[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 226 (Monday, November 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65950-65951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22959]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for 
Proposed Dam Powerhouse Rehabilitations and Possible Operational 
Changes at the Wolf Creek, Center Hill, and Dale Hollow Dams, Kentucky 
and Tennessee

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Corps of Engineers (Corps), Nashville District, will 
prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) relating to 
proposed dam powerhouse rehabilitations and possible operational 
changes at the Wolf Creek, Center Hill, and Dale Hollow Dams in 
Kentucky and Tennessee. The Corps is studying the possible impacts of 
modifying existing equipment. Due to improvements in technology, 
rehabilitating the equipment could make it possible to produce more 
power from the same amount of water discharged. Changes in equipment 
and operational procedures could also cause higher tailwater heights 
and velocities, but as there is a limited amount of water they could be 
for shorter duration. In addition, alterations to flow regimes are 
being considered to provide minimum flows when hydropower releases are 
shut off. If improvements are successful, other dams may eventually be 
considered for similar changes. This study was begun in 2003 and a 
Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register on September 25, 
2003; however, due to funding constraints work ceased before a Draft 
EIS could be completed. The proposed rehabilitation of the powerhouse 
and generating units is not related to the dam seepage repairs that are 
ongoing at Center Hill and Wolf Creek Dams.

DATES: Written scoping comments on issues to be considered in the DEIS 
will be accepted by the Corps of Engineers until December 26, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Scoping comments should be mailed to: Mr. Chip Hall, Project 
Planning Branch, Nashville District Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 1070 
(PM-P), Nashville, TN 37202-1070, or may be e-mailed to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information concerning 
the proposed action and DEIS, please contact Chip Hall, Project 
Planning Branch, (615) 736-7666.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. The intent of the DEIS is to provide NEPA 
compliance for changes in design features and operating procedures of 
the Wolf Creek, Center Hill, and Dale Hollow Dams in the Cumberland 
River system. All three dams are of a similar age, have similar 
turbines and related equipment, and have similar proposed 
rehabilitation and operational changes. Operating and equipment changes 
that will be studied could potentially affect more than a combined 
total 60 miles of tailwaters. This would primarily be a result of 
efforts to raise dissolved oxygen levels to meet the minimum state 
water quality standards, although flows and elevations could also be 
altered for a significant distance. The Cumberland River includes ten 
dams and reservoirs. The 10 projects are managed as one system with the 
goal of managing the flow of water through the entire Cumberland River 
basin. If the proposed changes prove desirable, they could set a 
precedent for future rehabilitations at other hydropower facilities. 
The Corps, therefore, proposes to evaluate these dams programmatically.
    2. The three dams considered under this Environmental Impact 
Statement, Wolf Creek Dam, Center Hill Dam, and Dale Hollow Dam, were 
authorized in the 1930s and constructed in the 1940s before there was a 
significant concern for environmental protection. They all predate the 
NEPA, the Clean Water Act, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and 
many other related environmental laws and regulations. Together these 
three Corps projects affect the temperatures, flows, and dissolved 
oxygen (DO) levels of up to 250 miles of the Cumberland River and its 
tributaries. The Corps is studying the possible impacts of modifying 
existing structures or operating procedures to improve DO in the 
tailwaters. Alterations to flow regimes are being considered to provide 
minimum flows below the dams when hydropower releases are shut off.

[[Page 65951]]

    3. Key proposed project features to be evaluated in the DEIS 
include the following:
    a. Rehabilitation of turbines including Auto Venting Turbines to 
improve DO levels in the tailwaters.
    b. Minimum releases to ensure continuous flows between periods of 
generation.
    c. The effects of increased tailwater flows on tailwater parks, 
downstream fishing areas, adjacent low lying farmlands, erosion of 
riverbanks, cultural archaeological and historic sites, and changes to 
the hydraulics and hydrology of the rivers.
    d. Other alternatives studied will include: No Action; restoration 
to the ``original'' 1948 condition; refurbishing existing units; 
oxygenating water in the dam forebays prior to release; and spilling 
water through the sluice gates.
    4. This notice serves to solicit scoping 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 during the comment 
period will be considered in the NEPA process. Comments are used to 
assess impacts on fish and wildlife, 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, cumulative effects, 
and in general, the needs and welfare of the people. Public meetings 
may be held, however, times, dates, or locations have not been 
determined.
    5. Other federal, state and local approvals required for the 
proposed work include coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
    6. Significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the DEIS include 
impacts to tailwater fisheries, recreation, economics, water quality, 
historic and cultural resources, streambank erosion, future power 
demands, and cumulative impacts. The DEIS should be available in 
January 2008.

Bernard R. Lindstrom,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. E7-22959 Filed 11-23-07; 8:45 am]
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