Fort Scott Lake, Marmaton River, Kansas

FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT FORT SCOTT LAKE MARMATON RIVER. KANSAS Prepared by U.S. Army Engineer Distrist Kansas City, Missouri December 1971 ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT FORT SCOTT LAKE MARMATON RIVER. KANSAS TABLE OF CONTENTS Para. No. Title Page Summary sheet A 1 Project description 1 2 Environmental setting without the project 1 3 Environmental impact of the proposed project 2 a. Impacts 2 b. Discussion of impacts 3 c. Discussion of efforts to lessen adverse impacts 6 4 Adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should the project be implemented 6 5 Alternatives to the proposed action 6 6 The relationship between short-term uses of man's environment and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity 7 7 Any irreversible or irretrievable commitment of resources which would be involved in the proposed action should it be implemented 7 8 Coordination with others 8 a. Public participation 8 b. Government agencies and conservation organizations 8 Fort Scott Lake, Marmaton River, Kansas ( ) Draft (X) Final Environmental Statement Responsible Office: U.S. Army Engineer District, Kansas City, Missouri 1. Name of Action: (X) Administrative ( ) Legislative. 2. Description of the Action: Initiate construction on receipt of funds of a dam and lake in Bourbon County, Kansas, 5 miles west of Fort Scott, Kansas. 3. a. Environmental Impacts: Provide flood protection, water quality control, water supply storage, recreation, and fish and wildlife enhance ment; inundate 25 miles of stream while encouraging intensified agricul tural practices downstream and residential and commercial development in the immediate area of the lake and in the flood protected area downstream from the dam. b. Adverse Environmental Effects: The lake would inundate 5,000 acres of land and eliminate 25 miles of Marmaton River and tributary streams and associated fish and wildlife habitat. Additionally, agricultural land would be taken out of production. 4. Alternatives: a. Levees and channel modification on Marmaton River in Fort Scott. b. Limited channel work on Buck Run Creek in Fort Scott. c. No action. d. Flood plain zoning and regulation. e. Small upstream impoundments. 5. Comments Requested: U.S. Department of the Interior Kansas Water Resources Board Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Wildlife Commission Bureau of Outdoor Recreation Kansas State Park and Reservoir Bureau of Mines Authority National Park Service Kansas State Extension Forester U.S. Department of Agriculture Kansas Highway Commission Forest Service Kansas Geological Survey Soil Conservation Service State Soil Conservation Committee Environmental Protection Agency State Biological Survey Kansas Ornithological Society Kansas Wildlife Federation, Inc. 6. Draft statement to CEQ 29 July 1971 ___ . Final statement to CEO | y MAR 1372 _' FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT FORT SCOTT LAKE MARMATON RIVER, KANSAS 1. Project description. The Fort Scott Lake project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1954 (Public Law 7S0, 33rd Congress) . Preconstruction planning for the project is almost complete. The project, with a benefit- cost ratio of 1.08 at 1970 price levels, provides for the construction of a multipurpose lake on the Marmaton River in Bourbon County, 5 miles west of Fort Scott, Kansas. It would be accessible from U.S. Highways 69 and 54. Primary purpose of the project is flood control with supplemental benefits of water quality control, water supply, recreation, and fish and wildlife. The project would control the drainage of 279 square miles creating a lake of 5,000 acres with 97 miles of shoreline at multipurpose pool and 11,700 acres at full pool. The project would involve the purchase of 19,500 acres in fee simple acquisition and 600 acres in flowage easements. Necessary road relocations would be made in the vicinity of the lake to furnish a road network serving the lake as well as private land owners in the area. The town of Redfield would be relocated to a new site imme diate] v adjacent to the existing town. The dam would consist of an earthfill embankment 75 feet high and 7,200 feet long with an uncontrolled limited service spillway in the left abutment. A multilevel outlet would be included for water quality and water supply releases. For water quality control and for fish and wildlife purposes, a minimum release of 15 cubic feet per second (c.f.s.) would be provided from October through March and 45 c.f.s. from April through September. Recreation development would include seven public use areas, one of which would be a Kansas State park. These public use areas would comprise 2,698 acres including 272 acres above normal acquisition lines. The Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Commission has made a preliminary recon naissance of the lake area and has indicated interest in managing lands in the upper reaches of the lake. An archeological survey has been completed under the sponsorship of the National Park Service. No sites of unique significance were located. A 12-inch pipeline crossing exists on the site of the Pawnee Creek arm of the lake. To preclude pollution problems posed by the pipeline, that por tion of the line subject to inundation would be replaced with heavy weight pipe, coated with protective wrappings, and provided with cathodic protection. 