[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 83 (Wednesday, April 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24394-24396]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09831]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Notice of Intent; Request for Comments on Adoption of the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers' Bayou Meto Basin General Reevaluation Report 
and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Arkansas, Jefferson, Lonoke, 
Prairie and Pulaski Counties, Arkansas

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Adopt Reevaluation Report and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement; Request for Comments.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) an agency of the United 
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is giving notice of its intent 
to adopt the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) existing general 
reevaluation report and final environmental impact statement (GRR/EIS) 
for the Bayou Meto Basin, Arkansas project (project). RUS is 
considering providing funding to the applicant, the Bayou Meto Water 
Management District (BMWMD), to construct a portion of the project 
consisting of activities that have been identified, designed and 
reviewed under the USACE's existing GRR/EIS. Based on RUS' independent 
evaluation, adoption of the GRR/EIS would meet the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) and RUS regulations and guidance for 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). To fulfill 
our NEPA requirements and support a funding decision, we are 
recirculating the GRR/EIS for written public comment via this notice, 
in accordance with CEQ and RUS adoption guidelines.

DATES: Written comments on this Notice must be received on or before 
May 30, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Mark S. Plank, Director, 
Engineering and Environmental Staff, USDA Rural Utilities Service, 1400 
Independence Ave. SW., Stop 1571, Room 2242-S, Washington, DC 20250. 
The GRR/EIS and related documents referenced in this Notice are 
available at http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects/BayouMetoBasinProject/Reports.aspx. To the extent practicable, these 
documents can be made available for public review in alternative 
formats by contacting the individual listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION to request documents in alternative formats. RUS provides 
this notice under regulations implementing NEPA and invite the public 
to review the GRR/EIS during the 30-day comment period (see DATES). 
Before including your address, phone number, email address or other 
personal identifying information in your comment, please be aware that 
your entire comment--including personal identifying information--may be 
made publicly available at any time. RUS will endeavor to withhold 
personal identifying information from public review upon request, but 
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    As provided for pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), RUS is using this 
notice to comply with the requirement under 36 CFR 800.2(d) that the 
agency seek and consider the views of the public regarding effects to 
historic properties prior to making a decision on the project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Fristik, Senior Environmental 
Protection Specialist, USDA Rural Utilities Service, 1400 Independence 
Ave. SW., Stop 1571, Room 2240-S, Washington, DC 20250, Telephone: 
(202) 720-5093, Facsimile: (202) 690-0649, or email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RUS' proposed funding action is for 
activities already identified, designed and reviewed under the GRR/EIS. 
Adoption and recirculation for public written comment of the GRR/EIS 
fulfills RUS' requirements under the CEQ (40 CFR 1506.3(b)) and Agency 
(7 CFR 1794.72(b)) NEPA implementing regulations. Recent CEQ guidance 
encourages agencies to ``. . . coordinate and take appropriate 
advantage of existing documents and studies, including through adoption 
and incorporation by reference'' as a means of improving NEPA 
efficiency (see ``Improving the Process for Preparing Efficient and 
Timely Environmental Reviews under the National Environmental Policy 
Act'' at http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/current_developments/docs/Improving_NEPA_Efficiencies_06Mar2012.pdf).
    The overall Bayou Meto project area is located in east central 
Arkansas and is bounded approximately on the west and south by the 
Arkansas River and the city of England, and on the north and east by 
the cities of Lonoke, Carlisle, Stuttgart and Reydell. The entire study 
area encompasses 864,000 acres. The

[[Page 24395]]

proposed project for which RUS funding would be provided consists of 
the Indian Bayou Service Area, a narrow (north to south) 94,000-acre 
area on the western edge of the overall Bayou Meto area.
    The USACE prepared the following documents to meet their federal 
requirements:
    1. ``Grand Prairie Region and Bayou Meto Basin, Arkansas Project, 
Bayou Meto Basin, Arkansas General Reevaluation Report, Volume 1--Main 
Report & Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),'' November 2006, 
Revised March 2007, (GRR/EIS).
    2. ``Record of Decision, Bayou Meto Basin, Arkansas,'' November 
2007, (ROD).
    3. ``Final Environmental Assessment, Bayou Meto Basin, Arkansas, 
Post General Reevaluation Design Changes,'' July 2010, (EA).
    4. ``Finding of No Significant Impact, Bayou Meto Basin, Arkansas, 
Post General Reevaluation Design Changes,'' July 2010, (FONSI).
    The particular authority under which the overall project is 
authorized and funded requires a 65 percent federal/35 percent non-
federal cost share. Both the BMWMD and the Arkansas Natural Resources 
Commission (ANRC) are the non-federal partners. RUS funding would 
comprise a portion of the non-federal cost share for the Indian Bayou 
Service Area. The ANRC is the state agency with legal authority and 
responsibility for protection and management of Arkansas' water 
resources, including groundwater. The ANRC strongly supports the 
implementation of projects that develop surface water resources to 
supplement and protect diminishing groundwater reserves. The Bayou Meto 
Basin, Arkansas project was developed to be consistent with the 
Arkansas State Water Plan. The ANRC, in partnership with the BMWMD, has 
indicated their intent to serve as local sponsor for the project and 
assume the responsibilities of local cooperation.
    Numerous other studies have been completed that document the water 
supply and groundwater depletion issues (the primary problem that the 
project addresses), starting as far back as the late 1940's. Continued 
withdrawals at the current rate will deplete the alluvial and Sparta 
aquifers such that they will no longer be viable sources of irrigation 
water, and agriculture as it is now practiced will be impossible. The 
project was re-authorized, and the scope expanded, in the Water 
Resources Development Act of 1996. The general reevaluation was 
conducted to fully evaluate and determine the best plan of improvement 
for flood control, agricultural water supply, and waterfowl management. 
Alternatives were developed and analyzed using USACE planning criteria 
to develop a plan consisting of measures that best meet the area's 
needs. Once the plan was identified, detailed engineering and design 
studies were completed to the level of detail required for preparation 
of a baseline cost estimate and schedule for implementation.
    The following were identified as planning objectives:

