Specifications

Section 9 Summary of Coordination and Environmental Compliance
EAA Storage Reservoirs Revised Draft PIR and EIS February 2006
9-11
and the existing conditions, no cultural resources survey was necessary, subject
to the following condition:
A professional archaeologist is on-call and performs periodic monitoring
throughout the construction phase of the project
In a subsequent verbal conversation, the SHPO requested a site visit be made of
the Miami, North New River, and Bolles/Cross Canals to assess potential
impacts to cultural resources from increasing the canal conveyance. USACE
correspondence with the SHPO, dated March 19, 2004, recommended that a
cultural resources survey would not be necessary for the Bolles/Cross Canal
based on the history of land use, canal construction disturbance, and loss of soil
in the area. The SHPO requested a professional cultural resources survey in a
letter (DHR No 2004-2832) dated May 13, 2004, due to the existence of three
recorded historical properties cultural resources, North New River and
Bolles/Cross Canals and a prehistoric site, in the vicinity. The canal surveys are
currently in progress. USACE correspondence with the SHPO, dated 3 May
2005, recommended a cultural resource survey be conducted of the North New
River Canal and known prehistoric sites in the vicinity of the junction of the
Canal and Lake Okeechobee. The SHPO concurred with this recommendation
in a letter (DHR No. 2005-4654) dated 19 May 2005. A contract for the cultural
resources survey should be awarded early in 2006. Coordination of the results is
in progress.
9.6.12 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976; Toxic Substances Control
Act of 1976
Several site visits were conducted to locations identified in the HTRW database
over the past few years. The HTRW database review of existing conditions
found the potential project site to be free of hazardous and toxic materials and
waste. However, the database search did reveal that the road adjacent to a
possible site for the proposed 60,000-acre (24,281 HA) storage site did have a
toxic release to the north of the northernmost 20,000-acre (8,094 HA) storage
cell. This spill poses a low risk to the site.
According to the EAA Storage Reservoir Environmental Summary Document
(URS, 2003), over 19 environmental engineering companies and consultants
have conducted some type of environmental assessment and/or corrective actions
on the tracts of the subject area beginning in 1989, with work projected until at
least 2007. Phase I, Phase II, and Ecological Risk Assessments have been
conducted over the 18-year time frame.
Assessments covered 34 individual tracts of land and two wildlife management
areas. Section A1 (C1) makes up approximately one-third of the assessed area.
The Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) were conducted at