[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 32 (Friday, February 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7621-7622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-719]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for 
Restoring the Integrity of the Amite River and Restoring Various 
Natural Functions That Have Been Degraded or Lost as a Result of Human-
Induced Factors, in All or Portions of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, 
East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, and St. John Parishes, in 
Southeastern Louisiana

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, New Orleans District, is 
initiating this study under the authority of the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the United States House of 
Representatives resolution, adopted July 23, 1998, which reads as 
follows:

    ``Resolved by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
of the United States House of Representatives Resolution, that the 
Secretary of the Army is requested to review the report of the Chief 
of Engineers on the Amite River and Tributaries, Louisiana, 
published as House Document 419, 84th Congress, 2nd Session, and 
other pertinent reports, with a view to determining whether 
modifications of the recommendations contained therein are advisable 
at the present time in the interest of environmental restoration and 
protection, water quality, and sediment control, recreation, and the 
avoidance or minimization of undesirable impacts resulting from 
urbanization and other present and future watershed activities.''

    The study will determine the feasibility of reducing turbidity, 
lowering temperatures, and reducing the extent of the physical changes 
within the Amite River corridor in an effort to achieve fish and 
wildlife restoration and provide outdoor public recreation 
opportunities. This effort will significantly contribute to the 
watershed management objectives of the state of Louisiana.
    The study area includes the Amite River drainage basin in 
southeastern Louisiana, in Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, 
Livingston, St.

[[Page 7622]]

Helena, and St. John Parishes. The Amite River and its tributaries flow 
southward from the state of Mississippi through the western ``Florida'' 
parishes of southeast Louisiana into Lake Maurepas, an oligohaline lake 
that drains into Lake Pontchartrain. The Amite River is used for 
recreation, propagation of fish and wildlife, and to a lesser extent, 
for water supply, navigation, and waste disposal. The Amite River has a 
large drainage area and an average flow of about 2,000 cubic feet per 
second (CFS) at Denham Springs. A section of the Amite River in East 
Feliciana Parish, from the Louisiana/Mississippi state line to 
Louisiana Highway 37 (LA 37) is included in Louisiana's Natural and 
Scenic Rivers System. The major urban areas in this watershed are Baton 
Rouge, Denham Springs, and Gonzales, which are situated along the lower 
third of the river.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) should be addressed to Ms. Bonnie S. Obiol at 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, PM-RS, P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, LA 
70160-0267, phone (504) 862-2280, fax number (504) 862-2088 or by E-
mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Proposed Action. An ecological restoration project will be 
designed to maximize environmental benefits within the study area. The 
proposed action includes all or portions of several alternatives, 
identified below, that would improve the ecosystem and possibly reduce 
storm water flood stages as an ancillary benefit. Design features will 
be fully evaluated with respect to the latest engineering, economic, 
and environmental regulations for acceptability under current Federal 
laws and regulations. The results of the feasibility study will 
determine the preferred alternative.
    2. Alternatives. The Amite River and Tributaries Ecosystem 
Restoration reconnaissance study considered several alternative plans 
for restoring the ecosystem in the study area. Four plans were 
determined to be economically justified and environmentally acceptable. 
The plans include: (1) Re-contouring and re-vegetating sterile and 
unstable abandoned tailing piles and un-vegetated abandoned mined areas 
in the immediate vicinity of the stream corridor, (2) as an increment 
to Alternative 1, including an additional 4,500 to 6,000 acres not 
immediately adjacent to the river by re-contouring and re-vegetating a 
total area of approximately 6,000 to 7,500 acres, (3) re-meandering 
abandoned bendways and loops of the Amite River in appropriate areas to 
recreate some of the historical meander loops or create new loops that 
would serve the same purpose, and (4) investigate recommendations of 
Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the sand and gravel industry, as 
well as other affected industries and urban areas in the study area for 
more stewardship for future habitat areas. The objective of the 
enactment of the BMPs would be to protect the restoration efforts 
undertaken by this project and other restorative measures by others and 
prevent reoccurrence of the degradation.
    3. Scoping. Scoping is the process for determining the scope of 
alternatives and significant issues to be addressed in the EIS. For 
this analysis, a letter will be sent to all parties believed to have an 
interest in the analysis, requesting their input on alternatives and 
issues to be evaluated. The letter will also notify interested parties 
of public scoping meetings that will be held in the local area. Notices 
will also be sent to local news media. All interested parties are 
invited to comment at this time, and anyone interested in this study 
should request to be included in the study mailing list.
    A public scoping meeting will be held in the spring of 2007. The 
meeting will be held in the vicinity of Baton Rouge, LA. Additional 
meetings could be held, depending upon interest and if it is determined 
that further public coordination is warranted.
    4. Significant Issues. The tentative list of resources and issues 
to be evaluated in the EIS includes wetlands (marshes and swamps), 
aquatic resources, commercial and recreational fisheries, wildlife 
resources, essential fish habitat, water quality, air quality, 
threatened and endangered species, recreation and aesthetic resources, 
and cultural resources. Socioeconomic items to be evaluated in the EIS 
include navigation, flood protection, business and industrial activity, 
employment, land use, property values, public/community facilities and 
services, tax revenues, population, community and regional growth, 
transportation, housing, community cohesion, and noise.
    5. Environmental Consultation and Review. The U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (USFWS) will be assisting in the documentation of 
existing conditions and assessment of effects of project alternatives 
through Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act consultation procedures. The 
USFWS will provide a Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act report. 
Consultation will be accomplished with the USFWS and the National 
marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) concerning threatened and endangered 
species and their critical habitat. The NMFS will be consulted on the 
effects of this proposed action on Essential Fish Habitat. The draft 
EIS (DEIS) or a notice of its availability will be distributed to all 
interested agencies, organizations, and individuals.
    6. Estimated Date of Availability. Funding levels will dictate the 
date when the DEIS is available. The earliest that the DEIS is expected 
to be available is in the summer of 2009.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 07-719 Filed 2-15-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-84-M