City of McGregor Storm Water Flood Mitigation. Draft Environmental Assessment

摘要

The City of McGregor is located in the unglaciated area along the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa approximately 30 miles south of the Minnesota state line and across the river from Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. The City is located in a small, steep-sloped valley adjacent to Pikes Peak State Park. The valley has a drainage basin of 3.6 square miles which currently has to flow through a single concrete channel before discharging into the Mississippi River. The uplands are steeply sloped and predominantly forested which contributes to vegetative debris and mud, among other debris, being washed into the valley including downtown McGregor before being discharged into the Mississippi River. This debris washed out of the surrounding hills has historically contributed to clogging of the storm water system of the City and has contributed to localized flooding. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that Federal agencies evaluate the environmental effects of their proposed and alternative actions before deciding to fund an action. The Presidents Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has developed a series of regulations for implementing the NEPA. These regulations are included in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 15001508. They require the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) that includes an evaluation of alternative means of addressing the problem and a discussion of the potential environmental impacts of a proposed Federal action. An EA provides the evidence and analysis to determine whether the proposed Federal action will have a significant adverse effect on human health and the environment. An EA, as it relates to the FEMA program, must be prepared according to the requirements of the Stafford Act and 44 CFR, Part 10. This section of the Federal Code requires that FEMA take environmental considerations into account when authorizing funding or approving actions. This EA was conducted in accordance with both CEQ and FEMA regulations for NEPA and will address the environmental issues associated with the FEMA grant funding as applied towards construction of a new City of McGregor Storm Water Flood Mitigation at the proposed sites.