[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 202 (Friday, October 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61827-61828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24818]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on an 
Application for a Department of the Army Permit under Section 404 of 
the Clean Water Act by the Upper Trinity Regional Water District for 
the Construction of Lake Ralph Hall, a Proposed 7,605-Surface-Acre 
Water Supply Reservoir in Fannin County, TX

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, Fort Worth District (USACE) 
has received an application for a Department of the Army permit under 
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) from the Upper Trinity 
Regional Water District (UTRWD) to construct Lake Ralph Hall. In 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the USACE has determined that issuance of 
such a permit may have a significant impact on the quality of the human 
environment and, therefore, requires the preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
    The USACE intends to prepare an EIS to assess the environmental, 
social, and economic effects of issuance of a Department of the Army 
permit under Section 404 of the CWA for discharges of dredged and fill 
material into waters of the United States (U.S.) associated with the 
construction of the proposed water supply reservoir. In the EIS, the 
USACE will assess potential impacts associated with a range of 
alternatives.

DATES: A public scoping meeting was held on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 
from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The purpose of this meeting was to disseminate 
information about the proposed project and its potential effects to the 
human environment, and to seek public comments on the proposed project.

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting was held at the Fannindel High 
School, Located at 601 West Main Street, Ladonia, Fannin County, TX.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or 
questions about the proposed action and EIS, please contact Ms. Mary J. 
Flores, Regulatory Project Manager, by letter at Regulatory Branch, 
CESWF-PER-R, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 17300, Fort Worth, 
TX 76102-0300 or by telephone at (817) 886-1739.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Description of the Proposed Project: The proposed Lake Ralph 
Hall would be located north of the City of Ladonia, Fannin County, TX. 
The proposed project site consists of approximately 11,200 acres, 
including approximately 505 acres associated with the proposed dam, 
principal spillway, emergency spillway, raw water intake structure and 
pump station, and approximately 7,605 acres associated with the 
proposed conservation pool. The proposed dam would be located on the 
North Sulphur River approximately 4.8 miles northeast of the City of 
Ladonia and 22.5 miles southeast of the City of Bonham, between State 
Highway 34 and Farm-to-Market Road 904 in Fannin County, TX. The 
proposed project would involve the discharge of dredged and fill 
material into approximately 14.3 acres of waters of the U.S. associated 
with the construction of the proposed Lake Ralph Hall dam, principal 
spillway, and emergency spillway. The proposed project would inundate 
approximately 325 acres of the North Sulphur River and its tributaries 
associated with the establishment of an approximately 7,603-acre 
conservation pool with an elevation of 551 feet mean sea level. 
Overall, the proposed project would adversely impact approximately 
339.3 acres of waters of the U.S. associated with filling, clearing, 
excavation, and inundation.
    The purpose of the proposed project is to provide water for 
approximately 33 towns, cities, and utility districts in portions of 
Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Grayson and Wise Counties. The 
UTRWD has requested the right to impound up to 180,000 acre-feet of 
water. The Lake Ralph Hall conservation pool would impound 
approximately 160,235 acre-feet of water and would provide a firm yield 
of up to 45,000 acre-feet per year.
    The proposed project would likely adversely impact 339.3 acres of 
waters of the U.S. as a result of dam construction and inundation of 
areas within the conservation pool. Waters of the U.S. affected would 
include the following: Approximately 57,858 linear feet (135 acres) 
along intermittent reaches of the North Sulphur River, 549,009 linear 
feet (131.8 acres) of named and unnamed ephemeral tributaries of the 
North Suphur River, and 72.5 acres of on-channel ponds. Approximately 
1,900 acres of young and mature upland forested areas are present 
within the approximately 11,200-acre proposed project site. The Caddo-
Lyndon B. Johnson (CLBJ) National Grasslands--Ladonia Unit, which is 
comprised of 2,780 acres, is located within the vicinity of the 
proposed project site. The proposed conservation pool would inundate 
approximately 254 acres within this unit. The CLBJ National Grasslands 
are administered by the U.S. Forest Service and managed under a 
cooperative agreement with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
    2. Alternatives: Alternatives available to the USACE are to: (1) 
Issue the Department of the Army permit; (2) issue the Department of 
the Army permit with special conditions; or (3) deny the Department of 
the Army permit. Alternatives available to UTRWD include: (1) 
Constructing Lake Ralph Hall as proposed by UTRWD; (2) constructing 
Lake Ralph Hall as proposed by UTRWD, with modifications; (3) 
developing or acquiring other water supply sources; or (4) no action.
    3. Scoping and Public Involvement Process: A public scoping meeting 
to disseminate information about the proposed project and its potential 
effects to the human environment, and to seek public comments on the 
proposed project was conducted (see DATES & ADDRESSES). A Public Notice 
was issued on October 10, 2008, to extend the opportunity for federal, 
state, and local agencies and officials, and interested individuals to 
further comment on the proposed project and the scope of the EIS.
    4. Significant Issues: Issues to be given significant analysis in 
the EIS are likely to include, but will not be limited to: the effects 
of the lake on the immediate and adjacent property owners, nearby 
communities, downstream hydraulics and hydrology, streams, wetlands, 
surface water quantity and quality, groundwater

[[Page 61828]]

quantity and quality, geologic resources, vegetation, fish and 
wildlife, threatened and endangered species, soils, prime farmland, 
noise, light, aesthetics, historic and pre-historic cultural resources, 
socioeconomics, land use, public roads, and air quality.
    5. Cooperating Agencies: At this time, no other federal or state 
agencies have been established as cooperating agencies in preparation 
of the EIS. However, numerous federal and state agencies, including the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Parks 
and Wildlife Department, the Texas Historical Commission, and the U.S. 
Forest Service are expected to be involved in the preparation of, and 
provide comments on, the EIS.
    6. Additional Review and Consultation: Compliance with other 
federal and state requirements that will be addressed in the EIS 
include, but will not be limited to, state water quality certification 
under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, protection of water quality 
under the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, protection of 
air quality under the Texas Air Quality Act, protection of endangered 
and threatened species under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, 
and protection of cultural resources under Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act.
    7. Availability of the Draft EIS: The Draft EIS is projected to be 
available by June 2009. A public hearing will be conducted following 
the release of the Draft EIS.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
 [FR Doc. E8-24818 Filed 10-16-08; 8:45 am]
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