62284 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 192 / Friday, October 2, 2020 / Notices

Board operates under the provisions of along and its tributaries constructed and a portion of Buffalo the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as in Harris and Fort Bend counties, . Bayou was straightened as part of the amended, all written comments will be An Interim Report has been prepared to completed Project. Since Project treated as public documents and will be document alternatives considered to completion, a number of physical made available for public inspection. date. The Interim Report, which does improvements and operational changes Verbal Comments: Members of the not include recommendations or have been made to attempt to mitigate public will be permitted to make verbal decisions, is being published to solicit changing conditions within Addicks, comments during the virtual public input from the public. Seeking this Barker, Buffalo Bayou and surrounding meeting only at the time and in the public input prior to identifying a watersheds. However, the watersheds manner allowed herein. If a member of preferred alternative will help ensure continue to experience major flood the public is interested in making a the analysis of a complex problem—and events, most recently and most verbal comment at the open virtual ultimately decisions—are effective, significantly in 2017. meeting, that individual must submit a responsive, sustainable and understood These flood events, combined with request, with a brief statement of the by the region’s communities. documented increases in precipitation subject matter to be addressed by the DATES: Written comments on the Interim frequencies, continued urbanization of comment, at least three business (3) Report must be received by email or the watersheds, and the potential for days in advance to the committee DFO post-marked by November 2, 2020. flooding events in the future, indicate or ADFO, via electronic mail, the ADDRESSES: The Interim Report and the Project may need to be modified to preferred mode of submission, at the additional pertinent information about further mitigate flood risks. addresses listed in the FOR FURTHER the- study can be found at: https:// The study will evaluate ways to INFORMATION CONTACT section. The www.swg.usace.army.mil/Missions/ reduce flooding in three watersheds— committee DFO and ADFO will log each Projects/Buffalo-Bayou-and-Tributaries- , Barker Reservoir, request to make a comment, in the order Resiliency-Study/. and Buffalo Bayou—focusing on areas received, and determine whether the Interested persons may submit written upstream and downstream of Addicks subject matter of each comment is comments by email to BBTRS@ and Barker dams and along Buffalo relevant to the Board’s mission and/or usace.army.mil or by mail to: USACE, Bayou. A portion of Cypress Creek the topics to be addressed in this public Galveston District, Attn: BBTRS, P.O. Watershed is being considered because meeting. A 15-minute period near the Box 1229, Galveston, TX 77553–1229. overflow from this watershed end of the meeting will be available for FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. contributes to flooding in the Addicks verbal public comments. Members of Melinda Fisher, USACE, Regional Reservoir Watershed. and the public who have requested to make Planning and Environmental Center, at White Oak Bayou could be affected by a verbal comment and whose comments 918–669–7423 or BBTRS@ actions benefiting Buffalo Bayou, so have been deemed relevant under the usace.army.mil. impacts to these watersheds will be process described above, will be allotted evaluated. The scope of the study does SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: not include identifying ways to lower no more than three (3) minutes during 1. Introduction and Background. this period, and will be invited to speak flood risk in the lower Cypress Creek, USACE, in partnership with the Harris Brays Bayou or White Oak Bayou in the order in which their requests County Flood Control District (HCFCD), were received by the DFO and ADFO. watersheds. as the non-Federal sponsor, began a Since the public scoping meetings Thomas P. Smith, feasibility study in 2018 to identify, held in May 2019 and a newsletter sent Chief, Operations and Regulatory Division, evaluate, and recommend actions to in January 2020, the alternatives Directorate of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corp reduce flood risks along Buffalo Bayou (potential ways to address the problems) of Engineers. and its tributaries, both upstream and have evolved based on the preliminary [FR Doc. 2020–21762 Filed 10–1–20; 8:45 am] downstream of Addicks and Barker results of modeling the physical and BILLING CODE 3720–58–P dams. The study will also complete a economic performance of these actions. Dam Safety Modification Evaluation on The study team used this information to Addicks and Barker dams. The BBTRS advance the evaluation of several DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE is authorized under Section 216 of the alternatives, remove some from further Flood Control Act of 1970 (Pub. L. 91– consideration and add some additional Department of the Army, Corps of 611) and existing project authority. measures for more detailed Engineers Section 216 authorizes USACE to consideration. To explain this updated review a completed navigation, flood information and present the focused Notice of Availability of and Request risk reduction, water supply, or related array of alternatives, the Study Team is for Comment on an Interim Report for project due to significantly changed adding a step to the process: release of the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries, physical or economic conditions, and to an Interim Report for public review and Texas Resiliency Study report to Congress with comment. AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. recommendations regarding Note: This is not a Notice of Availability Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. modification of the project’s structures associated with the release of a Draft ACTION: Notice of availability and or operation, and for improving the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in request for comment. quality of the environment in the overall accordance with the National Environmental public interest. Policy Act. This is an interim step intended SUMMARY: The US Army Corps of Existing flood risk management (FRM) to gather public feedback before a Draft EIS Engineers (USACE) requests comments projects in the watersheds include the is released. on the alternatives considered to date by Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries, Texas 2. Interim Report. The Study Team the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries, Project (Project), which was authorized prepared this Report to present Texas Resiliency Study (BBTRS) to help by Congress in the 1930s for the purpose preliminary findings and a focused inform the Study Team’s of providing flood control for the City of array of alternatives considered to date recommendation to the Chief of and Port of Houston. In the that manage risk and reduce damages Engineers on reducing the flood risk 1940s, Addicks and Barker Dams were under existing and future conditions.

