Public involvement is one of the most important components of the NEPA process. The goal of public involvement is to ensure that all stakeholders and those interested in the development of the EIS are given the opportunity to provide input and voice their concerns. This input is a critical component of the EIS and will help ensure that the analysis is as sound as possible and considers all relevant issues. Public involvement provides a way for USACE to educate the public on the issues associated with the proposed updates to the Master Water Control Manual.
Public Involvement Opportunities
Scoping Process
In January 2008 Secretary of the Army Pete Geren directed USACE to update the Master Manual. The current Master Manual was completed in 1958, and while reservoir regulation manuals for the later-constructed projects of West Point Dam, Walter F. George Lock and Dam, and George W. Andrews Lock and Dam were subsequently appended, and some reservoir manuals were updated, the Master Manual has not been comprehensively revised since 1958. An updated Master Manual that includes water control plans for all the projects in the ACF River Basin is required by ER 1110-2-240. The Master Manual must prescribe plans of operation for congressionally authorized and general statutory project purposes in the basin, while taking into account private, community, social, and economic needs and sound environmental stewardship. The purpose of the proposed action is to update the water control plans and manuals for the ACF Basin to conform with changing "requirements resulting from developments in the project area and downstream, improvements in technology, new legislation, and other relevant factors, provided such revisions comply with existing Federal regulations and established U.S. Army Corps of Engineers policy." 33 C.F.R. § 222.5(f)(3). In the ACF Basin, such factors include changes in basin hydrology and water usage, new or rehabilitated structural features, and environmental issues.
On the basis of the stakeholder comments received during previous scoping events, it is clear that the issues of greatest concern are the potential for significant impacts on socioeconomics, water resources, and biological resources. These three topics should be emphasized in the EIS and should be considered in development of the recommended alternative in the Master Manual.
Stakeholders also recommended a number of alternative scenarios for various projects in the ACF River Basin that do not fall under the current authority of this proposed action (including USACE authority as it has recently been interpreted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit).
On October 12, 2012, USACE issued a Federal Register Notice of Intent to reopen public scoping to account for a June 28, 2011 Decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit which concluded that water supply is an authorized purpose for Lake Lanier. USACE is updating the water control plans and manuals for the ACF Basin in order to improve operations for authorized purposes to reflect changed conditions since the manuals were last developed. The revised EIS will also consider, along with operations for all authorized purposes, an expanded range of water supply alternatives associated with the Buford Dam/Lake Lanier project, including current levels of water supply withdrawals and increased withdrawals from Lake Lanier and downstream at Atlanta.
All the actions taken by USACE in updating the Master Manual will meet the congressionally authorized project purposes at all the reservoirs as defined by the June 28, 2011 Decision. Based on that Decision, USACE is revising the scope of the EIS and Master Manual updates in the following respects to address the Court's order:
- Water supply is an equally authorized purpose of the Buford Project. USACE has the authority under the River and Harbor Act of 1946 to balance the authorized uses and increase the downstream water supply purpose at the expense of the power purpose.
- USACE may reallocate storage in Lake Lanier for water supply under the authority of the Water Supply Act of 1958.
- USACE will consider Georgia’s 2000 request as an alternative. In 2000, the Governor of Georgia asked the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) to adjust operations at the Buford Project to accommodate, by 2030, net, annual average withdrawals of 190 mgd from Lake Lanier (including gross withdrawals of 297 mgd and returns of 107 mgd to Lake Lanier) for water supply, and to provide flows of at least 1381 cfs at Atlanta, which would enable water supply providers (municipalities and public water authorities) to withdraw 408 mgd at Atlanta while leaving sufficient flows for water quality below the Atlanta intake points.
- USACE previously announced intention to update the plans and manuals to implement the July 17, 2009 Federal District Court ruling, and not consider current operations and some level of water supply, including the 2000 request, This position is revised. USACE must now prepare to update its plans and manuals to implement the operations necessary to comply with the Appeal Court's Decision.
- The updated manuals will consider water management procedures including water supply withdrawals from Lake Lanier and releases from Buford Dam for downstream water supply.
- As previously stated, the alternatives considered will include all authorized purposes and operations to protect threatened and endangered species and their critical habitat resulting from consultation with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Draft EIS
The draft EIS was released for public comment and published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on October 2, 2015. The public comment period ended on January 15, 2016.
Public/Open house meetings were held the weeks of October 26, 2015 and November 9, 2015 at the following locations:
- October 26, 2015, from 4:00pm-7:00pm (EDT) at the Gainesville Civic Center, 830 Green Street NE, Gainesville, GA 30501
- October 27, 2015, from 4:00pm-7:00pm (EDT) at the West Point Depot, 500 3rd Avenue, West Point, GA 31833
- October 28, 2015, from 4:00pm-7:00pm (CDT) at the James S. Clark Center, 333 East Broad Street, Eufaula AL 36027
- October 29, 2015, from 4:00pm-7:00pm (EDT) at Bainbridge State College, Charles H. Kirbo Regional Center, 2500 E. Shotwell Street (US Highway 84), Bainbridge, GA 39819
- November 9, 2015, from 4:00pm-7:00pm (EDT) at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, 108 Island Drive, Eastpoint, FL 32328
Public comments were collected in a variety of methods: at the open houses through either comment cards or a court reporter, by letter addressed to: Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Attn: PD-EI (ACF-DEIS), P.O. Box 2288, Mobile, AL 36628, or digitally by sending an email to ACF-WCM@usace.army.mil.
Comments on the DEIS will be included in the official record and made a part of the Final EIS. The public can also obtain information on the status and progress of the proposed action and the EIS through the USACE, Mobile District Public Affairs Office by calling 251-690-2505.
Final EIS
When the final EIS is made public, USACE will notify the public and make copies available to local repositories and on the Web site. To receive automatic updates, sign up for the mailing list.
Newsletters
USACE releases newsletters to its mailing list. Each newsletter informs the public about current work on the ACF EIS and provides USACE contact information for anyone with questions. Previous newsletters can be found here.