[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 121 (Friday, June 24, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-15437]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: June 24, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Floodplain Statement of Findings for the East Fork
Poplar Creek Flow Management Project for the Y-12 Site
AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This is a Floodplain Statement of Findings for the proposed
East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) Flow Management Project, prepared in
accordance with Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 1022.
DOE proposes to maintain the flow of the EFPC at 7 million gallons per
day by providing augmented flow from the Clinch River using an existing
water intake pumping and piping distribution system. Because the added
flow would be applied at a point discharge, turbulence would cause
erosion and sedimentation problems in the EFPC. To eliminate this
potential problem, an energy dissipation chamber would be installed
alongside the creek to control the turbulence of the incoming flow.
This chamber is a concrete box approximately 10 by 14 feet with a
series of weirs. Water would flow into the box through a series of
baffles which would dissipate energy and flow out over a rip-rapped
channel to the creek. This chamber would be installed on the creek bank
within the Y-12 Plant on the Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge,
Tennessee. The action would be located within the 100-year floodplain
of the EFPC located in Anderson County, Tennessee. DOE prepared a
Floodplain Assessment describing the effects, alternatives, and
measures designed to avoid or minimize potential harm to or within the
affected floodplain. The DOE will endeavor to allow 15 days of public
review after publication of the Statement of Findings before
implementing the proposed action.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: S.D. Morris, DP-813, U.S. Department
of Energy, DOE Y-12 Site Office, Post Office Box 2001, Oak Ridge,
Tennessee 37831, (615) 576-3545 (telephone), (615) 576-8010
(facsimile).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON GENERAL DOE FLOODPLAIN/WETLANDS
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW REQUIREMENTS, CONTACT: Carol M. Borgstrom,
Director, Office of NEPA Oversight, EH-25, U.S. Department of Energy,
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600 or
(800) 472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a Floodplain Statement of Findings
for the proposed EFPC Flow Management project, prepared in accordance
with 10 CFR Part 1022. A Notice of Floodplain Involvement was published
in the Federal Register on March 14, 1994, and a Floodplain Assessment
submitted to the DOE Oak Ridge Operations Office staff as part of the
request for Categorical Exclusion.
DOE proposes to install a concrete box and weir system
approximately 10 by 14 feet to serve as an energy dissipation chamber
at the edge of the EFPC within the Y-12 Plant on the Oak Ridge
Reservation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. All activities related to the
proposed action would occur within an area of less than one acre.
The purpose of the proposed action is to maintain a consistent flow
rate in the creek of 7 million gallons per day in compliance with
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) limits to
protect the stream for its intended uses. Over the past several years,
the base flow in the creek has gradually decreased due to the reduction
in the amount of once-through, noncontact cooling water discharge from
the Y-12 Plant. In an effort to maintain a guaranteed minimum flow in
the EFPC at the Y-12 Plant site, the Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation (TDEC) staff will require DOE, through its
NPDES permit, to manage the EFPC flow such that at least 7 million
gallons per day is consistently present in the EFPC. The flow is to be
maintained at a location referred to as Station 17, which corresponds
to approximate EFPC stream kilometer 23.4. TDEC selected 7 million
gallons per day as the minimum flow based upon historical flow trends
in the EFPC near the Y-12 Plant site. The requirement to maintain 7
million gallons per day in the EFPC will be enforceable as part of the
next Y-12 Plant NPDES permit, June 1994.
The creek flow would be supplemented by adding water obtained from
the Clinch River through existing raw water pipelines. At the point
where the water would empty into EFPC, however, it is anticipated that
this influx of water would cause substantial erosion and turbulence. To
eliminate this concern, the installation of an ``energy dissipation
chamber'' is proposed. This chamber is a concrete box approximately 10
by 14 feet with a series of weirs. The incoming water will discharge
into this chamber and the weirs will cause the water turbulence to
subside so that erosion does not occur as the water flows into the
creek. It will act as a mixing box to dissipate the energy of the
incoming water flow before it joins the water of EFPC. The additional
water would be easily accommodated by the existing pipes and pumping
station without any operational impacts to the system.
The energy dissipation chamber will be constructed into the creek
bank on the south side of the creek and on the east side of E Road. A
rip-rap outfall channel would be placed between the chamber and creek
to direct the outgoing flow downstream. A stairway and platform would
be constructed to provide access to the creek for water sampling
activities. The excavation around the chamber would be backfilled to
conform to the existing slope, minimizing changes to the creek and
floodplain topography.
The action is proposed to be located in the 100-year floodplain of
EFPC because there are no other viable locations for the action. Siting
the chamber in the proposed location is the most viable alternative (as
demonstrated in the Floodplain Assessment). Other alternatives to the
proposed action are considered below. In order to provide a baseline
for further assessment, DOE has considered the No Action Alternative.
The No Action Alternative would not include constructing the energy
dissipation chamber. Water coming from the Clinch River would be fed
directly to EFPC causing turbulence, erosion, and sedimentation of the
creek environment.
An alternative to the proposed action could be to supply additional
flow at another location. However, any location along the creek would
be within the 100-year floodplain. The proposed location contains the
existing pipes. If an alternative location were selected, additional
piping would need to be provided, resulting in additional excavation
activities along the creek. Another alternative would be not to
maintain the flow of the creek. The impact of not managing the flow by
adding to it would be noncompliance with in the new NPDES permit.
The proposed action, if implemented, would be performed in such a
manner as to avoid or minimize potential impacts on the floodplain. The
project would have a Best Management Practices Plan prepared which
would specify actions to be taken to minimize effects of the action on
the nearby creek. On the basis of the Floodplain Assessment, the
proposed construction of the chamber and related actions would not
affect the existing normal channel cross section of EFPC. Risks to
individuals and/or property would not be increased by the
implementation of the proposed action. Adverse environmental effects of
this action would, therefore, be negligible.
DOE will endeavor to allow 15 days of public review after
publication of the Statement of Findings prior to implementing the
proposed action.
Charles J. Beers, Jr.,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Military
Application and Stockpile Support, Defense Programs.
[FR Doc. 94-15437 Filed 6-23-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P