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The report describes the process to • FRM Alternative 8: Combination on March 13, 2020, no in-person identify and screen potential measures Plan. This alternative utilizes a meetings will be held. The USACE will to address the problems and meet the combination of FRM Alternative 2 and host informational sharing sessions purpose and need of the study. The 6, which includes construction of a intended to provide an overview of the report also describes engineering, third reservoir and channel report and findings to date. The study economic, social, and environmental improvements to Buffalo Bayou. website provides the dates and times of analyses conducted to date; it does not • Dam Safety (DS) Alternative 4: the information sessions, as well as up- identify a preferred alternative nor does Tolerable Risk. This alternative to-date access details. it make any recommendations or increases the spillway capacity and 4. Identification of Tentatively decisions. prevents overtopping by reinforcing all Selected Plan and Availability of Draft The Interim Report identifies three four spillways of Addicks and Barker EIS. Depending on input received on the main problems in the study area— dams. The north spillways would be Interim Report, USACE estimates upstream risks to life safety and removed and replaced with stepped issuing a Draft Feasibility Report and property when inflows exceed reservoir roller compacted concrete (RCC) and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement capacity, dam safety risks if a dam south spillways would be replaced with for public review and comment in early articulated concrete block. 2021. At that time, USACE will provide component were to fail during a flood, • and downstream risks to life safety and DS Alternative 5: Tolerable Risk + a 45-day public review period, in property when flows exceed channel As Low as Reasonably Practicable. This accordance with the National capacity. To address each of these alternative is similar to DS Alternative Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). concerns, a number of structural and 4, except that all four spillways would USACE will notify all interested non-structural measures were be removed and replaced with stepped agencies, organizations, and individuals considered including but not limited to: RCC. of the availability of the draft document • System Operations. This alternative Bypass channels, new reservoirs, at that time. involves acquiring additional lands to detention ponds, tunnels, dredging of efficiently and safely operate the Christopher G. Beck, existing detention ponds and reservoirs, reservoirs given the changed spillway modifications, levees/ Brigadier General, U.S. Army, Commanding. circumstances. A range of reservoir floodwalls, channel modifications, [FR Doc. 2020–21763 Filed 10–1–20; 8:45 am] elevations are being considered and property acquisition, changes in BILLING CODE 3720–58–P could extend from current Federally- operations, structure modifications, and owned government land to elevation prairie/wetland restoration. The Study 112 at Addicks Reservoir and elevation DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Team screened an initial array of 105 at Barker Reservoir. This would measures based on technical feasibility, involve acquisition of between 14,868 [Docket No.: ED–2020–SCC–0159] performance, cost, and benefits. Eight and 24,707 tracts of land and involve alternatives are identified in the interim relocation of 10,606 to 21,302 Agency Information Collection report as the focused array. These residential properties and 259 to 492 Activities; Comment Request; include: Vocational Rehabilitation Program • commercial properties. No Action. No Federal action is 3. Public Participation. USACE and Corrective Action Plan (CAP) taken to reduce future flood risks. This HCFCD are committed to proactively AGENCY: Office of Special Education and alternative serves as the baseline informing and engaging with the Rehabilitative Services, Department of condition to compare the action community and stakeholders to reach Education (ED). alternatives’ benefits and costs and is effective and implementable flood risk required by policy. management solutions. These agencies ACTION: Notice. • FRM Alternative 2: Cypress Creek intend for public review of the Interim Reservoir. This alternative investigates SUMMARY: In accordance with the Report to provide input on the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is the feasibility of increasing storage alternatives and the complexity of capacity in the upper watersheds proposing an extension without change developing solutions. Public and of a currently approved collection. through construction of a third reservoir resource agency feedback on the Interim in the vicinity of the Harris-Waller Report will inform the next level of DATES: Interested persons are invited to County line in the far western part of evaluation to identify a Tentatively submit comments on or before the study area. Selected Plan (TSP). The TSP may be a December 1, 2020. • FRM Alternative 6: Buffalo Bayou single alternative or comprised of ADDRESSES: To access and review all the Channel Improvements. This alternative several alternatives from the focused documents related to the information facilitates more efficient conveyance of array under consideration. collection listed in this notice, please water by widening and deepening Solicitation of Comments: The use http://www.regulations.gov by Buffalo Bayou, while preserving or USACE is soliciting comments on the searching the Docket ID number ED– enhancing the natural characteristics of Interim Report from the public, Federal, 2020–SCC–0159. Comments submitted the aquatic and riparian ecosystem. State, and local agencies, elected in response to this notice should be • FRM Alternative 7: Non-Structural officials, Tribal Nations, and other submitted electronically through the Only. This alternative utilizes actions interested parties. The public comment Federal eRulemaking Portal at http:// that reduce human exposure and period will begin [DATE OF www.regulations.gov by selecting the vulnerability to flooding, but does not PUBLICATION] and written comments Docket ID number or via postal mail, attempt to change the hazard. Property may be submitted by email or through commercial delivery, or hand delivery. acquisition along Buffalo Bayou would postal mail at the addresses provided If the regulations.gov site is not lower the risk to lives and properties above. available to the public for any reason, downstream during all precipitation Meetings: Due to the ‘‘Proclamation ED will temporarily accept comments at events, while also allowing for non- on Declaring a National Emergency [email protected]. Please include the damaging larger releases from the Concerning the Novel Coronavirus docket ID number and the title of the reservoirs during more severe events. Disease (COVID–19) Outbreak’’ issued information collection request when

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