[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 227 (Monday, November 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64827-64829]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25557]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service


Notice of Availability of the Final Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Little Otter Creek Watershed Plan, Caldwell 
County, Missouri

AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department 
of Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of availability for the Final Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (FSEIS).

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SUMMARY: NRCS announces the availability of the FSEIS for the Little 
Otter Creek Watershed Plan (LOCWP), Caldwell County, Missouri, 
involving the proposed construction of a multi-purpose reservoir. The 
purpose of this supplement is to address changes which have occurred 
since NRCS prepared the LOCWP and Environmental Impact Statement in 
2003. The FSEIS updates the original EIS with more recent relevant 
environmental information and expands the alternatives analysis beyond 
those previously considered. The FSEIS evaluates reasonable and 
practicable alternatives and their expected environmental impacts under 
the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) provisions of the Council on 
Environmental Quality.

DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by December 26, 2019.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. In your 
comments, include the volume, date, and page number of this issue of 
the Federal Register. Comments may be submitted by the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ and search for Docket ID NRCS-2019-0019. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.

[[Page 64828]]

    NRCS will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. Copies 
of the FSEIS are available at: http://tiny.cc/1fd33y.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Hamilton, Assistant State 
Conservationist, Water Resources and Easements, at 
[email protected] or (573) 876-0912. Persons with disabilities 
who require alternative means for communication should contact the USDA 
Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NRCS in cooperation with the Caldwell County Commission, 
Caldwell County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers (USACE) has prepared a FSEIS for the LOCWP in 
Caldwell County, Missouri authorized pursuant to the Watershed 
Protection and Flood Prevention Act, Public Law 83-566, (16 U.S.C. 
1001-1008). The NRCS determined that additional analysis was required 
and that the purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
would be furthered through the preparation of a FSEIS. The USACE is a 
cooperating federal agency in the preparation of the FSEIS. The FSEIS 
has considered all reasonable and practicable alternatives to meet the 
purpose and need for the Federal action. The FSEIS has assessed the 
potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of the project, 
and addressed Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements along 
with pertinent environmental and socio-economic issues. The FSEIS 
analyzed the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of the proposed 
action.
    A Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the LOCWP was published in the Federal Register on 
December 23, 2013. A Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the LOCWP was published in 
the Federal Register on March 29, 2019. A public open house was held 
from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, 2019, at Kingston, 
Missouri to answer questions and solicit comments on the DSEIS 
document. The 45-day public comment period ended on May 13, 2019. NRCS 
has responded to all substantive comments received. Copies of comments 
received and NRCS responses to those comments appear in Appendix C of 
the FSEIS.
    The 6,323-acre Little Otter Creek Watershed is located two miles 
east of Hamilton in Caldwell County in northwest Missouri. It is a 
tributary to Otter Creek which drains to Shoal Creek; the Grand River, 
and the Missouri River.
    Engineering reports dating back nearly 50 years document water 
supply problems in Caldwell County. Underlying geologic formations 
severely limit groundwater quality and availability. The Missouri 
Drought Plan places Caldwell County in a region classified as having 
``severe surface and groundwater supply drought vulnerability.'' 
Digital models estimate that existing water sources could supply only 
37 percent of the county's demand during the drought of record. In 
addition, the LOCWP documented annual flood damages to crop and pasture 
land, fences, roads and bridges. The LOCWP also identified the need for 
additional recreational opportunities in the surrounding area.
    At the request of the Caldwell County Commission and the Caldwell 
County Soil and Water Conservation District, the NRCS began watershed 
planning activities in July 2000 under the authority of the Watershed 
Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954, Public Law 83-566, as 
amended (16 U.S.C. 1001-1008). NRCS issued a Notice of Intent to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in July of 2002. On August 6, 
2002, the voters of Caldwell County approved a one-half percent sales 
tax to assist in funding the local match for project installation. NRCS 
completed the LOCWP and Environmental Impact Statement in March 2003 
and announced a Record of Decision to proceed with installation in May 
2003. The project has not been installed because sufficient funding has 
not been available. Installation of the proposed action will result in 
temporary and permanent impacts to jurisdictional waters of the United 
States requiring a Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 permit. The USACE 
has not issued a Section 404 permit for this project. Comments received 
during the EIS process suggested that a larger number of reasonable and 
practicable alternatives be considered. Potential impacts of all 
reasonable and practicable alternatives have been updated and analyzed 
in the SEIS in compliance with Section 404(b)(1) of the CWA. The USACE 
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed an 
Approved Jurisdictional Determination in March 2010.

