All major federal actions that have significant environmental effects are required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to complete an Environmental Impact Statement. The most important feature of the EIS is that it prescribes a process for public and agency involvement. Because the balancing of water resource uses will occur within each of the two major basins, a separate EIS is being prepared for each basin. The purpose of each EIS is to provide opportunities for public and agency participation and review of the action and its consequences, and improve the decision making process that affects the environment.

The decision that will be made to balance water resources among these two basins is certainly significant, but also is very broad affecting many areas of human and natural uses. The regulations that govern the EIS process provide that broad Federal actions, such as the actions affecting these two basins, may be evaluated using a system wide or programmatic approach. The system wide EIS evaluates issues and alternatives more broadly than they might be for an EIS for a specific project. Therefore, each programmatic EIS will link actions that are connected, cumulative, and similar within each of the basins evaluated in the respective EIS. The objective of a system wide EIS will be to provide an analysis of representative basins, or subbasins, rather than a specific stream segment, and provide information that can be used in subsequent Environmental Assessments or EISs for specific local or regional projects.

The Draft EISs have been completed and are available for public review. The Draft EIS is available in hard copy and on CD-ROM format. They consist of separate EISs for each basin, a main report, and two volumes of appendices and are available on this web site and can be downloaded for review. Copies are also available for viewing at public and university libraries.

The following major sections in the EISs include:

Executive Summary

Section 1. Purpose, Need, and Scope

Section 2. Description of Proposed Action

Section 3. Alternatives Considered

Section 4. Affected Environment, Environmental Consequences, and Mitigation Actions

Section 5. List of Preparers

Section 6. Coordination

Section 7. Literature Cited

Section 8. Index

To obtain a copy call 1-800-421-7637 or contact the project managers below:

Mike Eubanks
ACT River Basin Project Manager
Inland Environmental Section
U.S. Army Engineers District-Mobile
P.O. Box 2288
Mobile, AL 36628-0001
334/694-3861
Fax: 334/694-3815
michael.j.eubanks@sam.usace.army.mil

 Joanne Brandt
ACF River Basin Project Manager
Inland Environmental Section
U.S. Army Engineers District-Mobile
P.O. Box 2288
Mobile, AL 36628-0001
334/690-3260
Fax: 334/694-3815
joanne.u.brandt@sam.usace.army.mil

 

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