[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 19 (Friday, January 30, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5674-5675]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2049]


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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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