ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, seeks public input on its proposed operating plan for the Tolna Coulee Advance Measures control structure being built in Nelson County, N.D.
The document will be used by the project’s non-federal sponsor, the North Dakota State Water Commission, to operate the structure. This plan, called the “Standing Instructions to the Project Manager for Water Control,” is the implementing document for the operating plan rules described in the project’s Sept. 2, 2011, Environmental Assessment.
While preparing the plan, the Corps determined that the operating plan rules needed to be modified to account for the potential condition of the lake level fluctuating prior to overtopping the high points in the coulee. The Corps' environmental review of the modification determined it to be minor and have no discernible environmental effects. Therefore, the Environmental Assessment and ‘Finding of No Significant Impact’ remain valid.
The operating plan and environmental review document can be viewed and downloaded from the Corps’ website at http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/fl_damage_reduct/default.asp?pageid=1779. The Corps is requesting public input on the plan, specifically with regard to the implementation of the operating plan rules described in the Environmental Assessment. As this plan will be completed prior to the structure being put into operation, comments must be provided by Jan. 31. Please note that this request for comment pertains to the proposed operating plan and that comments pertaining to other matters will not be considered or responded to.
Comments can be sent to Steven Clark or Bill Csajko or at the Corps of Engineers at steven.j.clark@usace.army.mil or william.l.csajko@usace.army.mil, or to either at 180 E. 5th St., Ste. 700, St. Paul, MN 55101-1678. Persons submitting comments are advised that all comments received will be available to the public, to include the possibility of posting on a publicly accessible website. Commenters are asked to not include personal privacy information, such as home addresses or home phone numbers, in comments unless they do not object to that information being made available to the public.
For more information, contact the Corps’ project manager Bill Csajko at (651) 290-5853 or Steven Clark at (651) 290-5278.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, serves the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. It contributes around $175 million to the five-state district economy. The 700 employees work at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.
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Release no. 12-005