Corps of Engineers, Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Proposed Wyoming Valley Inflatable Dam in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Corps of Engineers, Intent to Prepare a Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Proposed Wyoming Valley

Inflatable Dam in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Baltimore District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is

preparing a formulation/design report with an integrated Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the construction of an

inflatable dam in the Wyoming Valley region of the Susquehanna River

Basin. This study is being accomplished as part of the continuing

project process. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document

is intended to supplement previous NEPA work accomplished, a final EIS

which was done in September 1981 and a SEIS done in January 1995, for

both the Phase I and Phase II General Design Memorandums (GDM). The dam

is a component of the Wyoming Valley Levee Raising Project mitigation

plan. The formulation/design study will review the recommended plans

identified in the Wyoming Valley Inflatable Dam, Luzerne County,

Pennsylvania Reconnaissance Report, dated April 1991, formulate

additional plans as necessary, evaluate the associated impacts, and

then provide a detailed analysis of the selected plan. The selected

plan will be the alternative that fulfills Federal economic,

engineering and environmental criteria and is preferred by both the

Federal and non-Federal parties. The study was authorized under Section

102(w) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1992.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposed action and SEIS can be addressed to Ms.

Susan B. Hughes, Project Management, Baltimore District, U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CENAB-PP-C, P.O. Box 1715, Baltimore,

Maryland 21203-1715.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. The study area is located in northeastern

Pennsylvania. The proposed inflatable dam would be constructed in an

area known as the Wyoming Valley in Luzerne County, which extends along

the Susquehanna River from the Borough of Pittston southwest

approximately 15 miles to Nanticoke City. The Wyoming Valley is heavily

developed, primarily by urban residential, commercial, and industrial

facilities. There are also several abandoned and active coal mining

operations in the valley.

2. The study area was plagued with recurring floods from the

Susquehanna River for many years until a series of Federally authorized

flood protection measures were constructed in the 1930's, 1940's and

1950's. The existing flood damage reduction system is composed of four

projects, which are located in the Boroughs of Kingston and

Edwardsville; the Boroughs of Swoyersville and Forty Fort; the Borough

of Plymouth; and the Township of Hanover and the City of Wilkes-Barre.

3. In June 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes, the largest flood of record,

overtopped the existing flood protection system by four to five feet.

In December of 1972, the Baltimore District completed a document titled

``Wyoming Valley Flood Control, Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania'' which

recommended that the existing flood protection system be modified to

protect against an Agnes-level flood. In 1981, a more detailed Phase I

General Design Memorandum (GDM)/Feasibility Report and Final

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) were completed which recommended

that the existing flood protection system be raised to protect against

an Agnes-level flood. Section 401(a) of the Water Resources Development

Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-662) authorized the construction of the

project recommended in the 1981 Phase I GDM.

4. Section 102(w) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1992

(Public Law 102-580) modified the previous authorization as follows:

``to direct the Secretary to complete the final phase II design

memorandum for the project (including the results of a review of

nonstructural mitigation plans for the purpose of ameliorating damages

from induced flooding)''. As such, the inflatable dam is being

considered as a form of mitigation for the Wyoming Valley Levee Raising

project.

5. The Phase II GDM for the Wyoming Valley Levee Raising project,

which was made available for public review in November 1994, included

the inflatable dam as a measure to mitigate against adverse intangible

social and economic impacts of the improved levee system. A SEIS was

completed for the Phase II GDM. The proposed mitigation plan was

addressed within the GDM/SEIS. However, detailed investigations of the

proposed inflatable dam were not.

6. The SEIS currently being prepared will build upon the previous

environmental impact statements and address cumulative impacts related

to the entire project. A range of alternatives will be analyzed and

discussed. The formulation/design report will review the reconnaissance

report and use it as the foundation for its analysis. Based on the

reconnaissance report, preliminary formulation indicates that the dam

would be located 220 feet upstream of the abandoned Delaware and Hudson

railroad bridge crossing the Susquehanna River. The dam would consist

of four inflatable rubber segments anchored to reinforce concrete

piers, abutments and sill, spanning a total length of 850 feet across

the Susquehanna River. Dam heights between 6.5 feet, 8 feet, and 10

feet will be investigated. The boating pool created by the 6.5-foot dam

would extend approximately 4.4 miles upstream to Forty Fort and would

provide about 365 acres of boating area (total surface area=410 acres).

The deepest portion of the lake would be

[[Page 39372]]

near the activity centers at Kirby, Nesbitt, and River Commons Park.

The higher alternatives would require larger foundations to support

larger bags and the deeper impoundment provided by the dam. The boating

pool created by the 10-foot dam would extend approximately 5.5 miles

upstream near Monocanock Island and would provide about 495 acres of

boating area (total surface area=520 acres).

7. The Baltimore District is preparing a SEIS which will document

the alternatives analysis and describe the impacts of the proposed

projects on environmental and cultural resources in the study area and

the overall public interest. If applicable, the SEIS will also apply

guidelines issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, under

authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-

217).

8. A notice will be distributed to interested private individuals

and organizations, as well as Federal, state, and local agencies,

informing them of our intent to prepare a SEIS, and requesting their

comments. The Baltimore District invites potentially affected Federal,

state, and local agencies and other interested organizations and

parties to participate in this study. Agencies that will be involved in

the study and SEIS process include, but are not limited to the

following: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service; U.S. Geological Survey; U.S. Natural Resources Conservation

Service; U.S. National Park Service; Pennsylvania Department of

Environmental Resources; Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission;

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission; Pennsylvania Game Commission;

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania; and the Susquehanna River Basin

Commission. Additional study newsletters, notices and workshops may be

included as part of the public involvement program, as needed.

9. The draft SEIS is tentatively scheduled to be available for

public review in early summer 1996.

Randall R. Inouye,

Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.

[FR Doc. 95-18940 Filed 8-1-95; 8:45 am]

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