[Federal Register: May 26, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 103)]
[Notices]
[Page 34142-34144]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26my00-44]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Jackson County Lake Project
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement
and Notice of Public Meeting.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS)
is issuing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Jackson
County Lake Project. The Draft EIS was prepared pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et seq.)
in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR
parts 1500-1508) and RUS regulations (7 CFR part 1940, Subpart G). RUS
invites comments on the Draft EIS.
The purpose of the EIS is to evaluate the potential environmental
impacts of and alternatives to the Jackson County Empowerment Zone (EZ)
Community, Incorporated and Jackson County Water Association's (JCWA)
applications for financial assistance to provide water supply for the
residents of Jackson County and parts of surrounding counties. The
project, known as the Jackson County Lake Project, proposes to
construct a roller-compacted concrete dam to create a reservoir within
Jackson County, Kentucky, and to construct a raw water transmission
main from the proposed reservoir to the JCWA Treatment Plant. A 300-
foot buffer zone surrounding the reservoir horizontally from the normal
pool level has been proposed to protect the water quality of the
reservoir by restricting development and certain land uses in this
area. Also included in the proposal is the construction of a water
intake structure and a pump house to pump water out of the reservoir.
Proposed recreational development around the reservoir may include a
boat ramp, boat dock, public beach, hiking trails, picnic areas, and a
primitive campground.
DATES: Written comments on this Draft EIS will be accepted on or before
July 10, 2000. A public meeting will be held on June 27, 2000. The
public meeting will be held in two sessions, one beginning at 10 a.m.
and one beginning at 7 p.m.
ADDRESSES: To send comments or for more information, contact: Mark S.
Plank, USDA, Rural Utilities Service, Engineering and Environmental
Staff, 1400 Independence Avenue, Mail Stop 1571, Washington DC 20250,
telephone (202) 720-1649, fax (202) 720-0820, or email:
mplank@rus.usda.gov. Further information can also be obtained from:
Thomas G. Fern, State Director, USDA, Rural Development State Office,
771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Lexington, KY 40503, telephone (606)
224-7300, or fax (606) 224-7340. The public meeting will be held in the
gymnasium of Jackson County High School, located on U.S. 421.
A copy of the Draft EIS can be obtained or viewed online at http://
www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/deis-jc.htm. The files are in a portable
document format (pdf); in order to review or print the document, users
need to obtain a free copy of Acrobat Reader. The Acrobat Reader can be
obtained from http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html.
Copies of the Draft EIS will be available for public review during
normal business hours at the following locations:
Jackson County Public Library, Courthouse Square, PO Box 160, McKee, KY
40447, (606) 287-8113
Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Highway 421 South, McKee,
KY 40447, (606) 287-8311
Jackson County Extension Service, 263 U.S. Highway 421 South, PO Box
188, McKee, KY 40447, (606) 287-7693
Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, 362 Old Whitley Road,
London, KY 40741, (606) 864-5175
Jackson County EZ Community, Incorporated, McCammon Ridge Road, PO Box
280, McKee, KY 40447, (606) 287-8395
USDA Rural Development, 771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Lexington, KY
40503, (606) 224-7300.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Subchapter C, Part 1
(Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities and Rural Development
Investment Areas) of Title XIII of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act of 1993, Jackson County, Kentucky is located in an area designated
as an Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community (EZ/EC) (see Federal
Register Vol. 60, No. 24, February 6, 1995). The purpose of the EZ/EC
initiative is to empower rural communities and their residents to
create opportunities for economic development as part of a Federal-
State-local and private sector partnership. The proposed action is an
integral component of the EZ/EC initiative as identified in the
Kentucky Highland Empowerment Zone's Strategic Plan. The proposed
action will improve the area's water supply necessary for promoting
economic development in the area.
The Jackson County EZ Community, Inc. and the JCWA have applied for
financial assistance for the Jackson County Lake Project from the
following: RUS; Appalachian Regional Commission; U.S. Department of
Commerce, Economic Development Administration; Department of Housing
and Urban Development; Kentucky Highlands Empowerment Zone; and
Kentucky Tobacco Settlement money. In accordance with 40 CFR 1501.5,
Lead Agencies, the RUS is the lead Agency for the EIS and the U.S.
