NEW ORLEANS – - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District has released Individual Environmental Report 29 entitled, “Pre-Approved Contractor Furnished Borrow Material, Number 4,” for 30-day public review. The environmental document discusses the human and environmental impacts from possible excavation of three Contractor Furnished borrow sites that may contain clay material suitable for use in the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System.
IER 29 is currently available for public review and comment at www.nolaenvironmental.gov. The deadline to submit comments is Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009.
Borrow sites described in IER 29 include:
- Tammany Holding Company, St. Tammany Parish
- Willow Bend Phase II, St. John the Baptist Parish
- Eastover Phase II, Orleans Parish
A public meeting to discuss the sites described in IER 29, and to provide an update on construction projects in New Orleans East, is slated for Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009 at the Church at New Orleans, 11700 Chef Menteur Hwy, in New Orleans. The meeting will begin with an Open House from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. A presentation and discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Information about Contractor Furnished borrow sites are provided to the Corps by individual landowners who are responsible for soil boring and testing, and acquiring state and Federal environmental clearances. After gathering the necessary data and obtaining the appropriate clearances, landowners submit a proposal to the New Orleans District. The New Orleans District analyzes the potential environmental impacts from the proposed borrow areas in IERs.
After a site is approved by the New Orleans District Commander, the borrow site is placed on a list of potential Contractor Furnished sources for borrow that may be used to construct earthen levees in the hurricane system. Use of the clay requires an agreement between private entities; at no point in time does the landowner have an agreement with Corps. Additionally, there are no guarantees that a landowner’s proposed borrow site will ever be used in conjunction with the construction of the hurricane system.
The IER process allows the Corps to expedite the environmental review required of all federally funded projects while fully complying with the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act. The Corps encourages the public to provide written comments on IERs by mail, e-mail or by visiting www.nolaenvironmental.gov at any time throughout the comment period.
Questions or comments concerning proposed actions should be addressed to:
Gib Owen, PM-RS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 60267
New Orleans, LA 70160-0267
Phone: 504-862-1337
Fax: 504-862-2088
E-mail: mvnenvironmental@usace.army.mil.
For more information or to sign up to be on a meeting notification list please visit the following web site: www.nolaenvironmental.gov.