Progress 11/01/02 to 10/31/05
Outputs
During this project, I managed the Environmental Assessment for the Buffalo Cove Management Unit as a feature of the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System Project (ABFS). This process included, but was not limited to, coordination and guidance in the selection of water management elements, and development of selected elements. The process included extensive coordination with the Engineering, Planning, and Real Estate Divisions as well as Federal Coordinating Agencies and Louisiana DNR. The Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was signed in May 2005, fulfilled the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) requirements. In conjunction with development of project documents, the non-standard Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) for the project (after resolution of many controversial issues) was finally executed in June 2005. This is the legal document signed by the State of Louisiana creating a partnership for operation and maintenance of the completed project into
perpetuity, or until such time as Congress de-authorizes the project. This is the legal document that lays out in detail the roles and responsibilities of both the Corps and non-Federal Sponsor, which reflects the unique character of the Atchafalaya Basin Water Management Unit. An example of the uniqueness of this project is that the Government will provide 100% total first cost for construction and the Local Sponsor will provide 25% of Operation and Maintenance costs. The environmental benefits of this Buffalo Cove Management Unit project will include partial elimination of hypoxic water conditions, improvement in interior circulation, and introduction of highly oxygenated water into the unit with limited amounts of sediment. This is a pilot endeavor in all aspects. Lessons learned in this project will be transferred to the total area of the Buffalo Cove Unit, and then to other units within the Atchafalaya Basin destined for construction. Opposition to the Buffalo Cove project led to
a law-suit filed in 3rd U.S. District Court, Lafayette, LA. I was instrumental, working with Corps Office of Counsel, in providing data sufficient for the Court to dismiss the case. The case is being appealed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Progress for Buffalo Cove was interrupted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but in November a Task Order was issued for beginning the construction of Phase I in Buffalo Cove. Construction is anticipated to begin in early February, 2006. This project is one of the few large-scale ecosystem restoration projects ever initiated by the Corps. Together with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, the LSU AgCenter, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this cooperative effort seeks to implement water management projects that will rehabilitate the ecology, biological productivity, and cultural and socioeconomic the Basin for the citizens of the state.
Impacts
Although the Atchafalaya River Basin is the largest hardwood bottomland swamp ecosystem left in the U.S., it has been impacted by the invasion of several aggressive aquatic macrophytes, and has been subjected to significant hydrologic alterations that have resulted in high rates of sediment deposition, declining water circulation on the floodplain, and severe hypoxia during the flood pulse. This is one of the largest ecosystem rehabilitation projects being attempted in the U.S., and substantial legal, logistical, political, economic, and scientific obstacles have been overcome to begin construction on this phase of the project. Rehabilitation of the Atchafalaya Basin will have profound cultural, recreational, ecological, and socioeconomic effects for the state of Louisiana, and the success of this project rests on incorporation of well-founded science, sound engineering, and adaptive management to obtain long-term benefits for the all of the Basins user groups.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
The year began with the continuation of collaborating with various divisions within the Corps of Engineers for the development of necessary documents to gain approval for construction of the Buffalo Cove Management Unit as a Feature of the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System Project (ABFS). The process included extensive coordination with Engineering, Planning, and Real Estate Divisions in the development of Appendices for the Buffalo Cove Management Unit Final Report. The final report document includes the Engineering Documentation Report (EDR), which I solely developed, Engineering Appendix, Real Estate Appendix, Monitoring Report, Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), and other documents necessary to fulfill the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) requirements. The EDR was submitted to Mississippi Valley Division 15 June 2004. The Environmental Assessment (NEPA Compliance) for Buffalo Cove was completed in February and a Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) for the Buffalo Cove Management Unit was signed by the Commanding Officer, CEMVN in March. In March I submitted a New Orleans District "Position Paper" (White Paper) to higher Corps Authority asking for clarification of cost-share requirements for project construction. Corps Headquarters ultimately agreed that the project should be constructed with 100 percent federal funding. On July 15, the Buffalo Cove Management Unit, Engineering Documentation Report (EDR) was approved by Director of Programs, Mississippi Valley Division. In August, I submitted the Buffalo Cove Management Unit, Project Corporative Agreement (PCA) to the Mississippi Valley Division and forwarded it to Headquarters in September. In October, CEMVN-PM-W was requested by ASA (CW) Office to provide a historical chronology of the ABFS project in "bullet" format. I put together the chronology and forwarded it to the ASA (CW) office. In December, I forwarded to MVD and HQ a modification to the Buffalo Cove
Management Unit Notice of Intent (NOI) to replace previous notice submitted in June. Modifications included the addition of Beau Bayou, Cocodrie, and Flat Lake Management Units to the DSEIS Scope of Work. As of 31 December 2004, the Buffalo Cove PCA was at the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASA CW) awaiting approval. We anticipate approval by the ASA CW soon and an execution date with the LA DNR in late February 2005. It is anticipated construction of this project should begin in late May or June of 2005.