Forest Service is the Cooperating Agency.
A number of alternatives were evaluated in the EIS and were
determined to be unreasonable or inefficient due to environmental or
economic reasons or due to an insufficient yield to meet the projected
water needs of Jackson County. These alternatives included eleven
reservoir sites throughout Jackson County, groundwater development, the
expansion of existing surface water storage facilities within Jackson
County, water conservation, and importing water from existing surface
water resources in surrounding counties to the JCWA Treatment Plan.
Three alternative sites for the dam and reservoir were determined
to be reasonable for further consideration,
[[Page 34143]]
and are evaluated in the EIS along with the No Action alternative.
these alternative reservoir sites include the War Fork and Steer Fork
site, the Sturgeon Creek, 8.5 million gallons per day (mgd) site, and
the Sturgeon Creek, 2.5 mgd site.
The War Fork and Steer Fork dam site is located about 0.5 miles
southwest of Turkey Foot in eastern Jackson County. The dam would be
situated on War Fork, 0.75 miles north of the confluence with Steer
Fork. The dam would be about 87 to 107 feet tall, 760 to 790 feet long,
and 102 to 122 feet wide, creating a reservoir with an average yield of
2.5 mgd of raw water. At a normal pool elevation of 980 feet above mean
sea level (MSL), the surface area of this reservoir would be about 116
acres. At a potential maximum floor elevation of 1,000 feet above MSL,
the surface area of the reservoir would be approximately 162 acres. The
total acreage for a reservoir at maximum flood level at this site, with
a 300-foot buffer extending from normal pool level, would be about 337
acres of land. As much of this land is currently part of the Daniel
Boone National Forest, land acquisition at this site would require a
land exchange with the U.S. Forest Service. the War Fork and Steer Fork
reservoir site has been identified as the Lead Agency's Preferred
Alternative.
The Sturgeon Creek, 8.5 mgd dam site is located near the Jackson/
Owsley County boundary line in eastern Jackson County. The dam would be
situated on Sturgeon Creek, just below the confluence with Blackwater
Creek. The dam would be about 84 to 100 feet tall, 825 to 850 feet
long, and 99 to 115 feet wide, creating a reservoir with an average
yield of 8.5 mgd of raw water. Due to this greater yield, a reservoir
at this site might be used as a regional water supply source to serve
the needs of neighboring counties in addition to Jackson County. At a
normal pool elevation of 990 feel above MSL, the surface area of this
reservoir would be about 467 acres. At a potential maximum flood
elevation of 1,010 feet above MSL, the surface of the reservoir would
be approximately 740 acres. The total acreage for a reservoir at
maximum flood level at this site, with a 300-foot buffer extending from
normal pool level, would be about 1,119 acres of land. all of this land
is currently privately owned. Implementation of the project at this
site would require the relocation of residents currently living on the
project at this site would require the relocation of residents
currently living on the project site and the demolition or relocation
of existing structures in this area, including homes, barns, and
outbuildings. There would also be connected actions associated with the
project at this site, such as plugging water and oil wells in the
project area, closing existing septic and storage tanks, and relocating
roadways, such as KY 30.
The Sturgeon Creek, 3.5 mgd dam site is located near the Jackson/
Owsley County boundary line in eastern Jackson County. The dam would be
situated on Sturgeon Creek, about 0.6 miles above the confluence with
Blackwater Creek. The dam would be about 64 to 67 feet tall, 500 to 600
feet long, and 104 to 107 feet wide, creating a reservoir with an
average yield of 3.5 mgd of raw water. At a normal pool elevation of
980 feet above MSL, the furace area of this reservoir would be about
264 acres. At a potential maximum flood elevation of 1,000 feet above
MSL, the surface area of the reservoir would be approximately 440
acres. The total acreage for a reservoir at maximum flood level at this
site, with a 300-foot buffer extending from normal pool level, would be
about 643 acres of land. All of this land is currently privately owned.
