FINAL OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT BULL SHOALS LAKE ARKANSAS AND MISSOURI Prepared by U.S. Army Engineer District, Little Rock, Arkansas September 1973 Summary Sheet ( ) Draft (X) Final Environmental Statement Responsible Office: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District Little Rock, Arkansas 1. Name of Action: (X) Administrative ( ) Legislative 2. Description of Action: The operation and maintenance of Bull Shoals Lake consists of hydroelectric power generation, flood control, operation and maintenance of parks, and management of land and water resources. 3. a. Environmental Impacts of the Operation and Maintenance Program. - The generators at Bull Shoals produce much needed electrical energy without air pollution. Generation has created a downstream environment that is dependent on cold water releases. Lake fluctuations change the environment along the shoreline with respect to fish spawning and vegetation survival. The heavy recreational use of the lake results in changes 1n the local environment. The flood control operations preserve and stabilize the downstream environment. b. Adverse Environmental Effects of the Operations and Maintenance Program. - Power generation and flood control regulation result in lake fluctuations that adversely affect vegetation along the shoreline and the fish in the lake. Operation of the parks results in solid waste and sewage disposal problems. Overuse and encroachments cause timber damage and destruction. 4. Alternatives to Present Operation and Maintenance Programs. - The alternatives to the present O&M practices would be modification or total cessation of hydroelectric power generation, flood control, recreational activities, and management practices. 5. Comments reguested: Soil Conservation Service U.S. Forest Service Department of Interior Environmental Protection Agency Arkansas Department of Commerce Missouri Water Resources Board 6. Draft statement to CEQ 1973 Final statement to CEQ 2 5 FEeH ^ . INDEX OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT BULL SHOALS IflKE Section Title Page I Project Description ---------------------------------- 1 A Location ------------------------------------------- 1 B Lake Description ----------------------------------- 1 C Facilities ---------- 1 1 Dam and Powerhouse--------------------------------- 1 2 Flood Control Regulationand Storage--------------- 2 3 Parks ---------------------------------------------- 2 D Fish and Wildlife Management----------------------- 3 E Operations and Maintenance Activities -------------- 3 II Environmental Setting --------- ---------------------- 4 A Economy of the Area ---------- 4 1 Economic Environment and Impact--------------------- 4 a Existing Economy----------------------------------- 4 b Socioeconomic Factors ----------------------------- 5 c Project Impact ------------------------------------- 6 d Conclusions ---------------------------------------- 7 B Description of the Area ---------------------------- 7 1 Topography...... ......................-........... 7 2 Vegetation--------------- ------------------------- 7 3 Animal L i f e ---------------------------------------- 8 4 Archaeological and Historical ---------------------- 8 5 Geological Features----------------------------- — 9 III The Environmental Impact of the Programmed O&M Activities ---------------------------- 9 A Hydroelectric Power Production and Flood Control — 9 1 Upstream Effects ----------------------------------- 9 2 Downstream Effects --------------------------------- 10 B Resource Management -------------------------------- 10 1 Fish and Wildlife Management ---------------------- 11 2 Timber Management---------------------------------- 12 3 Water Quality------------------------------------- 12 4 Lake Fluctuation----------------------------------- 12 5 Shoreline Vegetation ------------------------------- 13 6 Encroachments -------------------------------------- 13 7 Sale of Gravel ------------------------------------- 13 8 Agricultural and GrazingLeases --------------------- 13 9 Air Pollution--------------------------- 13 C Recreation----------------------------------------- 14 1 Marine Toilets ------------------------------------- 14 2 Disposal of Solid Waste ---------------------------- 14 3 Disposal of Sewage--------------------------------- 15 4 Private Floating Facilities ------------------------ 16 Section Title Page 5 Vector Control ---------------------------- 17 6 Roadway Construction --------- 17 7 Traffic Control --------------------------------- 17 D Avoidable Effects -------------------------------- 17 IV Adverse Environmental Effects Which Cannot Be Avoided As a Result of O&M Activities ----------- 17 A Hydroelectric Power Generation ------------------- 17 B Flood Control -------------------------------------- 18 V Alternatives to Present Project Operation, Maintenance and Management Practices ------------------------ 18 A Hydroelectric Power Generation ------------------- 18 B Flood Control ------------------------------------ 19 C Management of Government-owned Perimeter Lands — 19 VI The Relationship Between Local Short-Term Uses of Man's Environment and the Maintenance and Enhancement of Long-Term Productivity----------- 20 A Hydroelectric Power Production ------------------- 20 B Flood Control ------------------------------------ 20 C Preservation of Lake and Surroundings ------------ 21 VII Irreversible or Irretrievable Commitment of Resources---------------------------------------- 21 VIII Coordination With Other Agencies ------------------- 21 A U. S. Department of Agriculture ---------------- 21 1 Forest Service ---------------------------------- 21 2 Soil Conservation Service ----------------------- 22 B Environmental Protection Agency------------------ 22 C Missouri Department of Conservation -------------- 23 D Missouri Water Resources Board ------------------- 24 E Lakes Country Regional Planning Commission -------- 24 F Arkansas Department of Commerce Division of Soil and Water Resources--------------------------- 24 G Mary Woolf, Secretary, Lead-Hill Diamond City Sportsmen Association ------------------------- 27 H U. S. Department of Interior --------------------- 28 Coordination List ---------------------------------- 31 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, AND MANAGEMENT BULL SHOALS UK E U.S. Army Engineer District Little Rock, Arkansas I. Project description. A. Location. Bull Shoals Lake is situated in the Ozarks of north central Arkansas and southern Missouri and at the top of the conservation pool extends for a distance of 87 miles along the White River from the Bull Shoals Dam, 10 miles west of Mountain Home, Arkansas, to the Powersite Dam near Forsyth, Missouri. The project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 as modified by the Flood Control Act of 1941 for flood control, generation of power, and other beneficial water uses. Construction of the project began in April 1946 and was essentially complete 1n September 1952. The Bull Shoals Dam is located at river mile 418.6 on the White River. (See Plate 1.) B. Lake description. Bull Shoals Lake has a storage capacity of 5,408,000 acre-feet of water. Flood control storage accounts for 2.360.000 acre-feet and 1,003,000 acre-feet is for power drawdown, and 2.045.000 acre-feet 1s for inactive and dead storage. The flood control storage is equivalent to a depth of 7.3 inches of water over the area of 6,036 square miles that drains into the lake, and the total storage is equivalent to a depth of almost 17 inches over the area. At the top of the flood control pool, the lake has a surface area of 71,240 acres and a shoreline of 1,050 miles. The full conservation pool covers an area of 45,440 acres and has a shoreline 740 miles long. The project affords flood protection for the White and Lower Mississippi River valleys, hydroelectric power, and recreational opportunities. C. Facilities. 1. Dam and powerhouse. Bull Shoals Dam extends for a distance of 2,256 feet across the White River Valley, rises to a height of 258 feet above the riverbed, and contains 2,100,000 cubic yards of concrete. Eight 18-foot diameter penstocks deliver water to the powerhouse. The eight generating units at Bull Shoals, four of which are rated at 40,000 kilowatts each and four at 45,000 kilowatts each, are capable of generating within the range of from 340,000 to 391,000 kilowatts, depending on the lake level. The total power output of Bull Shoals and the upstream tandem project Table Rock, except for 62,000 kilowatts of capacity, 74,400,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year, and some of the overload capability of the two plants, is marketed by Southwestern Power Administration to a six- company electric cooperative. The electricity is then sold to many towns and cities in Missouri and Arkansas. Hydroelectric facilities in this. part of the United States are designed for peaking because of limited inflow. Power is normally generated only during periods of maximum demand and supplements thermal generation which is used to supply the base load. Hydroelectric power is ideal for peaking in that it is readily available to meet sudden changes in load and does not contribute to air and thermal pollution. Scheduling of power under four contracts is done by Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. The remaining power production is scheduled by the Southwestern Power Administration. Total net energy produced,at Bull Shoals between September 1952 and June 1972 was 10,665,567,000 kilowatt-hours and resulted 1n a gross revenue of $27,071,673.