[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 165 (Friday, August 25, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50399-50400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14144]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for a Proposed Cumberland County Regional Water Supply 
Project, Cumberland County, TN

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Corps of Engineers, Nashville District intends to prepare 
a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for a regional water 
supply project in Cumberland County, TN. This DEIS is necessary to 
provide National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) coverage for a 
proposed regional water supply system capable of providing the county a 
reliable water supply for 50 years. The county is currently served by 
six water systems and development of individual water sources has been 
problematic from an environmental perspective. The county's current 
water supply capacity is approximately ten million gallons per day. A 
regional approach has been recommended to allow more efficient planning 
to develop future water supplies in an environmentally acceptable 
manner.

DATES: Written comments must be received by the Corps of Engineers on 
or before September 25, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on issues to be considered in the DEIS 
shall be mailed to: Tim Higgs, Project Planning Branch, Nashville 
District Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 1070 (PM-P), Nashville, TN 37202-
1070. Comments also may be e-mailed to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions or additional 
information concerning this notice and meeting announcement, please 
contact Tim Higgs, Environmental Engineer, (615) 736-7863 or Walter 
Green, Project Manager, (615) 736-7854.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. The intent of the DEIS is to provide 
National Environmental Policy Act coverage for design, construction, 
and operational features of a regional water supply project in 
Cumberland County. Section 219 of the Water Resources Development Act 
(WRDA) of 1992, as amended by Section 502(24) of the WRDA of 1999, 
authorizes $5,000,000 for technical planning, design and construction 
of water supply projects in Cumberland County.
    1. In 1998, the Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with the 
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, completed a 
Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) titled Cumberland County Regional 
Water Supply Study. This study was done at the request of Cumberland 
County under the Planning Assistance to States Program. The PER 
provided recommendations pertaining to engineering and permitting 
considerations for potential water supply alternatives to meet the 
county's projected needs through the year 2050. Due to potential 
environmental impacts associated with some of the alternatives, a 
determination has been made that an EIS is warranted.
    2. Alternatives that have potential, either individually or in 
combination, for providing the county's future water supply needs 
include the following:
    a. Water Conservation. Development and implementation of a water 
conservation plan which would include a water measurement and 
accounting system, a water pricing structure to encourage efficiency, a 
plan to inform and educate water users, assigning the responsibility 
for conservation activities to a person or group of persons, along with 
other water conservation measures.
    b. Groundwater. Construct groundwater wells at 1-5 locations 
identified by a 1996 U.S. Geological Survey preliminary investigation 
as having the greatest potential to provide sufficient quantity for 
municipal usage.
    c. Pipeline to Large Reservoir. Construct a raw water pipeline from 
an existing large reservoir. Potential water sources include Watts Bar 
Lake in Roane County, Center Hill Lake in White/DeKalb County, and 
Great Falls Lake in White County.
    d. Storage Impoundments. Construct a new storage impoundment on 
Clear Creek (Obed River tributary), Meadow Creek (East Fork of the Obey 
River tributary), Caney Fork River or other suitable stream. A 
variation of this alternative is to raise the existing Meadow Park Dam, 
Mayland Dam, Camp Ozone Dam or Tranquilechee Dam to provide additional 
storage.
    e. Water Harvesting. Construct intake and pumping facilities to 
harvest water only during high flow periods and store that water in an 
off-site detention area. (For example, harvesting water from Caney Fork 
River and storing it in a raised Meadow Park Lake.)
    4. This notice serves to solicit comments from the public; Federal, 
state and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other 
interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of 
this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered to 
determine whether or how to perform this work. To make this decision, 
comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic 
properties, water quality, water supply and conservation, economics, 
aesthetics, wetlands, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, 
navigation, shore erosion and accretion, recreation, energy needs, 
safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of 
property ownership, general environmental effects, and in general, the 
needs and welfare of the people.
    5. Activities that may be proposed that require a review under the 
guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), under authority of Section 404(b)(1) of the Clean Water 
Act (40 CFR Part 230) will be documented in the DEIS. For example, fill 
placement would be required for construction of some water supply 
alternatives (impoundments, weirs, and intakes).
    6. Other Federal, state and local approvals likely required for the 
proposed work are as follows:
    a. Section 401 water quality certification from the Tennessee 
Department of Environment and Conservation.
    b. Coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including 
a Biological Assessment/Opinion for Endangered Species Act compliance 
and a Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report.
    c. The Tennessee Valley Authority will be asked to be a Cooperating 
Agency under NEPA since some alternatives to be considered in detail 
may fall under their jurisdiction.
    7. Significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the draft DEIS 
include impacts to high quality surface streams such as

[[Page 50400]]

the Obed National Wild and Scenic River System and the Caney Fork River 
(upstream of the State of Tennessee's Bridgestone-Firestone 
Conservation Area), the magnitude of future water supply needs 
(determining realistic growth scenarios), local acceptability of some 
raw water sources (Watts Bar Lake), acceptability of the regional 
approach among existing water suppliers, and long-term operational 
costs. A DEIS should be available by December 2007.
    8. Public Meeting: A public meeting is scheduled to assist in 
identifying (scope for) potential issues to be evaluated in the DEIS as 
follows:
    Date: September 19, 2006.
    Time: 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Central Standard Time).
    Place: Palace Theater, 72 S. Main Street, Crossville, TN 38555.

Steven J. Roemhildt,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. E6-14144 Filed 8-24-06; 8:45 am]
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