OMAHA, Neb. – A draft environmental assessment for a proposal to protect cultural sites from bank erosion within the Fort George Historic District at Lake Sharpe in Stanley County, South Dakota is currently available for public review. The draft EA evaluates the environmental impacts of constructing an off-shore breakwater structure to protect cultural sites from bank erosion caused by wind/wave, and ice action.
The proposed project would include constructing a 2,380-foot long and 50-foot wide rock-faced, earth-filled, breakwater structure within the pool of Lake Sharpe approximately 100 to 150 feet from the shoreline. The purpose of the structure is to protect known cultural resource sites from continuing to erode into Lake Sharpe. This alternative has the least amount of impact to cultural resources, and provides for the development of wetlands landward of the breakwater structure, and revegetation of the existing cut bank.
The public is encouraged to provide comments on the draft environmental assessment, which is available for viewing at: http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Planning/Project-Reports/. Comments can be mailed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; CENWO-PMA-C; ATTN: Luke Wallace, Fort George 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 September 21, 2018.
This draft EA is consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 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.
Release no. 18-070