[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 5, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59578-59579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-22300]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service


Supplemental Watershed Plan No. 1 East Fork of the Grand River 
Watershed and Environmental Assessment for East Fork of the Grand River 
Watershed Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Approved 1996), 
Ringgold and Union Counties, IA, and Harrison and Worth Counties, MO

AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service.

ACTION: Notice of finding of no significant impact.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c)of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969; the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations 
(40 CFR part 1500); and the Natural Resources Conservation Service 
Regulations (7 CFR part 650); the Natural Resources Conservation 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, gives notice than an 
environmental impact statement is not being prepared for the 
Supplemental Watershed Plan No. 1 for East Fork of the Grand River 
Watershed Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Approved 1996), 
Ringgold and Union Counties, Iowa, and Harrison and Worth Counties, 
Missouri.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Van Klaveren, State 
Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 210 Walnut 
Street, 693 Federal Building, Des Moines, IA 50309-2180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The environmental assessment of this 
federally assisted action indicates that the project will not cause 
significant impacts on the environment. As a result of these findings, 
Richard Van Klaveren, State Conservationist, has determined that the 
preparation and review of an environmental impact statement are not 
needed for this project.
    This document sets forth a supplement to the East Fork of the Grand 
Watershed Plan-EIS that slightly relocates and enlarges multipurpose 
structure GB-3 from a permanent pool of 350 acres to 565 acres. The 565 
acre site will be renamed Gooseberry Lake. The increase in size is to 
meet additional other agricultural water management and recreation 
needs.
    Gooseberry Lake and its 6210 acre watershed are northeast of Mount 
Ayr and are located entirely in Ringgold County, Iowa.
    The Notice of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) has been 
forwarded to the Environmental Protection Agency and to various 
Federal, State, and local agencies. A limited number of copies of the 
FONSI are available to fill single copy requests at the above address. 
The FONSI is also available at the Iowa NRCS Web site at http://www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov. A copy of the Supplemental Watershed Plan-
Environmental Assessment may be obtained by contacting Richard Van 
Klaveren.
    No administrative action will be taken until 30 days after the date 
of this publication in the Federal Register.

    Dated: September 28, 2004.
Richard Van Klaveren,
State Conservationist.

Finding of No Significant Impact for the Supplemental Watershed Plan 
No. 1 East Fork of the Grand River Watershed and Environmental 
Assessment Ringgold County, Iowa

Introduction

    The Supplemental Watershed Plan No. 1 East Fork of the Grand 
River Watershed and Environmental Assessment (EA) describes the 
recommended alternative which is a modification of the GB-3 
multipurpose site that was part of the East Fork of the Grand River 
Watershed Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The 
Supplemental Watershed Plan No. 1-EA compares the effects that will 
arise from the installation of Gooseberry Lake to those that would 
have occurred from the installation of the original GB-3 structure.
    This modification of the GB-3 site is necessary to meet the 
Sponsors' request to increase the water supply and recreation 
resources from those originally planned for GB-3 lake site in order 
to satisfy increased demands for these resources from the public.
    The East Fork of the Grand River Watershed Plan and EIS was 
approved in 1996 under the authority of the Watershed Protection and 
Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (Public Law No. 566, 83rd Congress).
    This supplemental plan-EA is being planned and will be 
implemented under the same authority. It is being planned and is in 
compliance with all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the 
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as amended (NHPA) 
provisions. The policies and procedures of the Watershed Protection 
and Flood Prevention Act, Public Law 83-566 as amended (16 U.S.C. 
1001 et seq.) are being utilized for the planning and implementation 
of this project.
    An environmental evaluation was undertaken by the Natural 
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in conjunction with the 
development of this supplemental plan-EA. This evaluation was 
undertaken in consultation with local, State and Federal agencies as 
well as interested organizations and individuals. Copies of the 
supplemental plan-EA are available for public review from the 
following location: Natural Resources Conservation Service, 210 
Walnut Street, 693 Federal Building, Des Moines, IA 50309-2180.

Recommended Action

    Site GB-3 will be moved downstream and increased in size. This 
relocated structure site is renamed Gooseberry Lake. The Gooseberry 
Lake Association will acquire the 2,365 acres needed for Gooseberry 
Lake and surrounding area for public use as a fish and wildlife area. 
The Gooseberry Lake will have a permanent pool of 565 acres, 1,393 
acres managed as wildlife habitat, and 182 acre county park. The dam 
and floodwater storage pool comprise the balance of the 2,365 project 
acres.

