m US Army Corps of Engineers® DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT COUNCIL BLUFFS RIVERFRONT PROJECT City of Council Bluffs Pottawattamie County, Iowa US Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division Omaha District Council Bluffs Riverfront Project EA US Army Corps of Engineers March 2021 Omaha District TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Proposed Action .................................................................................................................. 3 1.1.1 Project Location ......................................................................................................... 4 1.1.2 Project Components ................................................................................................... 4 1.1.3 Project Association with Local Flood Protection Systems ........................................ 5 1.2 Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action ........................................................................ 6 1.2.1 Purpose ....................................................................................................................... 6 1.2.2 Need ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 Authority ............................................................................................................................. 8 1.4 Prior Reports ....................................................................................................................... 8 1.5 NEPA Scoping .................................................................................................................... 8 1.5.1 First Meeting .............................................................................................................. 9 1.5.2 Second Meeting ....................................................................................................... 10 1.5.3 Third Meeting .......................................................................................................... 10 1.5.4 Fourth Meeting ......................................................................................................... 10 2.0 ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED ACTION .............................................................. 12 2.1 Alternative 1 – No-Action ................................................................................................ 12 2.2 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ....................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Phase I ...................................................................................................................... 14 2.2.2 Phase II..................................................................................................................... 16 2.3 Alternative 3 – Modified Proposed Action ....................................................................... 16 2.4 Summary of Potential Effects ........................................................................................... 18 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ................ 23 3.1 Environmental Setting Overview ...................................................................................... 24 3.2 Resources Dismissed from Detailed Analysis .................................................................. 24 3.3 Relevant Resources ........................................................................................................... 26 3.3.1 Water Quality ........................................................................................................... 27 3.3.2 Wetlands and Other Waters of the US ..................................................................... 31 3.3.3 Aquatic Habitat ........................................................................................................ 42 3.3.4 Terrestrial Habitat and Wildlife ............................................................................... 44 3.3.5 Threatened and Endangered Species ....................................................................... 50 3.3.6 Recreational Resources ............................................................................................ 55 Council Bluffs Riverfront Project EA US Army Corps of Engineers March 2021 i Omaha District 3.3.7 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................... 58 3.3.8 Navigation ................................................................................................................ 62 3.3.9 Flood Risk Management .......................................................................................... 65 3.3.10 Aesthetics ............................................................................................................... 68 3.3.11 Socioeconomics/Land Use ..................................................................................... 69 3.3.12 Environmental Justice ............................................................................................ 75 3.3.13 Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste ............................................................ 79 3.3.14 Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................................... 86 4.0 COORDINATION .................................................................................................................. 93 5.0 MITIGATION....................................................................................................................... 100 6.0 COMPLIANCE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS .................. 102 7.0 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 104 8.0 PREPARED BY.................................................................................................................... 105 9.0 LITERATURE CITED ......................................................................................................... 106 Council Bluffs Riverfront Project EA US Army Corps of Engineers March 2021 ii Omaha District TABLES Table 2.1. Summary of Potential Effects by Alternative .............................................................. 19 Table 3.1. Wetlands and Waters of the US ................................................................................... 32 Table 3.2. Wetlands and Waters of the US Impacts (acres) ......................................................... 35 Table 3.3. Modified Proposed Action Wetlands and Waters of the US Impacts (acres) .............. 41 Table 3.4. Tree Survey Results ..................................................................................................... 44 Table 3.5. Dead Trees Surveyed ................................................................................................... 45 Table 3.6. Federally Listed and State-listed Endangered and Threatened Species in the Project Area, Pottawattamie County, Iowa ................................................................. 50 Table 3.7. Federally Threatened and Endangered Species Effect Determinations ....................... 54 Table 3.8. Population within 1-Mile Buffer of Project Area ........................................................ 70 Table 3.9. Block Groups Within 0.25 Mile of Project Area ......................................................... 76 Table 3.10. Limited English Proficiency Threshold Analysis ...................................................... 78 Table 3.11. Identified Sites in Iowa within the Database Search Radii ........................................ 81 Table 3.12. Identified Sites in Nebraska within the Database Search Radii ................................. 81 Table 3.13. Other Projects in the Cumulative Impact Study Area ................................................ 89 Table 4.1. Agency Scoping Comments ......................................................................................... 94 FIGURES Figure 1.1. Council Bluffs Riverfront Project – Project Area ........................................................ 2 Figure 2.1. Council Bluffs Riverfront Project Improvements ...................................................... 13 Figure 3.1. Water Resources ......................................................................................................... 28 Figure 3.2A. Proposed Action Wetland and Other WOUS Impacts (North)................................ 37 Figure 3.2B. Wetland and Other WOUS Impacts (South)............................................................ 38 Figure 3.2C. Modified Proposed Action Wetland and Other WOUS Impacts (North) ................ 40 Figure 3.3. Designated Restoration Areas .................................................................................... 46 Figure 3.4. Recreation Resources ................................................................................................. 56 Figure 3.5. Cultural Resources ...................................................................................................... 60 Figure 3.6. Missouri River Navigation Channel ........................................................................... 63 Figure 3.7. Flood Risk Resources ................................................................................................. 66 Figure 3.8. Land Use ....................................................................................................................