SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has made available the East Lake Tohopekaliga Drawdown and Habitat Enhancement (East Lake Toho) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for public review and comment. This action concerns a permit application received by the Department of the Army (DA) from Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for activities associated with FWC’s proposed drawdown of East Lake Toho, and removal of vegetation and organic material, to improve habitat conditions for fish and wildlife. This activity is regulated through USACE, pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 United States Code [U.S.C.] § 1344), Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. § 403) and Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C § 408). Additional authority is provided in 33 C.F.R. § 222.5, Water Control Management. The East Lake Toho Draft EIS will be used to inform the public and agency decision-makers of FWC’s East Lake Toho Project alternatives and effects on the quality of the human environment.
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY (NOA): The East Lake Toho Draft EIS will be available electronically at two on-line locations:
- The Environmental Protection Agency will publish the NOA and East Lake Toho Draft EIS in the Federal Register on April 12, 2019. This information can be found on the Federal Register website: https://www.federalregister.gov/
- This NOA and the East Lake Toho Draft EIS are also currently posted on the USACE Jacksonville District website at: https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Items-of-Interest/
Scroll down to the East Lake Tohopekaliga Drawdown Environmental Impact Statement heading.
A hardcopy of the East Lake Toho Draft EIS will also be available at the Cocoa Permits Section office and St. Cloud Civic Center (3001 17th St., St. Cloud, FL 34769).
DATES: The public comment period for the East Lake Toho Draft EIS begins April 12, 2019, and will last 45 days. Written comments on the Draft EIS must be submitted on or before May 27, 2019. USACE will hold a public meeting to receive comments on the East Lake Toho Draft EIS on May 2, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (see ADDRESSES below). Interested parties are invited to submit comments to USACE by May 27, 2019.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at Osceola Heritage Park, 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee, FL 34744. Comments may be submitted by mail or hand-delivered to: Jeffrey S. Collins, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cocoa Permits Section, 400 High Point Drive, Suite 600, Cocoa, FL 32926. Comments may also be submitted by email to: jeffrey.s.collins@usace.army.mil. All comments should include "East Lake Tohopekaliga Draft EIS Comments" in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the Proposed Action and East Lake Toho Draft EIS should be directed to Mr. Collins by telephone at (321) 504-3771 or by email: jeffrey.s.collins@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
USACE is preparing this Draft EIS in accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulation [CFR] 1500 et seq.), and USACE provisions for implementing the procedural requirements of NEPA (33 CFR 230, USACE Engineering Regulation [ER] 200-2-2). A primary purpose of a USACE Regulatory Program EIS is to provide disclosure of the significant impacts of a proposal seeking a DA permit on the human environment. The Draft EIS and Final EIS are used to inform the public and agency decision-makers of alternatives to an applicant’s project that may avoid or minimize impacts or enhance the quality of the human environment.
Public Disclosure Statement: If you wish to comment, you may mail or email your comments as indicated under the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or any other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made available to the public at any time. While you can request that your personal identifying information be withheld from public review; however, it cannot guaranteed that we will be able to do so.