Army Corps to Host Public Meetings on Proposed Glades Reservoir (USA)

Members of the public and news media are invited to attend a series of scoping meeting on the proposed Glades Reservoir project, March 20, 21 and 22 at three locations in the tri-state area:

• March 20: Gainesville State College from 4 to 8 p.m. EST. The college is located at 3820 Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood, Ga. The meeting will be held in Building 17, room 3110.

• March 21: March 21 at the Lexington Auburn University Convention Center from 4 to 8 p.m. CST. The convention center is located at 1577 South College Street in Auburn, Ala. The meeting will be held in the lower ballroom of the convention center.

• March 22 at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve from 4 to 8 p.m. EST. The reserve is located at 108 Island Drive in Eastpoint, Fla.

Guided media tours through the workshops will begin each day at 3:30 p.m. with subject matter experts available to answer questions.

Hall County, Georgia’s proposed water supply project includes: 1) A new pumped-storage reservoir (Glades Reservoir); 2) A raw water intake and pump station at the Chattahoochee River; 3) A pipeline between the Chattahoochee River pump station and the proposed Glades Reservoir; 4) A raw water intake and pump station at the proposed Glades Reservoir; and 5) A pipeline between the Chattahoochee River pump station and the existing Cedar Creek Reservoir.

Water would be pumped from the Chattahoochee River to the existing Cedar Creek Reservoir, located in eastern Hall County, Ga., for treatment and distribution to Hall County customers. The proposed reservoir would be located on Flat Creek, a tributary to the Chattahoochee River upstream of Lake Sidney Lanier. Hall County would operate the proposed Glades Reservoir as a flow augmentation reservoir, meaning that water pumped from the proposed reservoir would be used to maintain minimum stream flow levels during periods of low flow in the Chattahoochee River. Hall County proposes the project to provide needed water supply through the year 2060. The proposed project could potentially affect river basins in Georgia, eastern Alabama and the Florida panhandle.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement to assess the potential social, economic and environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the reservoir raw water conveyances, associated facilities, and rights of way. It will address federal, state, and local requirements, environmental issues concerning the proposed action, and permit reviews. As the lead federal agency for issuing permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the Corps of Engineers must evaluate any proposed construction that involves the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the U.S.

The scoping meetings will feature various exhibits staffed with subject matter experts, maps, displays and handouts. Attendees are welcome to come-and-go throughout the four-hour period. Attendees will also have the opportunity to submit comments at the open house meeting via a written form, computer station, or verbally via a court reporter.

The deadline to submit comments for the scoping period is April 17, 2012. Comments received during the scoping period will be recorded in a scoping report and will be considered in development of the draft EIS. The public will have another opportunity to comment on the draft and final EIS documents.

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Dredging Today Staff, March 13, 2012; Image: gladesreservoir