Proposed Action

    The proposed Federal action as presented in the 2003 EIS includes 
one approximately 362-acre multiple-purpose reservoir on Little Otter 
Creek, a water intake structure, a raw water line, fish and wildlife 
habitat enhancement, and recreational facilities. The purpose of the 
proposed Federal action is to:
     Provide approximately 1.24 million gallons per day of 
locally-controlled raw water supply to meet the projected 50-year usage 
demand for Caldwell County;
     Provide approximately 60,000 annual recreational user-
days; and
     Provide an approximate 96 percent reduction in annual 
flood damages in the 3.8 miles of Little Otter Creek between the 
reservoir and the confluence with Otter Creek.

Alternatives

    The SEIS evaluated environmental impacts of the following 
alternatives and other action alternatives identified that were 
reasonable and practicable:
    (1) Creation of a multi-purpose reservoir;
    (2) A combination of independent purpose alternatives to meet the 
overall project purposes and needs; and
    (3) The no-action alternative.
    The SEIS identified the National Economic Development alternative, 
which is the alternative with the greatest net economic benefit 
consistent with protecting the Nation's environment and documents the 
estimated direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the proposed 
action and alternatives on the environment.

Scoping

    In developing the LOCWP, numerous scoping meetings were held to 
gather public input and keep the community informed on the status of 
project planning activities. Several community surveys and interviews 
were conducted to gather information, and periodic news articles were 
published to update local citizens. The Caldwell County Lake Project 
Steering Committee was formed to further insure public input into the 
planning process. A public open house was held from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 
p.m. on Thursday, May 2, 2019, at Kingston, Missouri, to answer 
questions and solicit comments on the DSEIS document. NEPA procedures 
do not require additional public scoping meetings for the development 
of a SEIS and none are planned at this time. Comments received were 
used to revise the Draft and Final SEIS.

Public Involvement

    The NRCS invites full public participation to promote open 
communication and better decision-making. All persons and organizations 
with an interest in the LOCWP are urged

[[Page 64829]]

to comment. Public comments are welcome, and comments may be submitted 
to the NRCS for 30 days after publication of the Final SEIS. 
Distribution of the comments received will be included in the 
Administrative Record without change and may include any personal 
information provided, unless the commenter indicates that the comment 
includes information claimed to be confidential business information.

Other Environmental Review and Coordination Requirements

    The USACE is a cooperating agency in the preparation of the FSEIS. 
The NRCS as the lead Federal agency will continue to coordinate with 
other agencies and entities throughout the NEPA process including: 
Caldwell County Commission, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, 
Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
and EPA. The FSEIS addresses project compliance with applicable laws 
and regulations, including NEPA, CWA, Endangered Species Act, and the 
National Historic Preservation Act.

Permits or Licenses Required

    The proposed Federal action requires a CWA Section 404 permit from 
the USACE. The project also requires certification by the State of 
Missouri, Department of Natural Resources, under Section 401 of the 
CWA, that the project would not violate State water quality standards. 
A land disturbance permit issued by the Missouri Department of Natural 
Resources under Section 402 of the CWA (National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System Permit) is required. Construction and Safety Permits 
issued by the Missouri Dam and Reservoir Safety Program are also 
required.

Serapio Flores,
Missouri State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-25557 Filed 11-22-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-16-P