OMAHA, Neb. – A draft supplemental environmental assessment for the restoration of shallow water habitat at Middle Decatur Bend in Burt County, Neb., is currently available for public review. The draft supplemental EA evaluates the environmental impacts of restoring the connection between Middle Decatur’s backwater lake and the Missouri River.
This draft supplemental 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.
BACKGROUND: The 2011 Missouri River Flood caused sediment to deposit into Middle Decatur’s originally constructed channel which provides a connection for fish and other aquatic species between the main channel of the Missouri River and the site’s backwater lake. The deposited sediment completely eliminated connectivity between the river and the backwater lake, preventing fish and other aquatic species from accessing the backwater, which provides feeding, spawning, and rearing habitat. 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 overall purpose of the proposed project would contribute to achieving the number of acres necessary to comply with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2000 Biological Opinion and 2003 Amended Biological Opinion on the Operation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System, Operation of the Missouri River Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project, and Operation of the Kansas River System. Compliance with the BiOp allows the Corps to continue its operations along the Missouri River System, which generate an estimated $1.8 billion in average annual benefits.
The public is encouraged to provide comments on the draft supplemental environmental assessment, which 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: Middle Decatur 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 September 7, 2013.
Release no. 20130809-001