[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 246 (Monday, December 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78337-78338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30355]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Balanced Vision Plan, a Multipurpose Project Containing 
Ecosystem Restoration, Flood Risk Management, and Recreational 
Enhancement Alternatives Along the Trinity River Within and Adjacent to 
the Existing Dallas Floodway in Dallas County, Dallas, 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 (USACE), Fort Worth District, 
in partnership with the City of Dallas recommends the incorporation of 
various flood risk management measures, ecosystem restoration features, 
and recreational enhancements to the Dallas Floodway, located along the 
Trinity River in Dallas County, Dallas, TX. The Balanced Vision Plan 
(BVP) project aims to achieve the designed Standard Project Flood 
protection, maximize ecosystem restoration outputs for priority 
resource categories, and optimize recreational opportunities, to 
include providing trail connectivity to other regional visions/plans.
    The USACE is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) in response to the authority contained in the United States 
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Resolution dated April 
22, 1988, and Section 5141 of the Water Resources Development Act 
(WRDA) of 2007. The USACE must determine the technical soundness and 
environmental acceptability of the authorized project. Thus, in 
accordance with Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) as implemented by the regulations promulgated by the Council on 
Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 1500-1508 
and USACE Engineering Regulation 200-2-2), the USACE will prepare the 
DEIS to evaluate and compare flood risk management, ecosystem 
restoration, and recreation alternatives along the Trinity River within 
and adjacent to the existing Dallas Floodway, Dallas, TX.
    The BVP project study area is located within the Dallas Floodway 
along the Trinity River, in Dallas, TX. The study area is bounded on 
the upstream by the Loop 12 crossings of the West and Elm Forks and at 
the downstream end by the existing terminus of the Dallas Floodway 
approximated by the existing Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Bridge. 
Of the 22.6 miles of levees within the study area, the East Levee is 
11.7 miles in length and the West Levee is 10.9 miles in length. In 
addition to the levees, the Floodway includes the modified channel, six 
pumping plants and seven pressure conduits. There are approximately 
1,422 acres of land in the study area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions regarding the BVP EIS or 
to add your contact information to the project mailing database, please 
contact Mr. Jeffry A. Tripe, Regional Technical Specialist, U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, P.O. Box 17300, Fort Worth, 
TX, 76102-0300, (817) 886-1716, or via e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Dallas County Levee Improvement District 
(DCLID) constructed the original Dallas Floodway levees between 1928 
and 1931. The DCLID rerouted the Trinity River by constructing a 
channel within the leveed floodway and filled the original river 
channel or used it for sump storage. In the mid-forties, major floods, 
compounded by continued urbanization in the watershed, resulted in 
increased drainage into the Dallas Floodway and severe flooding. To 
reduce flooding within the Dallas Floodway project area, Congress 
authorized the Dallas Floodway flood control project in 1945 and 1950. 
This resulted in several USACE improvements to the Dallas Floodway, 
completed in 1958.
    The existing Upper Trinity River Feasibility Study (UTRFS) serves 
as an umbrella study to all USACE projects in the basin. The USACE 
initiated the UTRFS in response to the authority contained in the 
United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works 
Resolution dated April 22, 1988. This authorizing legislation for the 
overall study defines the area of investigations as the Upper Trinity 
River Basin, with specific emphasis on the Dallas--Fort Worth 
Metroplex. The UTRFS identified approximately 90 potential projects 
addressing flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, and recreation 
within the study area.