    1. Protect and preserve the alluvial aquifer.
    2. Maximize the use of water conservation.
    3. Provide supplemental water supply to meet the irrigation 
water needs of the
    Bayou Meto Basin.
    4. Restore and enhance waterfowl habitat.
    5. Restore native vegetation.
    6. Maintain long-range productivity of wetlands and forests.
    7. Minimize cost and maximize outputs.

    Relief from flooding problems in the southern portion of the 
project area is also an important component of this study. Significant 
annual flooding occurs on farmland and within the Bayou Meto Wildlife 
Management Area (WMA), resulting in lost income and stress on forest 
habitat (excess water cannot drain from the WMA). Waterfowl management 
is also an important objective. Much of the native habitat in the Bayou 
Meto Basin has been cleared for agriculture, limiting available habitat 
for waterfowl and isolating flora and fauna in relatively small 
patches.
    Therefore, the development of a waterfowl management (WM) plan that 
focused on providing substantial waterfowl benefits through habitat 
restoration was developed. The WM plan also benefits tributary stream 
fisheries and aquatic organisms, and would substantially increase the 
amount of bottomland hardwood forest and other wildlife habitat within 
the region.
    The GRR/EIS evaluates five alternatives for meeting the identified 
problems and opportunities: No Action (Alternative WS1); Conservation 
with Storage (Alternative WS2); 1650 cubic feet per second (cfs) Import 
System Plus Conservation and Storage (Alternative WS3); 1750 (cfs) 
Import System Plus Conservation and Storage (Alternative WS4); and, 
1850 (cfs) Import System Plus Conservation and Storage (Alternative 
WS5). The selected plan, which maximized National Economic Development 
(NED) and environmental (restoration) benefits, consisted of Water 
Supply (WS) Alternative 4B, Flood Control (FC) Alternative 2A, and the 
Waterfowl Management (WM) Plan. In addition to waterfowl, habitat 
benefits would accrue to a variety of other game and non-game species 
through creation or enhancement of bottomland hardwood, herbaceous 
wetland/prairie, moist soil, and riparian buffer habitats.
    In order to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) and its implementing regulations, 
``Protection of Historic Properties'' (36 CFR part 800), the USACE, 
acting as the lead agency for Section 106 review, the Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 
and the Arkansas State Historic Preservation Officer executed a 
Programmatic Agreement (PA) on January 13, 2009. That PA, which is 
titled, ``Programmatic Agreement Among the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Memphis District, the Natural Resources Conservation 
Service, the Arkansas State Historic Preservation Officer, Quapaw Tribe 
of Oklahoma, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Mississippi Band of Choctaw 
Indians, Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, Osage Nation of Oklahoma, United 
Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, Thlopthlocco Tribal 
Town, Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Other Signatory and Concurring 
Tribes, Bayou Meto Water Management District, the Arkansas Natural 
Resources Commission and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 
Regarding Implementation of the Bayou Meto Basin Arkansas Project 
Pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act and Other 
Authorities,'' establishes the level of effort needed for the 
identification and treatment of affected historic properties.
    Since execution of the PA in 2009, the USACE has conducted several 
archeological studies of the area of potential effects. RUS, which has 
designated the USACE as the lead agency pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(a)(2), 
will review the studies completed to date under the terms of the 2009 
PA to determine how to proceed most appropriately to conclude Section 
106 review.
    The proposed RUS decision to provide funding for the Indian Bayou 
Service Area portion of the Bayou Meto Basin project is a federal 
action subject to NEPA and related federal statutes. After an 
independent review, RUS finds that the GRR/EIS and Record of Decision 
(ROD) sufficiently addresses reasonable alternatives and the potential 
environmental effects of the activities proposed to be funded by RUS. 
The GRR/EIS meets the requirements of USDA and RUS NEPA procedures and 
guidance, and would be appropriate for adoption.

[[Page 24396]]

    RUS may receive additional requests for financial assistance for 
similar portions of the Bayou Meto Basin project. If additional 
requests are received it is the intent of the agency to issue 
additional Records of Decision without additional notices to adopt the 
USACE's GRR/EIS.
    Based on the information summarized in this notice, RUS intends to 
adopt the USACE's final GRR/EIS to enable Agency NEPA compliance for 
the proposed Federal funding decision. After the close of the comment 
period, RUS anticipates the preparation and issuance of our Record of 
Decision to occur in May/June 2014. As required, RUS will conclude 
review under 36 CFR part 800 prior to the issuance of the Record of 
Decision.

    Dated: April 8, 2014.
Jacqueline Ponti-Lazaruk,
Assistant Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-09831 Filed 4-29-14; 8:45 am]
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