Feedback Needed On Mouse River Flood Protection

Corps solicits public feedback to Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project environmental impact statement ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, seeks comments on an addendum to the draft Environmental Impact Statement, or draft EIS, for the proposed Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project in Ward County, North Dakota. The multiphase project was developed to reduce flood risks within the Souris (Mouse) River basin in north-central North Dakota. The basin has a number of existing federally authorized flood risk reduction projects, collectively known as the Souris River Basin Project. The Souris River Joint Water Resources Board submitted a request to the Corps to make alterations to the Souris River Basin Project, triggering review of the proposed alterations and the preparation of the draft EIS. The Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project is a separate, yet parallel, effort from the Corps’ Souris River Basin Feasibility Study. The Corps previously circulated a draft EIS for the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project to disclose the impacts associated with the proposed actions of the project and to invite public comment in December. This addendum identifies potential changes the Souris River Joint Water Resources Board is considering to the project not discussed in the original draft EIS. These changes are based on the city of Minot’s proposed acquisition of properties outside of the original scope of the project.The addendum can be found at: http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/Public-Notices/ and the Minot and Ward County public libraries. The comment period for the addendum will end April 28. Questions concerning the project should be directed to Elliott Stefanik, Corps of Engineers, at 651-290-5260 or Elliott.L.Stefanik@usace.army.mil. Formal comments on the project must be submitted by mail to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District commander, Attention: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 180 Fifth St. E., Suite 700, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1678.  All comments received will be made available to the public to include the possibility of being posted on a publicly accessible website. Individuals are requested not to include personal privacy information, such as home addresses or home phone numbers, in their comments, unless they do not object to such information being made available to the public.  The nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the St. Paul District Fiscal Year 2015 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.