Public Notice of Availability for the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and General Reevaluation Report of the Green Brook Flood Control Project in the Green Brook Sub-Basin of the Raritan River Basin, Middlesex, Union and Somerset Counties in the State of New Jersey

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Corps of Engineers

Public Notice of Availability for the Final Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement and General Reevaluation Report of the

Green Brook Flood Control Project in the Green Brook Sub-Basin of the

Raritan River Basin, Middlesex, Union and Somerset Counties in the

State of New Jersey

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Army Corps of Engineers, New York District (NYDCOE), in

coordination with the project sponsor, the New Jersey Department of

Environmental Protection (NJDEP), has conducted a General Reevaluation

Study and prepared a Supplemental Impact Statement for an authorized

flood protection project in the Green Brook Sub-Basin of the Raritan

River in New Jersey. A Final Environmental Impact Statement and a

Record of Decision were prepared for the project in 1980. This report

has been prepared in association with the Reevaluation Study and is a

supplement to the 1980 Final Environmental Impact Statement.

The project proposes to provide flood protection to residents in

Somerset, Middlesex and Union Counties through the use of levees,

flood-proofing, flood walls, detention basins and stream

channelization. The plan also provides for a mitigation plan for

environmental impacts. The project is divided into three separate

portions of the Sub-basin: the upper portion, the lower portion and the

Stony Brook portion. The proposed flood protection measures which were

described in the DSEIS for the upper portion of the Sub-basin have been

deferred at the request of the local sponsor, pending further study.

The Draft Supplement Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) was

filed on January 6, 1997. The DSEIS was released for public review from

January 6, 1997 through March 7, 1997. This review period included four

formal public meetings and numerous informal information sessions with

various groups. The public coordination process confirmed the need for

the project. However, the coordination process identified concerns with

the proposed construction of the detentions basins in the upper portion

of the basin in the Boroughs of Berkeley Heights, Watchung, and Scotch

Plains. The local sponsor, NJDEP, has asked the NYDCOE to defer

construction of the upper portion of the project at this time but to

continue work on the lower and Stony Brook portions of the project.

Accordingly, this final document is considered a decision document for

construction implementation of the lower and Stony Brook portions of

the basin only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Bill Richardson, ATTN: CENAN-PL-ES, Army Corps of Engineers, New

York District, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278-0090, Tel. (212)

264-2199.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Green Brook Sub-basin is a component of the Raritan River

drainage basin in north central New Jersey. The Green Brook Sub-Basin

has a 65 square mile watershed. The Sub-Basin is located between the

Watchung Mountains and the Raritan River in Middlesex, Somerset, and

Union Counties.

In response to resolutions of the United States Senate Public Works

Committee adopted 15 September 1955 and 10 July 1972 to adopt

recommendations for flood control, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

New York District prepared a feasibility report and a final

environmental impact statement in August 1980. A project similar to

``Plan A'' as described in the 1980 feasibility study was authorized

for construction under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986.

The flood problems of the Green Brook Sub-Basin result from a

combination of natural hydrologic and hydraulic features coupled with

dense development within the floodplains. The Green Brook flows

southwest from the slopes of the Watchung Mountains. The path of the

streams within the sub-basin flow from relatively undeveloped mountains

through a broad flat floodplain which is largely suburban and

industrialized. Streams included in the study are: Ambrose Brook, Bound

Brook, Bonygutt Brook, Municipal Brook, Stony Brook, Blue Brook, Cedar

Brook, and Middle Brook. Flood damages in the tri-county basin are

quite severe due to the level of development within the sub-basin.

Notable storms which have caused flood conditions in the sub-basin

occurred in May 1968, August 1971, August 1973, July 1975, September

1979, July 1984, and October 1996.

The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS)

describes in the impacts of the proposed project on environmental and

cultural resources in the study area. The FSEIS also applies guidelines

issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, under the authority of

the Clean Water Act of 1977 (Pub. L. 96-217). An evaluation for the

purposed actions on the waters of the United States was performed

pursuant to the guidelines of the Administrator, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, under authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water

Act. The results of the evaluation are presented in the SEIS.

This Notice of Availability is being sent to organizations and

individuals known to have an interest in the project.

[[Page 52700]]

Please bring this notice to the attention of any other individuals with

an interest in this matter. Copies of the FSEIS and General

Reevaluation Report are available upon request for review at the

following locations:

Berkeley Heights Public Library, 290 Plainfield Avenue, Berkley

Heights, New Jersey.

Bound Brook Public Library, 402 Ease High Street, Bound Brook, New

Jersey.

Bridgewater Public Library, Box 6700, Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Dunellen Public Library, New Market Road, Dunellen, New Jersey.

Fanwood Public Library, North Avenue and Tillotson Road, Fanwood, New

Jersey.

Middlesex Public Library, 1300 Mountain Avenue, Middlesex, New Jersey.

North Plainfield Public Library, 6 Rockview Avenue, North Plainfield,

New Jersey.

Piscataway Public Library, 500 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, New Jersey.

Plainfield Public Library, 8th and Park Avenue, Plainfield, New Jersey.

Scotch Plains Public Library, 1927 Bartle Avenue, Scotch Plains, New

Jersey.

South Plainfield Public Library, 2840 Plainfield Avenue, South

Plainfield, New Jersey.

Summit Public Library, 75 Maple Street, Summit, New Jersey.

Watchung Public Library, 12 Stirling Road, Watchung, New Jersey.

John Sassi, P.E.,

Chief, Planning Division.

[FR Doc. 97-26798 Filed 10-8-97; 8:45 am]

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