Choctawhatchee and Pea River Sustainable Irrigation Expansion Project Watershed Plan- Environmental Assessment Choctawhatchee and Pea Rivers Sustainable Irrigation Expansion Project Draft Programmatic Watershed Plan- Environmental Assessment February 2021 United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service - Lead Federal Agency in cooperation with the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee USDA-NRCS 1 February 2021 Choctawhatchee and Pea River Sustainable Irrigation Expansion Project Watershed Plan- Environmental Assessment Draft Programmatic Watershed Plan- Environmental Assessment for the Choctawhatchee and Pea Rivers Sustainable Irrigation Expansion Project in Barbour, Bullock, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Henry, Houston, Geneva, and Pike Counties, Alabama Prepared by Auburn University with University of Alabama in Huntsville Lead Agency: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Alabama Sponsoring Local Organization (SLO): Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (ASWCC) Authority: The Watershed Plan-Environmental Assessment (Plan-EA) has been prepared under the Authority of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (Public Law 83-566) as amended and supplemented. The Plan-EA was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, Public Law 91-190, (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 43221 et seq.). Abstract: This document is intended to fulfill requirements of the NEPA and to be considered for authorization of Public Law 83-566 (PL-566) funding for irrigation expansion within the Choctawhatchee-Pea River Basin. The purpose of this project is to minimize damage to plant health and vigor, improve soil health, and protect basin water quality all of which are resources of concern associated with rainfed farming in Alabama. The uncertainty of climate model predictions supports the need for a reliable source of water, as risks to land, labor, and resources required to produce biomass associated with sustainable crops may occur. Supplemental irrigation coupled with conservation practices (such as cover crops and conservation tillage) provide the highest probability of mitigating this risk. The project seeks to directly reduce damages to the resources of concern by providing localized sustainable water management across approximately 16,800 acres in this Basin. Rather than predetermining a specific site location, this plan evaluates a large area comprised of 439,666 acres of existing farmland potentially suitable for project implementation. The SLO will use information provided in this Plan-EA to effectively identify ideal cost- share implementation sites. Once project site locations are identified and ranked according to the Farming Application Ranking Criteria (see Table E-2 in Appendix E), onsite Environmental Evaluations (EE) will be carried out by authorized NRCS personnel and tiered from this Plan-EA using Form NRCS-CPA-52, Environmental Evaluation Worksheet. Total estimated project costs are $73,670,860. Of this, $23,130,026 is the estimated amount to be paid through NRCS PL-566 funds and $50,540,835 would be paid as cost-share by the project participants. The projected benefit to cost ratio equates to 1.17. Comments: The NRCS completed this Plan-EA in accordance with the NEPA and NRCS guidelines and standards. Comments should be provided to the NRCS during the allotted review period. To submit comments, send an email to [email protected] or via U.S. Mail to: NRCS Alabama State Office Attention: Vernon Abney, State Conservation Engineer 3381 Skyway Dr., Auburn, AL 36830-6443 Non Discrimination Statement: In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation USDA-NRCS 2 February 2021 Choctawhatchee and Pea River Sustainable Irrigation Expansion Project Watershed Plan- Environmental Assessment for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint (https://www.ascr.usda.gov/how-file-program-discrimination-complaint) and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA, by mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; by fax: (202) 690-7442; or by email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. USDA-NRCS 3 February 2021 Choctawhatchee and Pea River Sustainable Irrigation Expansion Project Watershed Plan- Environmental Assessment Watershed Agreement USDA-NRCS 4 February 2021 Choctawhatchee and Pea River Sustainable Irrigation Expansion Project Watershed Plan- Environmental Assessment Table of Contents Watershed Agreement ............................................................................................................................ 4 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... 12 LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. 14 Summary: Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Fact Sheet ...................................................... 16 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 25 1.1 Decision Framework .................................................................................................................. 27 2. Purpose and Need for Action ........................................................................................................... 29 2.1 Project Basin Problems and Resource Concerns ....................................................................... 29 3. Scope of the Plan-EA ....................................................................................................................... 30 3.1 Pre-Scoping ................................................................................................................................ 31 3.2 Agency, Tribal, and Non-Governmental Outreach .................................................................... 33 3.3 Public Outreach .......................................................................................................................... 46 3.4 Scoping Comments .................................................................................................................... 47 3.5 Scoping Summary ...................................................................................................................... 63 4. Affected Environment ...................................................................................................................... 67 4.1 Location ..................................................................................................................................... 67 4.2 Cultural and Historic Resources ................................................................................................ 70 4.3 Geology and Soils ...................................................................................................................... 78 4.3.1 Geology ............................................................................................................................... 78 4.3.2 Soils ..................................................................................................................................... 79 4.3.2.1 Farmland Classification ............................................................................................... 82 4.4 Land Use .................................................................................................................................... 84 4.4.1 Land Ownership .................................................................................................................. 86 4.5 Agriculture ................................................................................................................................