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Corps seeks public comment on Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment, Louisville Bend Fish and Wildlife Rehabilitation Project

Published May 17, 2013
An aerial view of the Louisville Bend MRRP site.

An aerial view of the Louisville Bend MRRP site.

OMAHA, Neb. – A draft supplemental environmental assessment for the construction of a new channel and deep water habitat at Louisville Bend is currently available for public review. The draft supplemental EA evaluates the environmental impacts of constructing a new water supply channel between an existing pump station and the Louisville Oxbow Lake and enhancing shallow water habitat quality by excavating 2.4 acres of deep water habitat for overwintering fish. The proposed project is located on the Louisville Bend State Wildlife Area between river miles 681.7-685.4, approximately three miles west of Blencoe in Monona County, Iowa.

This draft supplemental EA is consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), the Corps’ regulations for implementing NEPA (33 CFR 325 and Engineering Regulation 200-2-2) and other applicable environmental laws and regulations. 

BACKGROUND: In 1995, a multi-phase project was completed which included a channel to reconnect a historic oxbow lake with the main channel of the Missouri River, water control structures to manage
water and allow fish to move from the oxbow to the main channel, and a pumping station to provide a more reliable source of water. The overall goal of the project was to mitigate for aquatic and terrestrial habitat losses that resulted from implementation of the Missouri River Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project. A copy of the final EA that was developed for the project is available for
viewing at http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Planning/EnvironmentalPlanning/FinalDocuments.aspx. The 2011 flood event deposited sediment in the connectivity channel between the pumping station and the oxbow and filled the pump station with sand, rendering the pump nonfunctional. The proposed project is necessary to restore function of the original project.

The public is encouraged to provide comments on the draft supplemental environmental assessment. The draft supplemental environmental assessment is available for viewing at:
http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Planning/EnvironmentalPlanning/DraftDocuments.aspx. Comments can be mailed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; CENWO-PM-AC; ATTN: Louisville Bend Supplemental EA; 1616 Capitol Avenue; Omaha, NE 68102-4901. Comments can also be emailed to: cenwo-planning@usace.army.mil. Comments must be postmarked or received no later than June 15, 2013.


Contact
Maggie Oldham
402-995-2417
margaret.e.oldham@usace.army.mil

Release no. 20130517-001