the White River Minimum Flow Reallocation 
Study was to look at the five USACE reservoirs and associated 
tailwaters (TW). The TW below Beaver is considered as White River Mile 
(WRM) 609.0-604.5, Bull Shoals WRM 418.6-329.1, Table Rock WRM 528.7-
506.0, below Norfork, North Fork River mile (NRM) 4.75 to 0.0, and the 
Buffalo National River enters at WRM 387.8 and the Norfork enters at 
WRM 376.4. The Greers Ferry TW Little Red River mile (LRRM) 78.7-48.7 
is below Greers Ferry dam.
    Background: The Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, 
published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register (65 FR 51299), 
August 23, 2000, stating its intent to prepare an EIS for a proposed 
water storage reallocation for the 5 White River lakes.
    The Corps was directed to complete a study and report to determine 
if minimum flow reallocations adversely affect other authorized 
purposes under section 374 of the Water Resources Development Act 
(WRDA) 1999 and section 304 of WRDA 2000.
    Under the original authorization, water levels were managed 
primarily for flood control and hydroelectric power generation at four 
of the White River Reservoirs as well as water supply at Beaver Lake. 
WRDA 1999 and 2000 provided minimum flows necessary to sustain 
tailwater trout fisheries by reallocating the following recommended 
amounts of project storage: Beaver Lake, 1.5 feet; Table Rock Lake, 2 
feet; Bull Shoals Lake, 5 feet; Norfork Lake, 3.5 feet; and Greers 
Ferry Lake, 3 feet. The Act further stated that no funds may be 
obligated to carry out work on the modification under subsection (a) 
until the Chief of Engineers, through completion of a final report, 
determines that the work is technically sound, environmentally 
acceptable, and economically justified.
    Proposed Action and Alternatives: WRDA 1999 and 2000 authorized the 
Little Rock District Corps of Engineers to reallocate specific ``feet'' 
of storage from each of the five White River reservoirs. WRDA did not 
specify which storage zone to take the ``feet'' of storage. Currently 
the lakes are divided into two zones, flood pool and conservation pool. 
The volume of storage provided by reallocating ``feet'' of storage from 
conservation pool is less than the volume of storage provided by the 
same ``feet'' of storage from the flood pool.
    The White River Reallocation Study completed in 2004 and the DEIS 
evaluated three reallocation plans at each reservoir, (1) reallocation 
from the flood pool, (2) reallocation from the conservation pool and, 
(3) splitting the reallocation 50:50 from each pool. The study also 
looked at different methods of water release such as through existing 
station service units and siphons, new

[[Page 32061]]

station service units, through the main turbines, or through siphons 
only.
    After the submittal of the 2004 reallocation study, authorization 
was included in the FY 2006 Energy and Water Resources Development Act 
(EWRDA) that selected alternatives BS3 (reallocation at Bull Shoals 
Lake from the flood pool released through an existing hydropower main 
turbine) and NF7 (reallocation from a 50:50 split between the flood 
pool and the conservation pool with releases through existing station 
service units and siphons). These alternatives were designated the 
``preferred alternatives'' and as such comply with Congressional 
directives and provide compensation to the hydropower users and 
affected facilities.
    DEIS Availability: The DEIS will be available for public review at 
the following locations:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 700 West Capital Avenue, ATTN: CESWL-PE, 
Room 7500, Little Rock, AR 72203
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Beaver Lake Project Office, 2260 N. 2nd 
Street, Rogers, AR 72756
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Table Rock Lake Project Office, 3530 US 
Highway 165, Branson, MO 65616
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mountain Home Project Office, 324 W. 7th 
Street, Mountain Home, AR 72653
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Greers Ferry Project Office, 700 Heber 
Springs Road North, Heber Springs, AR 72543

    Commenting: Comments received in response to this DEIS, including 
names and address of those who comment will be considered part of the 
public record. Comments submitted anonymously will also be accepted and 
considered. Pursuant to Title 7 of the CFR 1.27(d), any person may 
request that the Corps withhold a submission from the public record if 
he or she can demonstrate that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 
permits such confidentiality. Persons requesting such confidentiality 
should be aware that, under FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in 
only very limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The 
Corps will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the 
request for confidentiality. If the request is denied, the Corps will 
return the submission with notification that the comments may be 
resubmitted either with or without the commenter's name and address.
    Affected local, State, or Federal agencies, affected American 
Indian tribes, and other interested private organizations and parties 
may participate in the review process by forwarding written comments to 
the address given previously or by attending the public meetings.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-5057 Filed 6-1-06; 8:45 am]
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