[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25310-25311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10867]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Zoar 
Levee and Diversion Dam, Dam Safety Modification Study, Tuscarawas 
County, OH

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Huntington District will prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose potential impacts 
to the natural, physical, and human environment resulting from 
implementation of alternatives formulated to address reliability risks 
associated with Zoar Levee and Diversion Dam. These high hazard 
structures do not meet current performance standards and exceed 
acceptable risk levels. A full array of alternatives will be formulated 
to meet the purpose and need of this study. After full consideration of 
all alternatives, the best plan will be selected to achieve acceptable 
risk levels.

DATES: A public scoping meeting will be held on May 24, 2011 from 7-10 
p.m.

ADDRESSES: a. Address all written comments and suggestions concerning 
this proposed project to Aaron O. Smith, CELRH-PM-PD-R, U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, Huntington District, 502 Eighth Street, Huntington, WV, 
25701-2070. Telephone: 304-399-5720. E-mail: [email protected]. 
Requests to be placed on the mailing list should also be sent to this 
address.
    b. The public scoping meeting location is: Tuscarawas Valley High 
School, 2637 Tuscarawas Valley Road, NE., Zoarville, OH 44656.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Jami Buchanan, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Huntington District, 502 Eighth Street, Huntington, WV, 
25701-2070. Telephone: (304)399-5347. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Authority: Investigation and justification of modifications for 
dam safety modifications at completed Corps of Engineers projects is 
authorized under Section 2033 of the Water Resources Development Act of 
2007 (Pub. L. 110-114).
    2. Background: a. Guidance for this study is provided in USACE 
Engineer Regulation 1110-2-1156 that addresses safety of dams.
    b. Zoar Levee and Diversion Dam is an appurtenant structure to 
Dover Dam which is located in Tuscarawas County along the Tuscarawas 
River approximately 3.5 miles north of the communities of Dover and New 
Philadelphia. The dam was constructed by the Corps and completed in 
1938. Dover Dam is a dry dam and as such does not hold a permanent 
pool. The Federal government maintains a permanent flowage easement to 
elevation 916' above mean sea level (msl) upstream of the dam, which 
corresponds to the height of the spillway of the dam.
    c. The Zoar Levee was constructed in 1937 with a crest elevation of 
919' above msl, which provided three feet of freeboard over the Dover 
Dam spillway crest of elevation 916' above msl. The crest elevation of 
Zoar Levee was raised from elevation 919' above msl to elevation 928.5' 
above msl in 1951. There are approximately 54 properties (approximately 
98 buildings including dependencies) located inside the levee at or 
below the elevation 916' above msl. Water reaches the levee only when 
Dover Dam is retaining sufficient flood waters.
    d. Zoar Diversion Dam was also constructed in 1937. It is located 
on Goose Run, approximately 1,000' upstream of Zoar Levee and was built 
to control interior drainage within the levee. The Diversion Dam acts 
as a retention structure for runoff from the Goose Run watershed and 
redirects flows into a ponding area controlled by the Zoar Levee pump 
station.
    e. There are three separable components associated with the

[[Page 25311]]

project--the western reach and rock knoll, which combine to form the 
full levee, and the diversion dam. Each of these components will 
require a separate ``fix'' to achieve the tolerable risk guidelines 
established in Chapter 5 of ER 1110-2-1156, under which this study is 
being conducted. Therefore, structural measures are being developed for 
each component that would address the risk associated with that 
specific piece of the project.
    d. Additionally, as per guidance provided in Section 2033 of WRDA 
2007, ER 1110-2-1156 and ER 1105-2-100, non-structural measures are 
also being developed for the project including breaching the levee and/
or diversion dam.
    f. The cultural and historical significance of the Village of Zoar 
is well documented. The Village of Zoar is unique in the State of Ohio, 
being the only physically remaining intact utopian community and a 
significant collection of early nineteenth century German folk 
architecture. Much of Zoar was documented in 1936 by the Historic 
American Building Survey (HABS). This study concluded that Zoar was 
``the most successful communist experiment ever conducted in the United 
States'' (HABS 1936).
    g. The EIS and Dam Safety Modification Report will consider the 
structural integrity of the levee and dam, their ability to accommodate 
flood waters as well as transportation, noise, terrestrial, aquatic, 
economic, environmental justice and cultural resource issues associated 
with the performance of the levee and dam.
    3. Public Participation: a. The Corps of Engineers will conduct a 
public scoping meeting (see DATES and ADDRESSES) to gain input from 
interested agencies, organizations, and the general public concerning 
the content of the EIS, issues and impacts to be addressed in the EIS, 
and alternatives that should be analyzed.
    b. The Corps invites full public participation to promote open 
communication and better decision-making. All persons and organizations 
that have an interest in the Zoar Levee and Diversion Dam, Dam Safety 
Modification Study and the environment are urged to participate in this 
NEPA evaluation process. Assistance will be provided upon request to 
anyone having difficulty with learning how to participate.
    c. Public comments are welcomed anytime throughout the NEPA 
process. Formal opportunities for public participation include: (1) 
Public meetings to be held in or near the Village of Zoar; (2) Anytime 
during the NEPA process via mail, telephone or e-mail; (3) During 
Review and Comment on the Draft EIS; and (4) Review of the Final EIS. 
Schedules and locations will be announced in local news media. 
Interested parties should submit contact information to be included on 
the mailing list for public distribution of meeting announcements and 
documents (See ADDRESSES).
    4. Schedule: The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is scheduled 
to be released for public review and comment in September 2012. The 
Final Report and Final EIS are scheduled to be completed in January 
2013.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-10867 Filed 5-3-11; 8:45 am]
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