90262 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Notices 

funded by USDA (not all bases apply to 

all programs). Remedies and complaint 

filing deadlines vary by program or 

incident. 

Equal opportunity practices in 

accordance with USDA’s policies will 

be followed in all appointments to the 

committee. To ensure that the 

recommendations of the committee have 

taken into account the needs of the 

diverse groups served by the USDA, 

membership shall include, to the extent 

practicable, individuals with 

demonstrated ability to represent the 

many communities, identities, races, 

ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, 

cultures, and beliefs of the American 

people, including underserved 

communities. USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider, employer, and 

lender. 

Dated: October 16, 2024. 

Cikena Reid, 

USDA Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2024–24265 Filed 11–14–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

West Fork Kickapoo Watershed; 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture (USDA). 

ACTION: Notice of availability; record of 

decision. 

SUMMARY: This notice of availability 

presents the Record of Decision (ROD) 

on a Watershed Project Plan— 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement (Plan-PEIS) for the West Fork 

Kickapoo (WFK) Watershed prepared in 

partnership with Monroe and Vernon 

Counties, Wisconsin (Sponsors). This 

notice announces the plan to proceed 

with the implementation of Alternative 

7—Proposed Action—Decommission 

All Dams and Replace Jersey Valley 

County Park Dam (WFK–1) with a high 

hazard, multi-purpose dam, identified 

in the Plan-PEIS. Alternative 7 proposes 

to decommission dams by excavating a 

notch to pass the 100-year flood without 

impounding water. It also proposes to 

replace WFK–1 with a high hazard, 

multi-purpose dam approximately 1,000 

feet downstream of the existing dam. 

This action will avoid environmental 

impacts to the extent possible and 

mitigate impacts that are unavoidable. 

ADDRESSES: You may request a copy of 

the ROD from: Steve Becker, NRCS State 

Conservation Engineer, 8030 Excelsior 

Drive, Suite 200, Madison, WI 53717. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Becker; telephone: (608) 400– 

6176; or email: steve.becker@usda.gov. 

Individuals who require alternative 

means for communication should 

contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 

720–2600 (voice and text telephone 

(TTY)) or dial 711 for 

Telecommunications Relay service (both 

voice and text telephone users can 

initiate this call from any telephone). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Decision 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service (NRCS) has prepared a ROD 

following completion of the Plan-PEIS. 

The Plan-PEIS provides a retrospective 

analysis of the existing flood control 

project and then evaluates alternatives 

for the final disposition of 9 flood 

control dams constructed between 1956 

and 1971. The purpose of the Plan-PEIS 

is to ensure agencies consider the 

environmental impacts of their action in 

decision making. NRCS involvement is 

through Public Law 83–566, Watershed 

Protection and Flood Prevention Act, as 

amended. The ROD is available for 

viewing at the following link: https://

www.wfkandccwatersheds.com/2023. 

NRCS has decided to assist the Sponsors 

with implementing Alternative 7 which 

proposes to decommission all 9 dams in 

the watershed and replace WFK–1 about 

1,000 feet downstream of the existing 

dam. 

Background 

The WFK Watershed has an area of 

75,387 acres (117.8 square miles) to the 

confluence with the Kickapoo River. 

The focused planning area for the PlanPEIS is 63,761 acres (99.6 square miles). 

The Plan-PEIS follows an original 

Watershed Work Plan developed in 

1961 to reduce flood damages in the 

WFK valley under the Watershed 

Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 

1954. 

The major problems in the watershed 

between 1956 and 1961 were floodwater 

damages to: crops and pasture, fences, 

farmsteads, machinery, buildings, 

livestock, county, township roads and 

bridges, and the village of Liberty. 

Project measures implemented under 

the 1961 Watershed Work Plan include 

a multitude of land treatment practices 

to reduce erosion and sedimentation 

behind the dams and 7 flood control 

dams with a total capacity of 3,652 acrefeet to regulate flood flows from 30.73 

square miles, or 31 percent of the 

watershed above the village of Liberty. 

With the addition of two dams built 

under the Pilot Watershed Program in 

1956, the runoff from 34.6 square miles 

or 35 percent of the watershed above the 

village of Liberty is controlled. The 

dams have now completed their Federal 

interest or original economic evaluation 

period of 50 years. 

