NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, is hosting three public hearings to solicit comments on the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Bluestone Dam Safety Modification Project. The Bluestone Dam is located on the New River in Summers County, West Virginia. The SDEIS will supplement the 1998 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), which was prepared to address modifications needed to safely pass flows of the updated probable maximum flood (PMF). A recent risk assessment of the Bluestone Dam identified additional safety concerns not originally assessed in the 1998 FEIS. To further reduce the risk of dam failure, Huntington District is considering additional structural modifications, which are described in the SDEIS. As detailed in the SDEIS, construction of proposed modifications could cause noise and air quality impacts for eight to ten years. Additionally, the construction could have direct and indirect adverse impacts on downstream botanical, wildlife, water, and aquatic resources through the temporary placement of fill material into the river, disturbance of aquatic habitat, downstream flow alteration, and increased suspended solids. The use of only eight of the sixteen sluice gates to pass water through the dam during construction could result in upstream impacts to natural and recreational resources by causing an increase in the frequency, duration, and elevation of out of pool conditions within Bluestone Lake. An open house with Corps project staff available to discuss the project one-on-one will begin at 6 p.m. The formal public hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. Meeting Schedule Open House: 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Public Hearing: 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Dates and Locations September 29th October 4th October 6th Charleston Civic Center, WVU Institute Summers County Classroom 202, of Technology, Memorial Building, 200 Civic Center Drive Tech Center 451 First Avenue CHARLESTON, WV Activity Room, HINTON, WV 405 Fayette Pike MONTGOMERY, WV Questions regarding the public meeting can be sent to [email protected], or directed to Chuck Minsker, Public Affairs Specialist, 304-399-5599. The SDEIS can be accessed at: http://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/Missions/PublicReview.aspx. Comments can be submitted at the meeting or by mail to: Ms. Rebecca Rutherford, Chief, Environmental Analysis Section, Planning Branch, Huntington District Corps of Engineers, 502 Eighth Street, Huntington, West Virginia 25701-2070.