OMAHA, NE – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is currently seeking input as we prepare to revise the Big Bend Dam & Lake Sharpe Project’s Master Plan (dated 2003) and the associated Environmental Assessment. When complete the revision will replace the 2003 document. During this initial scoping phase the Corps is attempting to gather input from interested stakeholders, agencies, and the public.
A Master Plan is the basic document guiding USACE responsibilities pursuant to Federal laws to preserve, conserve, restore, maintain, manage, and develop a project’s lands, waters, and associated resources. It includes a description of project resources, a discussion of factors influencing resource management and development and a strategy for managing project resources to meet the needs of the public and wildlife.
The Master Plan revision process includes the concurrent development of an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In the first phase (Initial Scoping) the Corps will be collecting information on past management activities, regional economic & demographic trends, recreation demands and opportunities, stakeholder needs and desires, and environmental concerns. This information will help form the building blocks of the revision effort and is critical to the development and consideration of alternative management strategies within the revised Master Plan.
Stakeholders and the general public will be engaged at each phase of the project and provided an opportunity to review and comment on the draft documents as they are developed.
The 2003 Big Bend Master Plan is available for reference via the following website: http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Dam-and-Lake-Projects/Project-Master-Plans/
We will be hosting a public scoping meeting on February 23, 2017 at the Big Bend Project Office from 6:00pm to 7:30pm (33573 N Shore Road, Fort Thompson, South Dakota 57325).
The public is encouraged to provide their input & comments by mail to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District, Attn: CENWO-OD-TN; 1616 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68102 or via email to Jonas.Grundman@usace.army.mil.
We are requesting that input & comments be submitted by March 13, 2017.