[Federal Register: January 30, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 19)]
[Notices]
[Page 5674-5675]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30ja09-83]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Environmental Assessment for the West Potomac Park Levee Project
Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council of Environmental Quality regulations
and National Park Service policy, this notice announces the
availability of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the improvements
to the existing West Potomac Park Levee System which extends from 23rd
Street, NW., to the grounds of the Washington Monument. The goal of
this project is to improve the reliability of the existing levee in
order to meet the current post-Hurricane Katrina standards for flood
protection as required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The existing levee
protects much of the monumental core and large portions of downtown
Washington, DC.
DATES: There will be a 30-day public review period for comment on this
document. Comments on the EA should be received no later than March 2,
2009.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted either via the National Park
Service Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) Web site
(http://parkplanning.nps.gov/
projectHome.cfm?parkID=427&projectId=22260) or in writing to Mr. Doug
Jacobs, Deputy Associate Regional Director for Lands, Resources and
Planning, National Capital Region, National Park Service, 1100 Ohio
Drive, SW., Washington, DC 20242. Copies of the EA can be downloaded
from PEPC and will also be available for review at the National Capital
Region Headquarters, 1100 Ohio Drive, SW., Washington, DC 20242
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in our comment
[[Page 5675]]
to withhold your personal identifying information from public review,
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Doug Jacobs, Deputy Associate
Regional Director for Lands, Resources, and Planning at (202) 619-7025.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Based upon new policies adopted since
Hurricane Katrina, the USACE has deemed the 17th Street temporary
barrier unreliable and decertified the levee. FEMA is responsible for
issuing floodplain maps. FEMA proposes to treat the 17th Street closure
as though it does not exist, putting a large portion of the monumental
core and downtown Washington, DC, within the 100-year flood zone.
If the map is published as FEMA proposes, the buildings located
within this zone would be required to buy additional flood insurance
and/or make costly upgrades to comply with building standards for
facilities within a 100-year floodplain. In addition, projects that are
currently in development would need to be revised and could be delayed
in order to comply with these building codes. At the request of the
District of Columbia (District), FEMA has agreed to delay the final
issuance of the new floodplain mapping until November 2009 to allow the
District and other affected federal agencies time to design and
implement an interim solution that will reliably stop the 100-year
flood at 17th Street.
Due to the compressed deadline, the National Park Service has been
working in collaboration with the District, USACE, the State Historic
Preservation Officer, and the staffs of the National Capital Planning
Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts to develop an appropriate
range of alternatives. The EA evaluates five alternatives, all of which
incorporate a permanent structure from Overlook Terrace in Constitution
Gardens to the west side of 17th Street and another permanent structure
on the east side of 17th Street which extends into the natural rise of
the Washington Monument Grounds. The intervening space across 17th
Street will have footings designed to receive a temporary post and
panel closure system that would be deployed only during a major flood
event. The permanent structures on either side of 17th Street will be a
combination of earthen berms and concrete walls/embankments which will
be clad in stone during a subsequent phase of the project. Alternative
1 has been identified as the preferred alternative and has been fully
coordinated with the National Mall Plan which is currently under
development by the National Park Service.
The alternative selected in the EA will be further developed into
preliminary and final designs which will be subject to additional
review by the National Park Service, the National Capital Planning
Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts.
Dated: January 15, 2009.
Margaret O'Dell,
Regional Director, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. E9-2049 Filed 1-29-09; 8:45 am]
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