City of Albany, KY, Cagle Water Expansion Project; Final Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

City of Albany, KY, Cagle Water Expansion Project; Final

Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of final environmental impact statement

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS),

pursuant to its responsibility as Lead Agency, and in conjunction with

its cooperating agencies, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

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Development and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development

Administration is issuing a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

related to the proposed water treatment plant expansion in the City of

Albany, Kentucky. The FEIS 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 1500-1508)

and Agency regulations (7 CFR 1940-G). RUS invites comments on the

FEIS.

The purpose of the EIS is to evaluate the environmental impacts of

the proposal to expand Albany's 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. Cagle 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 FEIS will be accepted on or before July

21, 1997.

ADDRESSES: To send comments or for more information, contact: Mark S.

Plank, USDA, Rural Utilities Service, Engineering and Environmental

Staff, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Mail Stop 1571, Washington, DC

20250, telephone (202) 720-1649, fax (202) 720-0820, or e-mail:

[email protected].

A copy of the FEIS 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

copy of Acrobat Reader. Free copies of Acrobat Reader can be obtained

from http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html

Copies of the FEIS 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.

Individuals who received copies of the Draft EIS will be mailed

copies of the FEIS.

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

central Kentucky, has applied for federal financial assistance to

expand its water treatment plant. This action is a part of the Federal

Government Empowerment Zone program that seeks to empower economically

depressed communities to pursue economic development through a

government and private business partnership. The U. S. Department of

Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service (RUS), has prepared this

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) concerning this action. This

document is developed and written in accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act, the President's Council on Environmental

Quality regulations, and Rural Utilities Service regulations. The U. S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development, the City of Albany, KY,

the responsible entity of HUD's, Community Development Block Grant, and

the U. S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration

are cooperating agencies for this action.

RUS, announced its' intent to prepare a EIS on November 29, 1996.

Two scoping meetings were held in Clinton County to solicit comments

from the public. These comments were considered in developing the scope

of the EIS. The availability of the draft EIS was announced in the

Federal Register by RUS on April 16, 1997, and the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency on April 25, 1997.

Four public meetings to solicit comments from the public were held

in the area affected by this proposal. These comments and all comments

received in writing were considered and incorporated, as appropriate,

in the FEIS. Specific responses to the public comments can be found in

Appendix E of the FEIS.

This EIS is the evaluation of the potential impacts on the

environment from the 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 and 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

alternative ways to meet the community's need, but most were considered

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

only two alternatives: the action to expand the water treatment plant

and the No Action alternative. Alternatives within the proposed action

are also discussed.

The affected environment of the facilities considered in this EIS

consists of rural settings that are dominated by agricultural

operations. The expansion would require building a new 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 poultry processing facility would be located about 3 miles from

Lake Cumberland. It would use an on-site, no discharge wastewater

treatment system that would use drip and spray irrigation of treated

wastewater on a hay farm. There will be no point discharge of treated

wastewater to Indian Creek or any other surface waterway on the

property. Indian Creek drains into Lake Cumberland. A feed mill and

hatchery would be located about 70 miles due west of the poultry

processing facility in Franklin, Kentucky, with poultry farms likely to

be established throughout fifteen counties in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The Clinton County Industrial Park would be located about four miles

south of the raw water treatment plant.

The EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts from the

construction and operation of the various facilities and associated

utility lines. Construction and operation of the facilities and utility

lines would have no significant impact on biological resources, noise,

aesthetics, cultural resources, and the 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 Best Management Practices for Construction

Activities. Therefore, minimal impacts on soils and surface water would

occur. The geology of the area consists largely of limestone,

containing sinkholes, crevices, and caves. To minimize the risk of

problems

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associated with sinkholes, subsurface investigations would have to be

used by Cagles to help determine the exact siting of buildings,

lagoons, and the other facilities.

Operation of the water treatment plant would have negligible impact

on Lake Cumberland's water capacity. The irrigation of treated

wastewater from the poultry processing facility would have no

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 of the irrigation. The feed

mill and hatchery would have minimal impact on the water and associated

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 all of the facility areas, no significant cultural resources

have been found.

Most of the socioeconomic effects would result from the

construction and operation of the poultry processing facility and its

support operations. The 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 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 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 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 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.

By not funding the project, the No Action alternative, economic

conditions within the EZ would continue to worsen. The trend of

factories closing or down sizing shifts, and stores and businesses

closing would continue. The current economy could not support the

existing businesses. The No Action alternative would be detrimental to

the EZ and result in an adverse impact to the community.

Dated: June 16, 1997.

John P. Romano,

Deputy Administrator, Water and Environmental Program.

[FR Doc. 97-16121 Filed 6-18-97; 8:45 am]

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