On the night of August 27, 2018, two 

watershed dams over-topped and two 

dams failed, including the WFK–1 and 

Mlsna Dams. Rainfall amounts up to 11 

inches were reported on the night of 

August 27 and early morning of August 

28. Additional rainfall amounts up to 7 

inches were reported in the afternoon of 

August 28 after the dam failures. 

The dams failed (breached) along the 

interface between the earthfill and 

highly jointed sandstone abutments. 

Each breach extended full depth to the 

valley floor. No one was injured or 

killed. Large debris fields were observed 

downstream of the dams for about 1/4 

mile. Agricultural lands and road 

crossings were damaged. Engineering 

investigations concluded that flow 

through the fractured sandstone during 

high pool stage caused internal erosion 

and piping of the earthfill dam and 

contributed to the failures. The 

Sponsors and NRCS are concerned that 

a similar vulnerability exists in the 

remaining 7 dams. 

Environmental Review 

The ROD summarizes the findings of 

the Plan-PEIS and provides the basis for 

a decision to decommission 9 flood 

control dams in the WFK watershed and 

replace WFK–1 with a high hazard, 

multi-purpose dam. The watershed 

project plan and the environmental 

document were combined in the single 

Plan-PEIS document. NRCS is the lead 

Federal agency responsible for the 

content and quality of the Plan-EIS for 

the purposes of National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA), Principles, 

Requirements, and Guidelines (PR&G) 

for Federal Investments in Water 

Resources and National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA) compliance. 

The ROD is issued as specified by the 

NEPA process (42 U.S.C. 4321–4347) 

which follows the NRCS NEPA 

regulations in 7 CFR part 650, subpart 

A, and 7 CFR part 622. The NRCS NEPA 

regulations adopt the Council of 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA 

regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508) in 

total. 

Alternatives 

Considered alternatives included: no 

action, repair, rehabilitation, relocation, 

replacement, removal, and construction 

of additional dams. Considered 

alternatives also include the 

substitution of large watershed dams 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Notices 90263 

1See https://sam.gov/content/assistance-listings. 

with a multitude of smaller farm ponds. 

Further effort was made to evaluate the 

effects of various land management 

strategies to reduce watershed runoff 

and flood damages were compared for 

present land use against a full 

watershed conversion from cropland to 

grassland. 

Three of 12 alternatives were 

provided for detailed study and for 

comparative analysis: No Action, 

Decommission Dams, Decommission 

Dams and Replace WFK–1. The No 

Action alternative does not address dam 

safety. Two failed dams, plus three 

failures in the adjacent Coon Creek 

Watershed, present a high probability 

for future failures. The State Dam Safety 

Program has issued an administrative 

order to Vernon County, as the owner, 

to repair or remove the two failed dams; 

similarly, the State Dam Safety Program 

would likely order the repair or removal 

of the 7 remaining dams if the dams fail 

in the future. The Decommission Dams 

alternative proposes to decommission 

all 9 dams to prevent future dam 

failures and potential loss of life and 

property damage. The Decommission 

Dams and Replace WFK–1 dam 

alternative prevents future dam failures 

and restores the flood control and 

recreational benefits that are a keystone 

of Jersey Valley County Park. 

Factors Considered in Making the 

Decision 

Geologic and geotechnical 

engineering investigations were 

conducted following the failures of the 

Mlsna and WFK–1 Dams. The 

investigation report concluded that flow 

through the fractured sandstone 

abutments during high pool stages 

contributed to the failures. A similar 

vulnerability is believed to exist in the 

remaining structures. 

Failure of the remaining dams could 

result in loss of life and would likely 

cause downstream flood, erosion, 

sedimentation damages to cropland, 

farm structures, road crossings, and 

utilities. Dam failures would also result 

in erosion and sedimentation of streams 

resulting in adverse impacts to fish and 

wildlife habitat. 

All programmatic alternatives have 

submarginal economic performance 

except for the WFK–1 dam replacement. 

