[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 34078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-5317]



[[Page 34078]]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for Millington and Vicinity, Tennessee

AGENCY: Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Millington, Tennessee and Vicinity Feasibility Study will 
be conducted to analyze problems being experienced in the Big Creek 
drainage basin and evaluate alternatives to provide plans for ecosystem 
restoration, flood damage reduction, and recreation. National Ecosystem 
Restoration (NER) benefits will be evaluated with respect to the net 
change in habitat quantity and/or quality and expressed quantitatively 
in physical units and indices, but not monetary units. If justified, 
the feasibility study and EIS will recommend a plan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR COMMENT CONTACT: Mr. Danny Ward, telephone 
(901) 544-0709, CEMVM-PM-E, 167 N. Main, Room B-202, Memphis, TN 38103, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States House of Representatives 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure adopted a resolution on 
March 7, 1996, authorizing that* * *

    ``The Secretary of the Army review the report of the Chief of 
Engineers on the Wolf River and Tributaries, Tennessee and 
Mississippi, published as House Document Numbered 76, Eighty-fifth 
Congress, and other pertinent reports, to determine whether any 
modifications of the recommendations contained therein are advisable 
at this time, with particular reference to the need for improvements 
for flood control, environmental restoration, water quality, and 
related purposes associated with storm water runoff and management 
in the metropolitan Memphis, Tennessee area and tributary basins 
including Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette Counties, Tennessee, and 
DeSoto and Marshall Counties, Mississippi. This area includes the 
Hatchie River, Loosahatchie River, Wolf River, Nonconnah Creek, Horn 
Lake Creek, and Coldwater River Basins. The review shall evaluate 
the effectiveness of existing Federal and non-Federal improvements, 
and determine the need for additional improvements to prevent 
flooding from storm water, to restore environmental resources, and 
to improve the quality of water entering the Mississippi River and 
its tributaries.''

    Big Creek, a tributary of the Loosahatchie River, is located north 
of the City of Memphis in Shelby and Tipton Counties, Tennessee. 
Metropolitan areas within the watershed include the cities of 
Millington, Munford, and Atoka. The entire reach of Big Creek within 
Shelby County has been channelized and is referred to as the Big Creek 
Drainage Canal. Habitat in Big Creek is limited due to channel 
alteration, incision of the channel bottom, bank erosion, high 
urbanization rates, and an altered hydraulic regime. Most of the 
historical habitat in the watershed has been cleared for agricultural 
or development purposes. Additionally, water quality is a major problem 
in the study area. Big Creek, from its mouth to Crooked Creek, is 
listed on the Clean Water Act 303(d) list of impaired waterways by the 
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). TDEC 
determined that this waterway is a high priority for development of the 
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The identified water pollutants are 
organic enrichment/DO, siltation, nutrients, and pathogens. The sources 
of these water quality problems were identified as landfills, 
channelization, and agricultural and urban runoff.
    Heavy rainfalls, totaling over 10 inches in November 2001, caused 
temporary road closures in the Big Creek drainage basin and a 21-foot 
rise and fall of the creek's water surface elevation within 48 hours. 
Estimates indicate that the rainfall event approximated a 50-year 
storm. This flash flood type scenario is not uncommon to the drainage 
basin, yet its impact eventually affects the overall stability of the 
drainage system and adjoining infrastructure.

Reasonable Alternatives

    There is a limited amount of flood damages that occur in the basin 
based upon recent economic and hydraulic data. Therefore, the 
feasibility study will focus on ecosystem restoration alternatives. 
Likely restoration features include but are not limited to constructing 
main channel stabilization weirs in Big Creek that will prevent further 
channel bed incision and lateral bank erosion and restore the bottom 
grade of the creek that will provide aquatic habitat, constructing 
stabilization weirs on tributaries, constructing bioengineered channel 
improvements that will likely involve lateral stone toe protection with 
live plantings, restoring historical meanders of Big Creek, and 
restoring riparian buffer strips and wildlife corridors. Additional 
items to be analyzed include the development of recreational features 
on project lands. Incidental flood damage reduction benefits will also 
be quantified.

The Corps Scoping Process

    A NEPA Scoping Notice was disseminated on 26 January 2004 and a 
public scoping meeting was held on 12 February 2004. Significant issues 
raised from the Corps' scoping process that will be analyzed in the EIS 
are lack of aquatic habitat, loss of riparian zones, excessive erosion, 
poor water quality, increased development, wetland losses, greenways, 
flash flooding, cultural resources, and a lack of recreational 
opportunities. Comments are being used in the development of project 
features. However, additional comments concerning the feasibility study 
will be accepted.
    Comments to this Notice of Intent are requested by 9 July 2007 at 
the above address. It is anticipated that the DEIS will be available 
for public review in January 2007.

Vincent D. Navarre,
Major, Corps of Engineers, Deputy District Commander.
[FR Doc. 06-5317 Filed 6-12-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-KS-P