City of Albany, Kentucky, Cagle Water Expansion Project; Draft Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

City of Albany, Kentucky, Cagle Water Expansion Project; Draft

Environmental Impact Statement

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) related to the

proposed potable water treatment plant expansion in Albany, Kentucky.

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 Agency

regulations (7 CFR part 1940-G). RUS invites comments on the Draft EIS.

The purpose of this Draft EIS is to evaluate the environmental

impacts of the proposal to expand Albany's potable water treatment

plant to increase its treatment capacity from 2.0 million gallons daily

(MGD) to 5.0 MGD. As a result of the action, Cagle's, Inc., plans to

build a poultry processing plant in Clinton County, Kentucky. Support

operations such as a feed mill, hatchery, poultry farms, and associated

utility lines would be built in the region. The Clinton County

Industrial Park would also be built as a result of the water plant

expansion.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft EIS will be accepted on or before

June 9, 1997.

ADDRESSES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: 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 e-mail: [email protected].

Comments may also be made from Kentucky and Tennessee only, by

calling 1-800-444-9765.

A copy of the Draft EIS can be obtained over the Internet at http:/

/www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/ees.htm. The file is in a portable document

format (pdf); in order to review 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:

Clinton County Public Library, 205 Burkeville Road, Albany, KY 40601,

(606) 387-5989

Goodnight Memorial Library, 203 South Main, Franklin, KY 42134, (502)

586-8397

Simpson County Extension Service, 300 N. Main Street, Franklin, KY

42134, (502) 586-4484

Warren County Extension Service, 1117 Cabell Drive, Bowling Green, KY

42102-1018, (502) 842-1681

Bowling Green Public Library, 1225 State Street, Bowling Green, KY

42102, (502) 843-1438

Helm-Cravers Library, 1 Big Red Way, Western Kentucky University,

Bowling Green, KY 42101, (502) 745-3951

PUBLIC MEETING: A public meeting to solicit review comments will be

held on April 29, 1997, at the Clinton County High School, at 4 p.m.

and 7 p.m. Agencies, organizations, and the general public are invited

to participate in the meeting and to offer comments on the Draft EIS.

Oral statements will be heard and transcribed by a stenographer.

However, to ensure accuracy of the record, RUS requests that statements

also be submitted in writing. All statements, both oral and in writing,

will become part of the public record on this study. All comments

submitted by mail must be postmarked by no later than June 9, 1997 to

become part of the public record.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The City of Albany, located in south-central

Kentucky, applied for Federal financial assistance to expand its

potable water treatment plant on September 5, 1996. This action is a

part of a Federal program that empowers depressed rural communities to

develop economically through a government and private business

partnership. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Utilities

Service (RUS), announced its intent on November 29, 1996, to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed expansion.

This EIS is the evaluation of the potential impacts on the

environment from the proposed potable water treatment plant expansion.

In addition, the EIS considers the potential environmental impacts from

the construction and operation of industries that would locate in the

Albany, Kentucky area as a result of the expansion. Cagle's, Inc.,

plans to build a poultry processing facility in the area. This would

require construction of support operations such as a feed mill,

hatchery, poultry farms, and associated utility lines or ancillary

systems. The Clinton County Industrial Park is also proposed as a

result of the expansion, even though no specific plans have been made

for the industrial park.

In preparing this EIS, the study team considered several

alternatives to the proposed action, but most were considered unlikely,

impracticable, or unreasonable. Therefore, this EIS evaluates in depth

only two alternatives: the proposed action to expand the potable water

treatment plant and the no action alternative.

The affected environment of the proposed facilities consists of

rural settings that are dominated by agricultural operations. The

proposed expansion would require building a new potable water treatment

plant next to the existing plant. This would increase the overall raw

water treatment capacity from 2 million gallons per day to 5 million

gallons per day. The raw water would be drawn from Lake Cumberland, a

major recreational lake in the area.

The proposed poultry processing facility would be located about 3

miles from Lake Cumberland. The proposed poultry processing facility

would use an on-site no discharge wastewater treatment system that

would spray irrigate treated water on a hay farm. No wastewater would

be directly discharged to Indian Creek, which drains into Lake

Cumberland. A feed mill and hatchery would be located about 70 miles

due west of the poultry processing facility, with poultry farms likely

to span throughout fifteen counties in Kentucky and Tennessee. The

Clinton County Industrial Park would be located about four miles south

of the proposed raw water treatment plant.

The EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts from the

construction and operation of the various proposed facilities and

associated utility lines. Construction and operation of the proposed

facilities and utility lines would have no significant impact on

biological resources, noise, aesthetics, and air quality of the region.

Construction of the facilities and utility lines would use best

management practices to control erosion, runoff, and sedimentation, as

required by Kentucky regulations. Therefore, minimal impacts on soils

and surface water would occur. The geology of the area consists largely

of limestone, containing sinkholes, crevices, and caves. Therefore, to

minimize the risk of problems associated with sinkholes, subsurface

investigations would have to be used to help determine the exact siting

of buildings, lagoons, and the other facilities.

Operation of the proposed potable water treatment plant would have

little impact on Lake Cumberland's water capacity. The proposed spray

irrigation of treated water at the poultry processing facility would

have no

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significant impact on soils or surface and groundwater. However, a

monitoring program for soils, surface, and groundwater would be set up

to assess any potential long-term effects. The proposed feed mill and

hatchery would have minimal impact on the environment since its

wastewater would be discharged to a local municipal sewer.

Disposal of poultry wastes from the poultry processing facility and

poultry farms would use best management practices as required by the

Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Plan, which is in the process of

being implemented. Each new agriculture operation would need to comply

with the plan. The plan also includes long-term monitoring of the

state's water quality to evaluate the effectiveness of the best

management practices. Therefore, no significant impacts on water

quality are expected.

For most of the proposed facility areas, no significant cultural

resources have been found. However, an ongoing archaeological

investigation is being conducted at the poultry processing facility

site to recover any significant archaeological resources. The site is

expected to receive clearance from the State Historical Preservation

Officer before any construction activity would begin.

Most of the socioeconomic effects would result from the

construction and operation of the poultry processing facility and its

support operations. The proposed poultry farming operations would be

consistent with U.S. Department of Agriculture's family farming policy.

The projected industrial growth in the area would result in increased

employment and income. This would in turn stimulate economic growth of

this low-income area. No significant impact on the transportation

system in the region is expected.

The proposed Clinton County Industrial Park would be able to

accommodate businesses interested in locating to the area in the

future. This would further stimulate economic growth in the area.

The construction and operation of the proposed facilities and

utility lines would meet all federal, state, and local regulations and

permitting requirements. Best management practices for construction

activities and poultry farming operations would prevent any

significantly adverse impacts on the environment. Funding of the

potable water treatment plant is the preferred alternative at this

time.

The No Action Alternative is not to award Federal financial

assistance to the City of Albany. If the No Action Alternative is

chosen, the potential environmental effects of the various proposed

facilities, discussed above, would not occur. However, potential

economic development in the area would not be realized, and the goals

of the federal assistance program would not be met. The area would

continue to suffer from high unemployment, poverty, and dependence on

Federal and State entitlements.

Dated: April 11, 1997.

John P. Romano,

Deputy Administrator, Water and Environmental Program.

[FR Doc. 97-10045 Filed 4-17-97; 8:45 am]

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