2804 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 19 / Monday, January 29, 1996 / Notices

the ETI area by eliminating R–3202B

and R–3202C, elevating the ceiling of R–

3202A to 29,000 MSL and establishing

new restricted airspace around the

12,000-acre tactical range.

In addition to the proposed action,

two alternatives will be considered: the

no action alternative, and a 12,000-acre

tactical range similar to the proposed

range, but located further west, near

Grasmere.

The Air Force will conduct public

scoping meetings to assist it in

determining the issues and concerns

that should be addressed in the EIS.

Notice of time and place of the scoping

meetings will be made to public officials

and announced in the news media in

areas where the scoping meetings will

be held.

To assure there will be sufficient time

to consider public inputs on issues to be

included in developing the EIS when

attendance at the scoping meetings is

not possible, comments should be

forwarded to the addressee below by

April 1, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lt

Col R. Oholendt, Air Combat Command

Airspace and Range Management

Division, HQ ACC/DOR, Langley Air

Force Base, Virginia 23665; Telephone

(804) 764–6026.

Patsy J. Conner,

Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 96–1533 Filed 1–26–96; 8:45 am]

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Department of the Army, Corps of

Engineers

Jacksonville District, Jacksonville FL;

Intent To Prepare a Draft Programmatic

Environmental Impact Statement

(DPEIS) for the Central and Southern

Florida (C&SF) Project Comprehensive

Review Study.

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The Jacksonville District, U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), along

with the South Florida Water

Management District (SFWMD), intends

to prepare a Draft Programmatic

Environmental Impact Statement

(DPEIS) for the feasibility phase of the

C&SF Project Comprehensive Review

Study. The DPEIS will be done

commensurate with the development of

a comprehensive plan that addresses the

water resource needs of south Florida

through a re-examination of the design

of the original C&SF Project, authorized

in 1948 to provide flood control, water

supply and other purposes to central

and southern Florida.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questiosn about the proposed action

and DPEIS can be answered by: Mark

Ziminske, U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville,

Florida 32232–0019; Telephone 904–

232–1786.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

a. Authorization

The C&SF Project Comprehensive

Review Study is authorized by Section

309(1) of the Water Resources

Development Act of 1992 and two

resolutions of the Committee on Public

Works and Transportation, United

States House of Representatives, dated

September 1992. These authorizations

direct the Corps to re-examine the

design of the C&SF Project to determine

if modifications should be made to the

project in the interest of improving

environmental quality, water supply,

and Everglades and Florida Bay

ecosystems, while meeting the overall

water resource needs in the study area.

b. Study Area

The Study area includes the entire

C&SF Project with the exception of the

Upper St. Johns River Basin, which is a

separate hydrologic basin, not part of

the Everglades ecosystem. Contained

within the study area are: All or part of

Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Dade,

Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Lee, Martin,

Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola,

Palm Beach, PolK, and St. Lucie

Counties, Florida.

c. Project Features and Scope

The Comprehensive Review Study

will develop an overall C&SF Project

initial comprehensive plan and develop

the tools necessary to evaluate the

effects of this plan, with particular

attention to features specific to Lake

Okeechobee, the Everglades Agricultural

Area (EAA), the Water Conservation

Areas (WCAs), Everglades National

Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, the

Lake Okeechobee Service Area, the

Lower East Coast Service Area, and

Native American tribal lands. The major

components to be studied include:

Alternatives for conveying water

through the EAA, and modifying ground

water levels to control soil subsidence;

water storage in the Everglades

headwaters to include Lake

Okeechobee, the EAA, the WCAs, and

Water Preserve Areas (WPAs);

alternatives to reduce wildlife habitat

fragmentation within natural areas; and

alternative water regulation schedules

for Lake Okeechobee and the WCAs.

Further, concepts to capture and store

excess surface water in WPAs located

along the eastern boundary levees of the

WCAs by backpumping surface water

that is normally released to tide via the

C&SF Project canal system will be

investigated.

There is an extensive effort by

Federal, State and local governments in

central and southern Florida to restore

the natural Kissimmee—Lake

Okeechobee—Everglades system. Much

of this effort depends a great deal on the

findings, recommendations and ultimate

direction resulting from the

Comprehensive Review Study.

Therefore, it is envisioned that a

conceptual plan will be identified early

in the study process to provide a

framework as the Corps, SFWMD, and

other agencies and the public articulate

the ultimate comprehensive plan.

d. Scoping

The scoping process as outlined by

the Council on Environmental Quality

will be utilized to involve Federal,

State, and local agencies, affected Indian

Tribes, and other interested private

organizations and parties. A scoping

letter will be sent to interested Federal,

State and local agencies, interested

organizations and the public, requesting

their comments and concerns regarding

issues they feel should be addressed in

the DPEIS. Interested persons and

organizations wishing to participate in

the scoping process should contact the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the

address above. Significant issues

anticipated include concern for:

maintenance of flood protection and

water supply, water quality, wetlands,

fish and wildlife, recreation and

aesthetics, historical and cultural

resources, groundwater recharge, and

threatened and endangered plant and

animal species. Public meetings will be

held over the course of the study, the

exact location, dates, and times will be

announced in public notices and local

newspapers.

e. It is estimated that the DPEIS will

be available to the public in November

1999.

George M. Strain,

Assistant Chief, Planning Division.

[FR Doc. 96–1457 Filed 1–26–96; 8:45 am]

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