Public meeting set to update Center Hill Water Control Manual

August 3, 2023
By:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is holding a public meeting 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the Smith County Agricultural Center in Carthage, Tennessee, to discuss a draft Environmental Assessment and unsigned Finding of No Significant Impact for the revision of the 1998 Center Hill Dam and Reservoir Water Control Manual.

The Environmental Assessment evaluates proposed operational changes, resource categories, and alternatives to assess potential effects of proposed water control manual updates.

In addition to the public meeting, there is a 30-day comment period ending on Sept. 1, 2023. The Nashville District is soliciting feedback on proposed changes to hydropower ramp rates, sluice gate operations, and minimum flow requirements at Center Hill Dam. Comments may be sent via email to corpsLRNPlanningPublicCom@usace.army.mil.

“This comment period and public meeting are an opportunity for stakeholders and the public to provide
feedback on the agency’s tentatively selected plan,” said Patrick Garner, project planning branch
environmental section biologist.

The Draft Environmental Assessment is prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. §§ 4321-4370h), Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 C.F.R. §§ 1500-1508),
and the Corps’ implementing regulation, ER 200-2-2, 1988 (33 C.F.R. § 230), The Draft Finding of No
Significant Impact can be viewed at https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll7/id/24361.

The Draft Environmental Assessment 1998 Water Control Manual Revision can be viewed at
https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll7/id/24362.

The Smith County Agricultural Center is located at 159 Agricultural Center Lane in Carthage, Tennessee.

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