Cove Reservoir Watershed Project & Environmental Assessment; East Fork of the Virgin River in Kane County, Utah.
Description
The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), with the Kane County Water Conservancy District as the project sponsor, is proposing to partially fund through the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (Public Law [PL] 83-566), the Cove Reservoir Watershed located in Kane County, Utah. The proposed improvements include the construction of a new, approximately 6,055-acre-foot water storage reservoir (Cove Reservoir), principal and auxiliary spillways, a recreation area and boat ramp, a hydroelectric power plant, a transmission line, and an access road on private lands near Orderville, Utah. These improvements under consideration will address water conservation and agricultural and municipal demands and provide for increased opportunities for water-based recreation in the area while benefitting aquatic species habitat downstream.
NEWS
Lead Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Sponsor: Kane County Water Conservancy District (KCWCD)
Website for this project
Comments due: December 31, 2020
Contact Information
Brian Parker – Transcon Environmental
1745 South Alma School Road, Suite 220
Phoenix, AZ 85210
(480) 807-0095 phone
bparker@transcon.com
NEPA Analysis
The project is being partially funded by the NRCS Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program (PL 83-566), which authorizes funding and technical assistance to construct projects that will address water conservation, aquatic species habitat, public safety, and other eligible concerns supporting existing agricultural land use. NRCS, as the lead federal agency, is initiating National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis in the form of a new Watershed Plan-Environmental Assessment (Plan-EA) to analyze this project’s impacts to the natural and human environment. The Plan-EA will comply with the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations at 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508, which require an evaluation of potential environmental impacts associated with federal projects and actions.
Current Status
The project is currently in the Draft Plan-EA review period, and the public, organizations, and agencies are invited to provide comments on the proposed project. A public meeting which will describe the alternatives analyzed, potential impacts to the environment, and the Preferred Alternative for the project will be held. Details for the public comment period and public meeting are included below.
Scoping Public Comment Period
Open: Monday, November 25, 2020
Close: Wednesday, December 31, 2020
Download the comment form here.
Public Meeting - Virtual
Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location:
Online Via Zoom: zoom.join/us (Enter Meeting ID: 922 7721 9285)
By Phone: (253) 215-8782 (Enter Meeting ID)
Project Documents
Draft Plan-EA
Cove Reservoir Draft Plan-EA Appendix Pages
Scoping
Public Comments for Draft Watershed Plan and Environmental Assessment
- Coalition Comments: Utah Rivers Council, Rio Grande Waterkeeper, WildEarth Guardians, Colorado Riverkeeper, Living Rivers, Utah Audubon Council, Center for Biological Diversity, Save the Colorado, Colorado River Waterkeeper Network, Great Basin Water Network, Glen Canyon Institute.
- Coalition documents for the administrative record: ZIP File
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