    In May 1996, acting as the non-Federal sponsor on the on-going 
UTRFS, the North Central Texas Council of Governments coordinated with 
the USACE and City of Dallas to modify the UTRFS Cost Sharing Agreement 
to include an Interim Feasibility Study of the existing Dallas Floodway 
as part of the on-going UTRFS. The team assessed several flood risk 
management

[[Page 78338]]

alternatives in the Dallas Floodway Interim Feasibility Study. The 
USACE and City of Dallas also developed additional environmental 
quality alternatives to benefit fish and wildlife habitat, water 
quality, and aesthetic properties while minimizing adverse impacts to 
existing cultural resources and flood risk management benefits. On 
November 29, 2005, the USACE published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the 
Federal Register (70 FR 71477) to prepare a DEIS for proposed 
modifications to the existing Dallas Floodway based on the Interim 
Feasibility Study and held a public scoping meeting on December 13, 
2005.
    During this time, the City of Dallas developed another variation to 
the Trinity River Corridor Master Implementation Plan that included 
similar environmental quality measures and interior drainage system 
improvements to the Dallas Floodway, referred to as the BVP. During 
development of the various alternatives for the Dallas Floodway Interim 
Feasibility Study, the 2007 WRDA authorized the City of Dallas BVP. 
This authorization superseded the need to continue development of the 
Interim Feasibility Study and allowed implementation of the BVP and 
interior drainage system components if the USACE determines they are 
technically sound and environmentally acceptable.
    In accordance with NEPA, a DEIS will be prepared to evaluate and 
compare ecosystem restoration, flood risk management, and recreation 
alternatives within and along the Dallas Floodway. The DEIS will also 
assess the impacts to the quality of the human environment associated 
with each alternative. Past channelization and clearing of the Dallas 
Floodway, along with urbanization, has significantly degraded the 
terrestrial and aquatic habitat along and within the Trinity River. 
Consequently, ecosystem restoration measures will be developed and 
evaluated to address the degraded habitats. In addition, recreation 
measures will be developed and evaluated as complements to proposed 
ecosystem restoration measures.
    Alternatives for ecosystem restoration, flood risk management, and 
recreation enhancement will be developed and evaluated based on ongoing 
fieldwork and data collection and past studies conducted by the Corps 
of Engineers, the City of Dallas, and regulatory agencies. Ecosystem 
restoration alternatives that will be evaluated include creating 
meanders within the Trinity River, restoring, protecting and expanding 
the riparian corridor, improving aquatic habitat, creating riffle-pool 
complexes, and constructing wetlands. It is anticipated that ecosystem 
restoration measures would help improve water quality, enhance aquatic 
and terrestrial habitat, and minimize erosion and scouring along and 
within the river.
    Alternatives for flood risk management measures will be evaluated 
from both a non-structural and structural aspect. Non-structural 
measures that will be evaluated include acquisition and removal of 
structures or flood proofing of structures for protection from 
potential future flood damage. Structural measures that will be 
evaluated include levee height modification by fill or addition of 
flood walls, changes in interior drainage by enlarging storage areas or 
increasing widths and depths and/or a combination of these measures.
    Recreation measures that will be evaluated include the West, 
Natural, and Urban lakes, terraced playing fields, multipurpose trails, 
whitewater facilities, pedestrian bridges, utilities, parking 
facilities, amphitheaters, promenade, concession pads, boat/canoe 
access points, and passive recreation features, such as interpretive 
guidance, media, and picnic areas. Recreation measures will be 
developed to a scope and scale compatible with proposed ecosystem 
restoration measures without significantly diminishing ecosystem 
benefits.
    The USACE will coordinate with the public and regulatory agencies 
to ensure full and open participation in the NEPA process and aid in 
the development of the DEIS. The USACE requests that all affected 
Federal, state, and local agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other 
interested parties participate in the NEPA process. The public will be 
invited to participate in the scoping process, invited to attend public 
meetings, and given the opportunity to review the DEIS. The location 
and time of the first public scoping meeting will be announced in the 
local news media. Release of the DEIS for public comment is scheduled 
for summer 2010. The exact release date, once established, will be 
announced in the local news media. Furthermore, a project Web site 
containing project information is available at http://www.dallasbvpeis.com.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
 [FR Doc. E8-30355 Filed 12-19-08; 8:45 am]
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