Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI) and Environmental Assessment for Realignment of Fort Jackson, SC

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI) and Environmental

Assessment for Realignment of Fort Jackson, SC

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Finding of no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with procedures established by the Defense Base

Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (BRAC), the 1993 Defense Base

Closure and Realignment Commission recommended that the Chaplain Center

and School (CHCS) be relocated from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to Fort

Jackson, South Carolina. The proposed action is necessary to implement

this recommendation. Facility requirements of the CHCS include general

and applied instructional facilities, administrative and operations

area, historical property storage, and a library, as well as

Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Moslem chapels.

Realigning the CHCS and associated activities will involve

approximately 100 permanent party soldiers, 50 civilian employees, and

an average daily student load of 165. To accomplish the increased

mission at Fort Jackson, construction of a new CHCS administrative and

instructional facility will be required.

The construction of a 136-unit Unaccompanied Officers Quarters

(UOQ) is also included as part of this environmental assessment.

However, the UOQ is not a BRAC 93 project, neither is it a result of

the BRAC 93 realignment. The increase in unaccompanied officers due to

the BRAC 91 realignment of the Soldier Support Institute (SSI) to Fort

Jackson from Fort Benjamin Harrison has created a shortage of UOQ

spaces. The construction of a new UOQ facility at Fort Jackson would

reduce this deficit, requiring fewer unaccompanied officers to be

housed off base. The UOQ was added to the BRAC 91 construction program

after the Environmental Assessment prepared for the SSI was completed.

Alternatives Considered: Alternatives considered in the

Environmental Assessment (EA) include the following: the preferred

alternative, which is to construct a CHCS facility near the Soldier

Support Institute building currently under construction, and to

construct a 136-unit Unaccompanied Officers Personnel Housing facility,

which would provide housing for officer basic course student on

temporary duty attending the Adjutant General, Finance, and Recruiting

and Retention schools at the SSI; the No-Action Alternative; and

various siting alternatives at the installation for both the CHCS and

UOQ.

Feasibility criteria were based on such factors as operational

impacts, environmental constraints, future expansion capability, base

vehicular traffic flow, ease of accessibility from on and off post,

heating and air conditioning requirements, proximity to dining

facilities and billets, demolition requirements, and conduciveness to a

campus atmosphere. This latter criteria responds to a desire to have

academic training areas set apart from other military training

activities.

Factors Considered in Determining that No Environmental Impact

Statement is Required: Implementation of the proposed action would not

significantly alter baseline environmental conditions at Fort Jackson.

During construction there would be short-term increases in dust and

particulate levels associated with construction activities. Mitigation

measures are in place to minimize temporary impacts related to

construction.

Construction will have no significant impact on ground water or on

any wild and scenic rivers in South Carolina; however, it may have

short-term impacts on some surface waters. These impacts will be

negligible, since proper erosion and siltation control measures, as

well as building designs that minimize erosion and flooding potential,

will be utilized.

Combustion by-product emissions from construction equipment will be

a short-term impact. Long-term increases in non-commercial vehicular

emissions can be expected because of the additional personnel at Fort

Jackson. Projected traffic increases are minor relative to the number

of vehicles already on-post, and will not affect regional air quality

attainment status; therefore, this impact is not considered

significant.

The City of Columbia's water supply system and water treatment

system is easily capable of absorbing the very minor increase in water

usage and wastewater generation that will accompany the proposed

realignment. Therefore, this expected increase in water usage and sewer

discharge is not considered significant. Increased demand for

electricity and heating fuels is considered to be negligible.

After coordinating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the

South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, it was

determined that BRAC 93 activities have no negative impacts on

federally listed or proposed threatened and endangered species,

including the red-cockaded woodpecker population at Fort Jackson.

Coordination with the Charleston District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

revealed that there are no jurisdictional wetlands that will be

impacted by construction of BRAC 93 CHCS facilities and the UOQ at Fort

Jackson. The proposed construction will not have any adverse affect on

any historic or cultural resources eligible for inclusion on the

National Register of Historic Places.

The realignment action will have a positive impact on Richland and

Lexington counties with respect to employment, population, business

volume, and personal income. However, these increases will not

significantly alter the socioeconomic characteristics of the Fort

Jackson region.

Conclusion: It has been determined that implementation of the

proposed action would not have significant individual or cumulative

impacts on the quality of the natural or human environment. Because

there would be no significant environmental impacts resulting from the

implementation of the proposed action, an Environmental Impact

Statement is not required and will not be prepared.

DATES: Comments must be received September 1, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to comment may obtain a copy of the EA or

inquire regarding this FNSI by writing to the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, ATTN: Mr. Richard Muller, Planning Division, 803 Front

Street, Norfolk, VA 23510-1096.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions regarding this FNSI may be directed to the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, ATTN: Mr. Richard Miller, at (804) 441-7767.

Dated: July 27, 1994.

Raymond J. Fatz,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety and

Occupation Health) OASA (IL&E).

[FR Doc. 94-18775 Filed 8-1-94; 8:45 am]

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