They have negative discounted net 

economic efficiency and low benefit to 

cost ratios. However, the preferred 

alternative of dam decommissioning 

decreases People at Risk (PAR) from a 

dam failure and increases length of 

natural stream connectivity for habitat 

and recreation. The Decommission 

Dams alternative is justified by the 

social (PAR and recreation) and 

environmental (stream restoration) 

accounting of the PR&G for Federal 

Investments in Water Resources. The 

replacement of the WFK–1 dam would 

restore a unique recreational 

opportunity in the Driftless Area of 

Southwest Wisconsin and re-establish 

the cornerstone of Jersey Valley County 

Park with 370-acres that generate 11 

types of recreation. It will also provide 

flood protection benefits for about 49 

homes. 

Public Notice 

As specified in 7 CFR 650.12(c) and 

40 CFR 1505.2, the Draft PEIS public 

notice was initiated by publication of 

the Draft EIS on December 22, 2023, and 

published in the Federal Register (88 

FR 88610), as identified by EIS number 

20230181 in the Environmental 

Protection Agency’s (EPA) Central Dat 

Exchange (CDX) system. Concluding the 

initial public notice, essential comments 

were addressed and incorporated in the 

Final PEIS. The Final PEIS was made 

available for review through EPA’s CDX 

system on May 17, 2024, and published 

in the Federal Register (89 FR 43401). 

Conclusion 

The Plan-PEIS for the West Fork 

Kickapoo Watershed uses all practical 

means, consistent with considerations 

of national policy, to meet the goals 

established in NEPA. The Plan-PEIS 

will serve the overall public interest and 

meet the needs of the project sponsors. 

The Plan-PEIS has been prepared, 

reviewed, and accepted in accordance 

with the provisions of NEPA as 

implemented by Departmental 

regulations for the preparation of a PlanPEIS. After considering a broad range of 

alternatives, the Plan-PEIS has found 

Alternative 7—Proposed Action— 

Decommission Dams and Replace WFK– 

1, to be the environmentally preferable 

alternative to serve the Sponsor’s 

purpose and need. 

NRCS has decided to assist Sponsors 

with the implementation of Alternative 

7 to decommission all 9 dams by 

excavating a notch to pass the 100-year 

flood without impounding water while 

avoiding environmental impacts to the 

extent possible and mitigating for 

impacts that are unavoidable. NRCS also 

has decided to assist Sponsors with the 

replacement of the WFK–1 dam to 

restore a unique recreational 

opportunity in the Driftless Area and reestablish the cornerstone of Jersey 

Valley County Park with 370-acres that 

generate 11 types of recreation. It will 

also provide flood protection benefits 

for about 49 homes. 

NRCS has prepared a concise ROD for 

this action. The ROD was prepared and 

will be signed by the State 

Conservationist (STC) following the 30- 

day administrative action period 

initiated by the EPA’s publication of the 

notice of availability of the Final PEIS 

in the Federal Register. The ROD will 

be distributed to all who provided 

essential comments on the Draft PEIS 

and will be available for review upon 

request. 

Federal Assistance Programs 

The title and number of the Federal 

Assistance Program as found in the 

Assistance Listing 1 to which this 

document applies is 10.904, Watershed 

Protection and Flood Prevention. 

Executive Order 12372 

Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs,’’ requires consultation with 

State and local officials that would be 

directly affected by proposed Federal 

financial assistance. The objectives of 

the Executive order are to foster an 

intergovernmental partnership and a 

strengthened federalism, by relying on 

State and local processes for State and 

local government coordination and 

review of proposed Federal financial 

assistance and direct Federal 

development. This project is subject to 

the provisions of Executive Order 

12372, which requires 

intergovernmental consultation with 

State and local officials. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Policy 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and USDA civil rights 

regulations and policies, USDA, its 

agencies, offices, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family or 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Individuals who require alternative 

means of communication for program 

information (for example, braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

telephone) or dial 711 for 

Telecommunications Relay Service 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
90264 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Notices 

(both voice and text telephone users can 

initiate this call from any phone). 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at: https://

www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint and 

at any USDA office or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the 

letter all the information requested in 

the form. To request a copy of the 

complaint form, call (866) 632–9992. 

