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Title:	Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact : Kissimmee River Restoration Project : River Acres Flood Mitigation in Lieu of Acquisition, Okeechobee County, Florida
Authors:	United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District.
Keywords:	Stream restoration Kissimmee River (Fla.)
Publisher:	United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District.
Abstract:	River Acres is a platted subdivision northwest of the City of Okeechobee in Okeechobee County, Florida. The subdivision consists of 135 lots including vacant lots, lots with mobile homes, and lots with conventional houses. Portions of the River Acres subdivision were constructed on drained floodplains and were identified within the 1991 Kissimmee River Restoration (KRR) Report for acquisition of standard flowage easement. Early on, it was well known that property in the River Acres subdivision would be impacted by the project and that the owners would be unwilling sellers. Acquisition of 65 of 135 parcels within the River Acres subdivision likely would have required a condemnation process that would have resulted in additional time and costs for acquisition. Both the 1991 KRR Report (Section 10.2.2 Relocation Assistance) and the 1992 KRR Project Chief's Report (Section 9.8.11 Displacement of People, Businesses and Farms) direct the Corps to minimize displacement of homeowners during project development and construction. Specifically, the 1992 KRR Chief’s Report directed that flood proofing, such as the use of ring levees or modifications to site and structure elevations, should be utilized whenever feasible to limit the possibility of displacement. In order to achieve KRR Project benefits and minimize the displacement of homeowners, the SFWMD developed an engineering solution that could avoid acquisition of properties within the River Acres subdivision. This engineering analysis was provided to the Corps and was incorporated into a Design Documentation Report, dated January 21, 2009 (Appendix A). Maintaining preexisting levels of flood protection (i.e. thirty percent SPF) was to be accomplished by construction of a tieback levee on the northwest corner of the subdivision, a levee and seepage canal north of the CSX right-of-way, canal extension and improvements, and a bridge across the new canal extension. As a result of this design refinement, the River Acres subdivision contract scope was modified to provide flood risk management measures that eliminated the need to acquire properties from unwilling sellers and avoid a lengthy condemnation process; refer to the 1991 KRR Report, page 226. The purpose of this EA is to document, and disclose to the public, potential environmental consequences on the human environment related to the decision to provide flood mitigation to the River Acres subdivision in lieu of acquisition of standard flowage easements to maintain preexisting levels of flood protection. This EA discusses the potential environmental consequences of alternatives, including the Preferred Alternative, as described in the 2009 Design Documentation Report (Appendix A). The Preferred Alternative has been implemented consistent with the 2009 Design Documentation Report, but the Corps has decided to conduct additional NEPA analysis to ensure public disclosure of the action.
Description:	Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited
Rights:	Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/11681/26523
Size:	47 pages/3.098 Mb
Appears in Collections:	Environmental Documents