Earthen Embankment Integrity Program SEQR Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement
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Earthen Embankment Integrity Program SEQR Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement March 2021 Prepared for: New York State Canal Corporation 30 South Pearl Street Albany, New York 12207-2058 (518) 449-6000 Prepared by: Bergmann and New York Power Authority Date of Issuance: ___________________________ Date by which comments must be submitted: _____________________ Contact Person: James Candiloro, P.E., Director, Environment, Health & Safety, New York State Canal Corporation, 30 South Pearl Street, Albany, New York 12207-2058 (518) 433-6841 NEW YORK STATE CANAL CORPORATION Earthen Embankment Integrity Program SEQR Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement Table of Contents 1 SEQRA and Description of the Proposed Action.................................................................................1-1 1.1 Project Background ................................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 New York State Environmental Quality Review Act..................................................................1-4 1.3 Project Description ..................................................................................................................................1-6 2 Alternatives Considered .................................................................................................................................2-1 2.1 Null or No-Action Alternative ............................................................................................................2-1 2.2 Ad-Hoc Alternative – Project-By-Project Approach .................................................................2-1 2.3 Alternatives Considered and Dismissed.........................................................................................2-2 3 Environmental Setting and Potential Impacts......................................................................................3-1 3.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................3-1 3.2 Land ...............................................................................................................................................................3-4 3.3 Geological Features and National Natural Landmarks ......................................................... 3-19 3.4 Surface Waters and Wetlands ......................................................................................................... 3-25 3.5 Groundwater ........................................................................................................................................... 3-37 3.6 Floodplains .............................................................................................................................................. 3-44 3.7 Ecology (Plants and Animals) .......................................................................................................... 3-51 3.8 Agricultural Resources ........................................................................................................................ 3-72 3.9 Aesthetic Resources ............................................................................................................................. 3-76 3.10 Historic and Archaeological Resources ....................................................................................... 3-92 3.11 Open Space and Recreation Resources ....................................................................................... 3-99 3.12 Transportation Resources ............................................................................................................... 3-103 3.13 Noise, Odor and Light ...................................................................................................................... 3-107 3.14 Human Health ...................................................................................................................................... 3-117 3.15 Community Plans ................................................................................................................................ 3-121 3.16 Community Character ....................................................................................................................... 3-131 4 Unavoidable Adverse Impacts .....................................................................................................................4-1 5 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources ...............................................................5-1 6 References ............................................................................................................................................................6-1 6.1 Technical and Historic References....................................................................................................6-1 i NEW YORK STATE CANAL CORPORATION Earthen Embankment Integrity Program SEQR Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement Table of Tables Table 1.3-1: Regulatory and Community Thresholds ............................................................................... 1-13 Table 3.2-1: Stormwater Data for Existing and Proposed Embankment Ground Cover ........... 3-15 Table 3.5-1: Sole Source Aquifers Beneath the Project Area ................................................................ 3-38 Table 3.5-2: Primary Aquifers Beneath the Project Area ....................................................................... 3-38 Table 3.7-1: Counties Where Sensitive Environmental Areas and Canal or Feeder Embankments Intersect .............................................................................................................. 3-59 Table 3.7-2: Avoidance and Minimization Measures ............................................................................... 3-70 Table 3.13-1: Human Reaction to Increases in Sound Pressure Level ............................................. 3-108 Table 3.13-2: Construction Equipment Reference Noise Levels ........................................................ 3-110 Table of Figures Figure 1.1-1: Project Area Map ..............................................................................................................................1-2 Figure 1.3-1: Embankment Features ...................................................................................................................1-6 Figure 1.3-2: USACE Risk Equation................................................................................................................... 1-11 Figure 1.3-3: EEIP Solutions Decision Tree ................................................................................................... 1-15 Figure 2.3-1: Earthen Embankment Canal Section: Erie Canal – Waterford to Three Rivers......2-5 Figure 2.3-2: Earthen Embankment Canal Section: Erie Canal: ..............................................................2-5 Figure 3.2-1: Historical Photos of Canal at Allen’s Bridge and Eagle Harbor Bridge ...................3-5 Figure 3.2-2: Embankment Zones for Vegetation Management .........................................................3-9 Figure 3.3-1: Rock Climbing on Moss Island ............................................................................................... 3-20 Figure 3.3-2: Montezuma Marshes National Natural Landmark. ....................................................... 3-22 Figure 3.6-1: Excerpt from FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map for Town of Verona, NY ........... 3-45 Figure 3.7-1: Canal, Reservoirs and Feeders in Central New York ...................................................... 3-55 Figure 3.7-2: Forested Canal Embankments as Potential Habitat Corridor ................................... 3-66 Figure 3.8-1: Farmland as a Percentage of Total Land Area by County, 2017 ............................... 3-73 Figure 3.9-1: Physiographic Provinces of New York and Project Area ............................................. 3-77 Figure 3.9-2: Historic View of Canal at Eagle Harbor Waterport Road, Orleans County, NY 3-79 Figure 3.9-3: Heritage Areas in the Project Area ....................................................................................... 3-81 Figure 3.9-4: Visual Impact of Single Tree Retention .............................................................................. 3-88 Figure 3.10-1: Treeless Earthen Embankments During the Period of Significance ..................... 3-98 Figure 3.13-1: A-Level Attenuation (dB) for TNM Vehicles.................................................................. 3-113 Appendices Available in separate PDF Files Appendix A: Embankment Inspection & Maintenance Guide Book Appendix B: Risk Exposure Presented by Canal Embankments Appendix C: Site Location Maps ii NEW YORK STATE CANAL CORPORATION Earthen Embankment Integrity Program SEQR Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement 1 SEQRA AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION 1.1 Project Background The New York State (NYS) Canal System encompasses the modernized navigable inland waterways and additional properties under the jurisdiction of the New York State Canal Corporation (NYSCC) that traverse Upstate New York. The modernized portion of the NYS Canal System is a navigable 524-mile inland waterway that traverses Upstate New York east to west along the Mohawk and Oswego River Basins, the Niagara Escarpment, and the Tonawanda Creek basin. The waterway connects the Hudson River with Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Cayuga Lake,