US Army Corps of Engineers takes next step in revising the water control manual for the Apalachicola Chattahoochee Flint River System.

In October 2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District, reopened public scoping for preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding development and implementation of an updated Master Water Control Manual for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin (Master Manual) in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

April 2013 In October 2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District, reopened public scoping for preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding development and implementation of an updated Master Water Control Manual for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin (Master Manual) in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Public scoping was reopened to account for a June 28, 2011 Decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit which concluded that water supply is an authorized purpose for Lake Lanier. To account for the Court?s ruling, USACE is revising the scope of the EIS and water control manual updates. The comments received during the scoping periods in 2008, 2009, and 2012 resulted in 3,621 comments from 965 individuals, organizations, and agencies. Comments were submitted to USACE through all available options—U.S. Postal Service, email, Web site, fax, verbal transcription, and in person at one of the October 2008 scoping meetings. Comments received were categorized into 12 comment areas: Water Management Recommendations; Socioeconomics and Recreation; Biological Resources; Drought Operations; Water Quality; Water Supply; National Environmental Policy Act; Data, Studies, and Analytical Tools; Navigation; Hydropower; Flood Risk Management; and Other Resources. Some of the categories were further divided into subcategories to present the stakeholders? issues and recommendations more clearly. Comments received in 2012 have been incorporated into the scoping report. To download the full scoping report, please visit the project Web site at www.sam.usace.army.mil. A Notice of Availability (NOA) will be published in the Federal Register when the Draft EIS is available for public review (currently anticipated in summer 2015). Public meetings will also be held following publication of the NOA to solicit comments on the Draft EIS. Each comment and the corresponding response will be incorporated into the EIS. The Final EIS and Record of Decision are currently anticipated for publication in 2016. Throughout this process, the public can obtain information on the progress of the Master Manual update and the EIS at the project website (www.sam.usace.army.mil). Other specific questions may be directed to: Mr. Brian Zettle, Mobile District Environment and Resources Branch Planning and Environmental Division U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Post Office Box 2288 Mobile, AL 36628-0001 telephone (251) 690-2115 fax (251) 694-3815 email brian.a.zettle@usace.army.mil Expected Timeline for the ACF Master Water Control Manual and EIS October–January 2013 EIS Scoping Period Spring 2013–Summer 2014  Alternative Development and Impact Analysis Summer 2014–Summer 2015 Technical Review Summer 2015 Draft EIS Filed with EPA/Public Comment Period Winter 2016 Final EIS Filed with EPA/Public Comment Period Spring 2016 Record of Decision (ROD Signed) Summer–Fall 2016 Implement Updated Master WCM For the most recent updates on the project, visit The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District. Comments Categorized by Segment Category Number of Comments Water Management Recommendations 1,228 Socioeconomics and Recreation 706 Biological Resources 584 Drought Operations 208 Water Quality 189 National Environmental Policy Act 241 Water Supply 149 Data, Studies, and Analytical Tools 97 Other Resources 65 Navigation 41 Hydropower 31 Flood Risk Management 82 Total 3,621

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