[[Page 59579]]

Access roads, parking areas, boat ramps, wildlife plantings in the 
adjacent lands, fishing jetties, in-lake facilities, underwater fish 
structures, etc., will be installed by the Iowa Department of Natural 
Resources (IDNR) with their own funds. The Ringgold County Conservation 
Board (RCCB) will install the recreation facilities such as roads, 
campgrounds, cabins, restrooms, picnic areas, beach, parking lots, etc.

Effects of the Recommended Actions

    There are no cultural resources in the area of potential effect. 
Construction of recreation facilities (i.e. access roads, cabins, boat 
ramps, etc.) will need further cultural resources survey. Construction 
discoveries will be handled in accordance with NRCS General Manual, 
Section 420, Part 401.
    Construction of the dam and multipurpose pool inundates 24,000 feet 
(8 acres) of low quality ephemeral and intermittent warm water stream 
channel habitat. This conversion creates 565 acres of high quality warm 
water lacustrine habitat.
    No jurisdictional wetlands were identified in either the planned 
multipurpose pool, flood pool, or at the structure site.
    Ringgold County is within the summer range of the Indiana Bat 
(myotis sodalis). However, since less than five percent of the project 
area is in woodland, suitable habitat for this species does not occur 
at the project site. No other Federal or state listed T&E species are 
known to occur in the Gooseberry Lake project area, nor are there any 
areas of suitable habitat for those species listed for Ringgold County 
in this project area.
    While 110.1 acres woody wildlife habitat with a value of 73.6 
Habitat Units will be lost to the structure and pool, the installation 
of planned measures will produce 248 additional acres of woody wildlife 
habitat worth 110.8 Habitat Units. This will produce a net project gain 
of 147.9 acres and 37.8 habitat units.
    Grassland wildlife habitat on 425 acres with a value of 117.7 
Habitat Units will be lost due to the project. The installation of 
planned measures will produce 650 acres additional acres of grassland 
wildlife habitat worth 299 Habitat Units. This will produce a net 
project gain of 225 acres and 181.3 habitat units.
    Installation of the project will convert 2,365 acres of cropland, 
hayland, and pasture to non-agricultural land uses. This includes 725 
acres of prime farmland.

Alternative Actions

    The only alternative action to the proposed action considered in 
the supplemental plan-EA would be to construct Site GB-3 approved in 
the original watershed plan-EIS. That alternative action was rejected 
by the Sponsors. The supplemental plan is the only alternative that 
meets the local Sponsors objectives and is acceptable to local 
residents. The plan is the National Economic Development (NED) plan.

Consultation and Public Participation

    The Gooseberry Lake Agency has held more than 40 meetings beginning 
in 2000. All have been conducted in accordance with the Iowa Open 
Meetings Law. This means that the public has been notified of each 
meeting and allowed to attend and participate in each meeting. 
Typically, 10-25 members of the public attend these regular meetings; 
two to five request time on the agenda to speak. One or more members of 
the NRCS staff were at each of those meetings in order to answer 
questions and receive comments.
    Ongoing public participation identified the need to include 
detailed information on recreation benefits and other direct costs 
related to lost farm income. This was done and was discussed in the 
supplemental plan-EA.
    NRCS hosted a week long open house at Mount Ayr, Iowa in February 
2004. Numerous displays and information related to the East Fork of the 
Grand Watershed and the proposed 565 acre Gooseberry Lake were 
available during the open house. NRCS staff answered questions from the 
over 80 public participants.
    Seven Indian tribal contacts and one local historical society were 
notified of this intended action in accordance with 36CFR800. They were 
consulted about their knowledge of historical properties in the project 
area. No response was received from the tribes or the local historical 
society.
    The draft supplemental plan was provided to local, state, and 
federal agencies and non-governmental organizations for a 45 day long 
interagency review beginning in March, 2004. Any private citizens who 
requested the document were also mailed copies and requested to comment 
during the interagency review comment period. Seventy-eight copies of 
the supplemental plan-EA were distributed to the above agencies and 
private citizens during the interagency comment period. The NRCS also 
posted the draft supplemental plan on its Iowa Web site, at http://www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov. News releases were issued to state and local 
media announcing its availability on the Web site and that hard copies 
could be obtained by contacting the NRCS-Iowa state office. Requests 
for review and input into the document were part of the news releases.
    Significant comments were received from five private citizens, four 
government agencies, and one non-governmental organization. These 
comments were addressed in the final supplemental plan-EA.

Conclusion

    The Environmental Assessment summarized above indicates that this 
Federal action will not cause significant impacts on the environment. 
Therefore, based on the above findings, I have determined that an 
environmental impact statement for the Supplemental Watershed Plan No. 
1 East Fork of the Grand River Watershed is not required.

Dated: September 28, 2004.

Richard Van Klaveren,
State Conservationist.

[FR Doc. 04-22300 Filed 10-4-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P