2. Environmental setting without the project. The Marmaton Basin is within the physiographic province known as the Osage Plains, a subdivision 1 of the Central Lowlands Province, the surface sloping generally east and southeast. The topography is rolling. The vegetation is similar to that of the transition area between the temperate grasslands and deciduous forest, with most of the timber of the area occurring in the flood plain or low areas. However, it is semi-Ozarkian with a somewhat higher quality of vegetation than typical edge environment in southeast Kansas. The river, flowing generally eastward, is a slow moving warmwater stream with a relatively wide flood plain. The streambanks and nearby uncleared slopes are characterized by heavy stands of deciduous trees and woody shrubs. Fish in the stream include channel and flathead catfish, bull heads, large-mouth and spotted bass, carp, freshwater drum, red horse suckers, green sunfish, and bluegills. Although not important on a national basis, the stream supports a fair amount of fishing for local and regional fishermen. Wildlife predominant in the area includes white-tailed deer, upland game, furbearers, waterfowl, and a variety of songbirds. Farmlands along the river bottom support good populations of bobwhite quail, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, and mourning doves. Waterfowl, both geese and ducks, from the Central and Mississippi Flyways use the basin during spring and fall migrations. Waterfowl use of the basin complements the use of the Marais des Cygnes State Waterfowl Refuge located in Linn County about 30 miles north of the Fort Scott Lake site. Both the lake site and the flood plain land downstream support hunting for deer, upland game, waterfowl, and other wildlife. The basin is primarily an agricultural area with most uplands used for grazing. Bottom lands are in small grains and feed grains. Agriculture is limited by the shallow rocky soils. Fort Scott, the largest town in the immediate area, has a population of 8,800 and is a local service and trade center. Both Fort Scott and the project site are within the Ozarks Economic Development Region. This region has not kept pace with the national economy and indications are that this situation will worsen unless action is taken to overcome the area's problems, which are reflected in population loss, low income, unemployment and underemployment, educational lag, inadequate access, and lack of public facilities and services. In the future without remedial action there would be continued deterioration of the local economy; under this condition, the natural setting would not be changed appreciably in the future. 3. Environmental impact of the proposed project. a. Impacts. (1) The project would provide flood control in downstream areas of the Marmaton, lower Osage, Missouri, and Mississippi River basins. (2) Water supply storage would be included for the city of Fort Scott, Kansas. 2 (3) Low-flow augmentation would be provided in the lower Marmaton River. (4) Recreation sites for general recreation and for fishing, hunting, bird watching, and similar activities would be made available to the general public. (5) The lake would inundate 25 miles of streams destroying fish and wildlife habitat and agricultural land within the lake area. (6) Clearing of timber and brush and intensified agricultural practices downstream would destroy additional wildlife habitat. (7) Residential and commercial development would be encouraged in the surrounding area. (8) Mud flats would develop in upper reaches of the lake. (9) The project would cause change of ownership of lands from private to public. (10) The road network would be changed, b. Discussion of impacts. (1) The project would provide flood protection for the low-lying areas of the city of Fort Scott. In addition, the downstream flood protection would allow a higher economic production for the affected agricultural units through reduction of crop losses caused by flooding. The project would provide flood protection for 100 acres of urban property and 37,400 acres of agricultural land along the Marmaton River above the headwaters of Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir. It will also provide supplemental protection to 30,300 acres of agricultural land along the lower Osage River and 160,000 acres of agricultural land along the lower Missouri River. Additionally, the project would share in the flood control system benefits along the Mississippi River. (2) Storage allocated to water supply in the proposed lake would be sufficient to meet the future needs of the city of Fort Scott. Fort Scott has furnished assurances for 3,100 acre-feet of storage. To help minimize conflict between water supply and recreation uses, swimming and other water contact uses would bi prohibited in the area of the water intake.

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