Submit your completed form or letter to 

USDA by: (1) mail to: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; (2) Fax: (202 690–7442; 

or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Joseph Schmelz, 

Acting Wisconsin State Conservationist, 

Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26636 Filed 11–14–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

Rural Utilities Service 

[Docket No. RHS–24–NONE–0038] 

Notice of Request for an Extension of 

a Currently Approved Information 

Collection 

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, Rural 

Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural 

Utilities service, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA). 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the intention of the 

Rural Housing Service, Rural BusinessCooperative Service, and the Rural 

Utilities Service, agencies of the Rural 

Development (RD) mission area within 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

hereinafter collectively referred to as the 

Agency(ies) to request Office of 

Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

approval for a an extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection in support of compliance 

with Civil Rights laws. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by January 14, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted electronically by the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal, 

www.regulations.gov. Additional 

information about RD and its programs 

is available at www.rd.usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Pamela Bennett, RD Innovation Center— 

Regulations Management Division, 

USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, 

Stop 1522, South Building, Washington, 

DC 20250–1522. Telephone: (202) 720– 

9639. Email: pamela.bennett@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The OMB 

regulation (5 CFR part 1320) 

implementing provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 

L. 104–13) requires that interested 

members of the public and affected 

agencies have an opportunity to 

comment on information collection and 

recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 

1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an 

information collection that the Agency 

is submitting to OMB for revision of an 

existing collection. 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the Agency, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (b) The accuracy 

of the Agency’s estimate of the burden 

of the proposed collection of 

information including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

Ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) Ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments may be sent by the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

www.regulations.gov and, in the 

‘‘Search for dockets and documents on 

agency actions’’ box, type in the Docket 

No. located at the beginning of this 

notice and click the ‘‘Search’’ button. 

From the search results, click on or 

locate the document title and select the 

‘‘Comment’’ button. Before inputting 

comments, commenters may review the 

‘‘Commenter’s Checklist’’ (optional). 

Insert comments under the ‘‘Comment’’ 

title, click ‘‘Browse’’ to attach files (if 

available), input email address and 

select ‘‘Submit Comment.’’ Information 

on using Regulations.gov, including 

instructions for accessing documents, 

submitting comments, and viewing the 

docket after the close of the comment 

period, is available through the site’s 

‘‘FAQ’’ link. All comments will be 

available for public inspection online at 

www.regulations.gov. 

A federal agency may not conduct or 

sponsor, and a person is not required to 

respond to, nor shall a person be subject 

to a penalty for failure to comply with 

a collection of information subject to the 

requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act unless that collection of 

information displays a currently valid 

OMB Control Number. Data furnished 

by the applicants will be used to 

determine eligibility for program 

benefits. Furnishing the data is 

voluntary; however, failure to provide 

data could result in program benefits 

being withheld or denied. 

Title: 7 CFR 1901—Common Forms 

Package for Civil Rights Forms. 

OMB Number: 0575–0201. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

Previously Approved Information 

Collection. 

Abstract: The information collection 

under OMB Number 0575–0201 enables 

the Agencies to effectively monitor a 

recipient’s compliance with the civil 

rights laws, and to determine whether or 

not service and benefits are being 

provided to beneficiaries on an equal 

opportunity basis. The Agencies are 

required to provide Federal financial 

assistance through its housing and 

community and business programs on 

an equal opportunity basis. The laws 

implemented in 7 CFR part 1901, 

subpart E, require the recipients of RD 

Federal financial assistance to collect 

various types of information, including 

information on participants in certain of 

these agencies’ programs, by race, color, 

and national origin. The information 

collected and maintained by the 

recipients of certain programs in RD are 

used internally by the agency for 

monitoring compliance with the civil 

rights laws and regulations. This 

information is made available to USDA 

officials, officials of other Federal 

agencies, and to Congress for reporting 

purposes. Without the required 

information, RD and its recipients will 

lack the necessary documentation to 

demonstrate that their programs are 

being administered in a 

nondiscriminatory manner, and in full 

compliance with the civil rights laws. In 

addition, the Agency and their 

recipients would be vulnerable in 

lawsuits alleging discrimination in the 

affected programs of these agencies, and 

would be without appropriate data and 

documentation to defend themselves by 

demonstrating that services and benefits 

are being provided to beneficiaries on 

an equal opportunity basis. 

Estimate of Burden: The Agencies are 

requesting approval for one respondent 

and a one-hour place holder for each of 


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