25 September 1970 Environmental Statement Western Tennessee Tributaries, Tennessee and Kentucky Prepared by U. S. Army Engineer District, Memphis, Tennessee 25 September 1970 WESTERN TENNESSEE TRIBUTARIES, TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT 1. Protect Description. The Western Tennessee Tributaries Basin com­ prises the major portion of the area that lies along the east bank of the Mississippi River between Hickman, Kentucky and Dyersburg, Tennessee, and is hereinafter referred to as Reelfoot Lake Basin. The recommended projects are designed to provide flood protection to highly developed agricultural areas subject to periodic flooding by overflow from inade­ quate channels and insufficient outlets and at the same time prevent the increased flows from being discharged into Reelfoot Lake, where sedimenta­ tion is already a serious problem. The Committee on Public Works of the United States House of Representa­ tives requested this study by resolution adopted on 19 June 1963. The basic requirement of the resolution was to determine the advisability of modifying authorized channel improvements in the area which were never constructed because of certain objectionable aspects of the project. The Flood Control Act of 24 July 1946 authorized construction of channel im­ provements with an inlet into Reelfoot for the impounded runoff and seep­ age in the vicinity of Lake No. 9 , which lies about 8 miles directly north of the lake. It further authorized the improvement of the lower end of Running Reelfoot Bayou, which is the outlet for Reelfoot Lake, and the construction of Harris Ditch to provide drainage for an area southwest of the lake. The Flood Control Act of 3 September 1954 authorized improve­ ment of Bayou du Chien, which is a tributary to Reelfoot Lake, and the upper portion of Running Reelfoot Bayou. Except for Harris Ditch, the authorized works directly relate to Reelfoot Lake. Improvement of Running Reelfoot Bayou is the only authorized flood control item which has been const .-ucted. The channel improvements for Bayou du Chien and the Lake No. 9 area would bisect extensive wooded marsh lands to dump directly into the lake, and this is the aspect to which overwhelming opposition has been generated. Construction of both of the channels was opposed by local interests as well as the Tennessee Game and Fish Commission and the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. The objections of these interests concerned primarily the elimination of wildlife habitat as a result of channel right- of-way clearing in the lower reaches and increased sedimentation resulting from construction and subsequent degradation of the improved channels. Field studies to determine the feasibility of modifying authorized channel improvements have been completed. Recommendations in the plans of improvement, which are now being reviewed in the 0MB office, eliminate the objectionable features of the authorized project. Two separate projects, entitled "Lake No. 9-Bayou du Chien" and "Mud Lake" are now recommended as the Lake No. 9-Bayou du Chien project was formulated to provide the needed flood control that would be effected by the authorized improvements on those streams with provisions for discharging their runoff into the Mississippi River instead of into Reelfoot Lake. The plan includes channel improvement beginning at the Illinois Central Railroad tracks at Hickman and generally following the Bayou du Chien channel for 6.3 miles downstream to a diversion and from this point a diversion channel for 3.0 miles in a northwesterly direction to enter the Lake No. 9 channel in the Fish Pond area. From this point, the Lake No. 9 channel will be improved, consisting of enlargement and realinement downstream to the north end of Lake No. 9. Another new channel will be constructed 2 miles below the Kentucky-Tennessee State line to divert drainage north to the pumping station. From a point along this channel and immediately north of the state line, a diver­ sion ditch will be constructed to the Mississippi River levee where a gravity outlet structure and 500 cfs pumping station will be provided to discharge into an outlet ditch to the Mississippi River. The benefit- to-cost ratio of the project is 1.2. The Mud Lake project is completely divorced from the problem of siltation in Reelfoot Lake and the recommended improvement of Lake No. 9 and Bayou du Chien. The Mud Lake project consists of a pumping station to evacuate ponded water from that area when high stages on the Missis­ sippi River prevent gravity drainage. A new inlet channel will be con­ structed from a point about 2,000 feet upstream from the existing Mud Lake culverts in a northerly direction to the Mississippi River levee, sand a 150 cfs pumping station without a gravity outlet will be con­ structed to discharge into the Mississippi River. The benefit-to-cost ratio of the project is 1.1. 