[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 38 (Friday, February 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9877-9878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04134]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R3-FHC-2016-N110]; [FXFR13340300000-145-FF03F00000]


Fisheries and Habitat Conservation; Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Ballville Dam Project on the 
Sandusky River, Sandusky County, Ohio

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; announcement of meeting; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of a draft supplemental environmental impact statement 
(SEIS) that has been prepared to evaluate the Ballville Dam Project, in 
Sandusky County, Ohio, in accordance with the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We are also announcing a 
public meeting and requesting public comments.

DATES: 
    Submitting Comments: We will consider all comments regarding the 
draft SEIS received or postmarked by April 11, 2016 and respond to them 
as appropriate.
    Public Meeting: We will conduct a public meeting in Fremont, Ohio, 
on March 15, 2016, from 7 to 9 p.m. The meeting will provide the public 
with an opportunity to present comments, ask questions, and discuss 
issues with Service staff and our cooperating agencies regarding the 
draft SEIS.

ADDRESSES: 
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the draft SEIS by 
any one of the following methods:
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Brian Elkington, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Fisheries, 5600 American Boulevard West, Suite 990, 
Bloomington, MN 55437-1458.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: (612) 713-5289 (Attention: Brian Elkington).
    Viewing Comments by the Environmental Protection Agency: For how to 
view comments on the draft SEIS from the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), or for information on EPA's role in the EIS process, see 
EPA's Role in the EIS Process under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Public Meeting: The meeting will take place at Terra State 
Community College, Neeley Center, 2830 Napoleon Road, Fremont, Ohio, 
43420. A hard copy of the draft SEIS and associated documents will be 
available for review at the Birchard Public Library, 423 Croghan 
Street, Fremont, Ohio 43420, as well as online at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/fisheries/ballville-dam.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Elkington, (612) 713-5168. 
Individuals who are hearing impaired or speech impaired may call the 
Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8337 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We announce the availability of a draft 
supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) that has been 
prepared to evaluate the Ballville Dam Project, in Sandusky County, 
Ohio, in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA). We are also announcing a public meeting and 
requesting public comments.

Background

    Ballville Dam was built in 1913 for hydroelectric power generation. 
The City of Fremont purchased the dam in 1959 from the Ohio Power 
Company for the purpose of supplying water to the city. With the 
construction of a raw water reservoir, the dam is no longer required 
for this purpose. Moreover, in 2007, the Ohio Department of Natural 
Resources issued a Notice of Violation to the City, stating that the 
dam was being operated in violation of the law as a result of its 
deteriorated condition.
    Ballville Dam is currently a complete barrier to upstream fish 
passage and impedes hydrologic processes. The purpose for the issuance 
of Federal funds and preparation of this Draft SEIS is to remove 
Ballville Dam and restore natural hydrological processes over a 40-mile 
stretch of the Sandusky River, reopen fish passage to 22 miles of 
additional habitat, restore flow conditions for fish access to habitat 
above the impoundment, and improve overall conditions for native fish 
communities in the Sandusky River system, restoring self-sustaining 
fish resources.
    We published a final EIS in the Federal Register on August 1, 2014 
(79 FR 44856), for the Ballville Dam Project that addressed the 
environmental, economic, cultural and historical, and safety issues 
associated with the proposed removal of the dam and a suite of 
alternatives. The final EIS analyzed four alternatives for the removal: 
(1) Proposed Action--Incremental Dam Removal with Ice Control 
Structure; (2) No Federal Action; (3) Fish Elevator Structure; and (4) 
Dam Removal with Ice Control Structure. The final EIS considered the 
direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of the alternatives, including 
any measures under the Proposed Action alternative intended to minimize 
and mitigate such impacts. The final EIS also identified additional 
alternatives that were considered, but were eliminated from 
consideration as detailed in Section 2.3 of the final EIS.

Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

    This draft SEIS provides further discussion of the potential 
significant impacts of the proposed action and an analysis of 
reasonable alternatives to the

[[Page 9878]]

proposed action, specifically within the context of additional 
information made available since completion of final EIS for this 
project. This additional information addresses estimates of total 
quantity of sediment impounded by Ballville Dam, the potential impacts 
of the proposed alternative on harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the 
Sandusky River and Lake Erie due to the proposed sediment release, the 
potential impacts of the proposed alternative on downstream habitats 
due to sediment release, the accuracy of cost estimates of sediment 
removal within the EIS, evaluation of a bypass and excavation 
alternative provided in comments on the FEIS, and the potential for 
beneficial reuse of sediments impounded by Ballville Dam. Although we 
concluded that these topics were sufficiently addressed in the FEIS, we 
provide additional review and assessment in this Draft SEIS to help 
further clarify the issues. To complete this aspect of the Draft SEIS, 
we consulted subject matter experts to help review FEIS materials and 
clearly articulate our understanding of them. The resulting additional 
information and explanation has been incorporated within this Draft 
SEIS.

EPA's Role in the EIS Process

    In addition to this notice of the draft SEIS, EPA is publishing a 
Federal Register notice announcing the draft SEIS, as required under 
section 309 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.; CAA). The 
publication of EPA's notice is the official start of the minimum 
requirement for a 45-day public comment period for an EIS. The EPA is 
charged under the CAA to review all Federal agencies' EISs and to 
comment on the adequacy and the acceptability of the environmental 
impacts of proposed actions in the EISs. EPA also serves as the 
repository (EIS database) for EISs prepared by Federal agencies. The 
EIS database provides information about EISs prepared by Federal 
agencies, as well as EPA's comments concerning the EISs. All EISs are 
filed with EPA, which publishes a notice of availability on Fridays in 
the Federal Register. For more information, see http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/eisdata.html. You may search for EPA comments on EISs, 
along with EISs themselves, at https://cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-public/action/eis/search.

Public Comments

    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and to 
private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed or are 
known to have interest in this proposal. To ensure that the full range 
of issues related to this proposed action are addressed and all 
significant issues identified, comments and suggestions are invited 
from all interested parties.
    We request data, comments, new information, or suggestions from the 
public, concerned governmental agencies, the scientific community, 
tribes, industry, or any other interested party on this notice. We 
specifically request comments regarding the additional information and 
analyses presented in the draft SEIS.
    You may submit your comments and materials considering this notice 
by one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section.

Public Availability of Comments

    All comments and materials we receive in response to this request 
will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal 
business hours at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

Authority

    This notice is being furnished as provided for by NEPA and its 
implementing Regulations (40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22). The intent of the 
notice is to obtain suggestions and additional information from other 
agencies and the public on the draft SEIS. Comments and participation 
in this process are solicited.

    Dated: February 22, 2016.
Kurt Schilling,
Acting Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-04134 Filed 2-25-16; 8:45 am]
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