OMAHA, Neb. – A draft environmental assessment for repairs to levee unit R-627, Grace Street Ditch, in Douglas County, Neb. is currently available for public review. The draft (EA) evaluates the environmental impacts of repairing erosion damage to the levee caused by high flows in June 2014.
The damaged area is located along the left descending bank of levee unit R-627 approximately 1,000 feet west of the intersection of 10th and Grace Streets in downtown Omaha, Neb. Constant high flows along the Missouri River in June 2014 caused approximately 60 linear feet of the earthen bank to erode. If left unrepaired, the flood control works will no longer function as originally intended, continue to erode, and threaten surrounding infrastructure. Repairs will include excavating ditch sediments, reshaping the levee bank and placing rock riprap along approximately 100 feet of the reshaped bank. Repairs will be completed under the Corps’ PL 84-99 Emergency Levee Rehabilitation Program with the goal of restoring the levee system to pre-disaster conditions.
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/CivilWorks/Planning/EnvironmentalPlanning/DraftDocuments.aspx. Comments can be mailed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; CENWO-PM-AC; ATTN: Grace Street Ditch 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 January 6, 2015.
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. 20141209-001