Impacts
The environmental impacts of this Buffalo Cove Management Unit project will be to reduce hypoxic water conditions, improve interior circulation, and introduce highly oxygenated water into the unit with limited amounts of sediment. This is a pilot endeavor in all aspects, and lessons learned in this project will be transferred to other areas within the Buffalo Cove Unit, then ultimately to other Atchafalaya Basin units destined for construction.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
I assisted with the planning and coordination of a Corps of Engineers Partnering Conference in New Orleans. This three-day conference brought together all sponsors and partners to the Corps within the New Orleans District to discuss ways to provide better services to Federal and State agencies, communities, and user groups. I also began the process of collaborating with various divisions within the Corps for development of necessary documents to gain approval for construction of the Buffalo Cove Management Unit as a Feature of the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System Project (ABFS). This process included coordination and guidance in the selection of elements and development of selected elements for a Buffalo Cove Environmental Assessment prior to construction. The process included extensive coordination with Engineering, Planning, and Real Estate Divisions in the development of Appendices for the Buffalo Cove Management Unit Final Report. The final report document will
include the Engineering Documentation Report (EDR), which I developed, Engineering Appendix, Real Estate Appendix, Monitoring Report, Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), and other documents necessary to fulfill the NEPA requirements. In conjunction with development of the EDR I was charged with drafting a Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) for the project. This is the legal document that will be signed by the Non Federal Sponsor (State of LA) creating a partnership for Operation and Maintenance of the completed project into perpetuity, or until such time as the Congress of the United States de-authorizes the project. This is the legal document that lays out in detail the roles and responsibilities of both the Corps and State reflecting the unique character of the Atchafalaya Basin Water Management Unit Feature. An example of the uniqueness of this project is that the Government will provide 100% total first cost for construction and the Local Sponsor will provide 25% of
Operation and Maintenance costs. The Corps has model PCAs, which are approved documents developed for all types of projects requiring a local sponsor. Due to the uniqueness of the Buffalo Cove project, no model existed and consequently had to be developed. The draft model is being reviewed and finalized by the Corps Office of Council. During the development process, there were several issues identified that require clarification. We are currently developing a desired position regarding these issues which will then be forwarded to Corps Headquarters in Washington DC, for acceptance or guidance. The issues arose from project approval legislation, which did not fully address various aspects of this unique project. These issues must be resolved at which time the model PCA document must be finalized then forwarded to Division and Headquarters for approval. The three major documents, EA, EDR, and PCA must be in harmony with each other so this means Office of Council must approve and certify
all documents prior to submittal for approval. We anticipate Corps Headquarters approval and acceptance by the State no later than May/June, 2004 which will allow a construction start in June/July, 2004.
Impacts
The environmental impacts of this Buffalo Cove Management Unit project will be to reduce hypoxic water conditions, improve interior circulation, and introduce highly oxygenated water into the unit with limited amounts of sediment. This is a pilot endeavor in all aspects, and lessons learned in this project will be transferred to other areas within the Buffalo Cove Unit, then ultimately to other Atchafalaya Basin units destined for construction.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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