Implementation of the project at this site would require the relocation
of residents currently living on the project site and the demolition or
relocation of existing structures in this area, including homes, barns,
and outbuildings. There would also be connected actions associated with
the project at this site, such as plugging water and oil wells in the
project area, closing existing septic and storage tanks, and relocating
roadways, such as KY 30.
Some major potential environmental impacts associated with the
implementation of the proposed action that are common to all three dam
and reservoir sites include a significant, beneficial increase in
recreational opportunities provided by the reservoir, moderately
significant changes in property values in the vicinity of and increases
in business development induced by the proposed reservoir, moderately
significant impacts to downstream aquatic biota and riparian vegetation
due to decreased water quality; and significant impacts on the visual
quality of the area, both adverse and beneficial.
There are also major potential site-specific environmental impacts
associated with the implementation of the project. The project at the
War Fork and Steer Fork site would have slightly greater adverse
impacts on downstream water quality as a result of construction
activities, due to the Wild and Scenic Study River status of the
downstream river segment. In addition, there would be a more
significant adverse impact on terrestrial plants and wildlife due to
permanent elimination of forest habitat at this site. The Federally-
endangered India bat (Myotis sodalis) is also more likely to utilize
this site for foraging than either of the Sturgeon Creek sites,
although it is unlikely that the project will have an adverse effect on
the local population of these bats.
Major potential environmental impacts are similar at both of the
Sturgeon Creek reservoir sites. Implementation of the project at these
sites would result in a significant loss of Prime and other important
farmland, moderately significant changes to roadway structure due to
the necessary relocation of KY 30, and moderately significant permanent
changes in land uses within the project area. The project would likely
result in significant disruption of community structure and social
relations due to necessary residential relocations from either of the
project areas. There would also be a more significant adverse impact on
human health and safety in the event of a dam failure at either of the
Sturgeon Creek sites. In addition, a preliminary cultural resources
survey indicated a potentially significant archeological site within
the boundaries of both Sturgeon Creek reservoir sites, which would
require Phase II testing, and the potential for historic sites and
undisturbed, intact cultural deposits to be located there.
With this notice, RUS invites any affected Federal, State, and
local Agencies and other interested persons to comment on the Draft
EIS. RUS will hold a public meeting on June 27, 2000, in the gymnasium
of Jackson County High School, located on U.S. 421. This public meeting
will be held in two sessions, one beginning at 10 a.m. and one
beginning at 7 p.m. In accordance with 40 CFR Section 1503.1, Inviting
Comments, the purpose of the meeting will be to solicit comments from
interested parties on the Draft EIS for the Jackson County Lake
Project.
Throughout the Jackson County Lake Project EIS, two definitions of
the No Action alternative were analyzed. The first definition,
identified in the EIS as the No Change alternative, describes a
situation in which nothing is done to meet the projected water and
recreation needs of Jackson County. The No Change alternative was
determined to be unreasonable due to the documented need for water in
Jackson County. Therefore, a second definition, identified as the No
Action alternative in the EIS, was also analyzed. The No Action
alternative assumes that, although a dam and reservoir will not be
constructed to meet the needs of Jackson County, other activities will
occur to
[[Page 34144]]
increase the current water supply, although in insufficient amounts to
meet the projected needs. These activities may include drilling
additional water wells throughout Jackson County, constructing water
transmission lines from existing resources, such as intermittent
streams, within the County to the JCWA Treatment Plant, or water
conservation.
The major environmental and human health and safety impacts that
would result from implementation of the No Action alternative include:
Significant, continued lack of recreation needs within Jackson County
and the surrounding region; a moderately significant adverse impact on
human health and safety due to an insufficient water supply; a
significant impediment to growth of industry, residential devleopment,
and employment in Jackson County; an impediment to other development
goals of the EZ/EC; and a significant potential to adversely and
disproportionately affect minority or low-income groups due to further
economic degradation and due to adverse health impacts associated with
an insuficient water supply.
Dated: May 22, 2000.
John P. Romano,
Deputy Administrator, Water and Environmental Programs.
[FR Doc. 00-13294 Filed 5-25-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-M
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