2. Environmental Setting Without the Project. The Reelfoot Lake Basin is an area located in the extreme northwest corner of Tennessee and southwest comer of Kentucky, which is tributary to the Obion River. The area is bounded on the east and south by the watershed divide of the Obion River and the north and west by Mississippi River project levees. The basin extends 35 miles in a southerly direction from Hickman, Kentucky to the Obion River, has a maximum width of 20 miles and covers a total area of 280 square miles. About 130 square miles are in the alluvial plains of the Mississippi River while the remainder of the basin to the east consists of rolling ridges and hills. There are no major urbanized areas within the Reelfoot Lake Basin. Principal trade centers are Tiptonville and Ridgely, Tennessee, and Hickman, Kentucky, all having a 1 9 7 0 population of less than 3,500. About 60 percent of the total 1 9 7 0 population of the basin is classified as rural. Practically all tillable lands in the alluvial valley portion of the basin are in cultivation. Primary land use is for the production of row crops, hay and pasture land. The leading crop in acreage produced is soybeans, followed by cotton and com. In addition to farming, stock raising and dairying as the primary source of income to basin inhabitants, many people supplement their income by employment in local factories. A dominant feature of the basin is Reelfoot Lake itself, consist­ ing of a 23,000-acre complex of water, cypress swamps, saw grass and water lillies. The lake has long been a haven for sportsmen, natural­ ists and general recreationists. The excellence of its fishery has earned it the unofficial title of "world's largest natural fish hatchery." Adjoining lands are unique in their variety of plant, bird and animal life. Scenery is one of the lake's greatest assets. The natural beauty of the area with its primitive wilderness quality is novel in this sec­ tion of the country. Since its birth as a result of the New Madrid earthquake in 1812, Reelfoot Lake has diminished from over 40,000 sur­ face acres to an open water surface of about 18,000 acres. Siltation and vegetation encroachment have turned vast areas of the lake into wooded marshland. Sedimentation is a menace to the life expectancy of Reelfoot. Based on past siltation trends which have reduced lake capac­ ity by 1,000 acre-feet per year, the lake will cease to exist in 70 years. From a regional viewpoint, Reelfoot Lake provides an excellent habi­ tat for waterfowl and it annually attracts usage from areas far removed from the basin itself. Because of the excellent fishing and waterfowl hunting opportunities and the esthetic appeal, a high value has been placed on the existing wildlife habitat. The Reelfoot State Wildlife Management Area and the Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge encompass a major portion of the lake area. Other areas of significant fish and wildlife value within the basin are the channels of Bayou du Chien, Lake No. 9 and the Fish Pond area. Flows of the upper portion of Bayou du Chien are low to almost non­ existent during drouth periods, resulting in fish and wildlife habitat of low quality. However, the lower reaches which are affected by Reel­ foot Lake contain high quality habitat. lake No. 9 is an old partially filled chute of the Mississippi River, now entirely cut off from the river b y a levee. This open, shallow lake (maximum depth is 7 feet) is about 2-1/2 miles long, 100 to 900 feet wide, and 200 acres in area. The lake provides poor to fair quality fishing and hunting. Fish Pond is a low marshy area about 3 miles north of Lake No. 9 and is considered to be of minimal value as fish and wildlife habitat. Mad Lake Ditch is of little or no value from a fish and wildlife standpoint. Mineral resources in the basin consist of sand, clay and gravel. There are no known historical or archeological sites in this area that would be endangered by the proposed projects. No rare or endangered species of botanical and zoological origin are known to exist in the project area. 3. Impact Statement. The following information is furnished in response to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969: a. Identify "the environmental impacts of the proposed action." The physical changes in the existing environmental setting are as follows: The Lake No. 9-Bayou du Chien project will result in channels being enlarged to bottom widths varying from 6 to 70 feet with spoil being mounded on either or both sides of the excavation. About 17 acres of woodland and 243 acres of cleared land will be required for channel excavation and spoil placement.