The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District (USACE) is seeking public comment on a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s (NGPC) proposal to expand the existing Weigand Marina and associated public recreational development at Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area (SRA) located on the USACE Gavins Point Dam / Lewis and Clark Lake Civil Works Project near Crofton in Knox County, Nebraska. The proposed project includes construction of a new boat ramp, expanding the number of covered and uncovered boat slips and docks, angler fishing access piers, shoreline improvements, a new fueling dock, a water storage tank, and new parking lots. To support this proposed action, dredging of the existing and new marina, disposal of dredge material, along with construction of a new permanent breakwater and floating wave attenuators would be required. The Lewis and Clark SRA consists of federal lands and waters under administration of the USACE Omaha District that is outgranted to NGPC under a parks and recreation lease; therefore, USACE review and approval is required.
This draft EA was developed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended; the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508, 2022); USACE regulations for implementing NEPA (33 CFR 230 and Engineering Regulation 200-2-2); and other applicable environmental laws and regulations. This draft EA was completed in accordance with 40 CFR §1506.5(a) and §1506.5(b), which allows an applicant to prepare a NEPA document for a federal action.
BACKGROUND: The need of the proposed marina expansion and recreational development is to address insufficient public recreation facilities at Lewis and Clark Lake, specifically at Lewis and Clark SRA and Weigand Marina. Recent data has indicated that the present marina is not adequate for the number of users. Increased crowding and insufficient public recreation facilities can lead to decreased visitor satisfaction, increased facility degradation and overuse, exceeding of recreational carrying capacities, along with additional public health and safety concerns. The need to expand the existing marina has been identified for a number of years based on the current number of slips being full, the high demand from the public for slips, and the number of day use visitation to the marina area. The purpose of the proposed project is to address the need by developing public recreation facilities to meet the increased present and forecasted demand for public recreational resources.
PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT: The public is encouraged to provide comments on the draft EA. The draft EA and appendices are available for viewing at the links below.
Comments can be emailed to: cenwo-cw-planningoutreach@usace.army.mil or can be mailed to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; CENWO-PMA-C; ATTN: Weigand Marina; 1616 Capitol Ave.; Omaha, NE 68102-4901. Comments must be postmarked or received no later than August 8, 2025.