1 / 2
A rendering of one the proposed community islands for the Utah Lake Restoration Project.
Courtesy Lake Restoration Solutions
2 / 2
A rendering of one the proposed recreation islands for the Utah Lake Restoration Project.
Courtesy Lake Restoration Solutions
-
- A rendering of one the proposed community islands for the Utah Lake Restoration Project.
-
- A rendering of one recreation island in the Utah Lake Restoration Project.
Lake Restoration Solutions, proponent of the Utah Lake Restoration Project announced Wednesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deemed an Environmental Impact Statement necessary for the project’s progress in the NEPA process.
The Utah Lake Restoration Project proposes to dredge Utah Lake to create islands. LRS claims that this will clean up the lake and provide residents with recreational opportunities and residential areas. Local advocacy groups and other governmental bodies in Utah County have fiercely opposed the project.
When a major federal act is proposed to have a significant effect on the quality and safety of the human environment, the Environmental Protection Agency requires an EIS.
LRS submitted the permit request for the project, prepared by Geosyntec Consultants in December 2021 to the USACE. LRS will use an independent third-party contractor for the next step of the NEPA process to prepare the statement.
Jon Benson (President of LRS) stated that this is the next natural stage in the environmental review process. It is a positive decision that the Army Corps has decided that the project will require an EIS. This will allow for a thorough public examination of the scientific merits and environmental impacts of the restoration project. Public input will also be allowed and responses to any questions.
LRS will now make it public to solicit EIS proposals from third parties. Any interested parties can submit their qualifications and proposals for consideration in order to prepare an EIS. The company must then choose the three most qualified candidates and submit a list to the USACE within 60 calendar days. The deadline is May 9.
The USACE will ultimately select a contractor to create an impact statement. They will consider their experience with NEPA, the regulatory program, and other relevant matters.
The Corps is the Federal agency responsible for the preparation and content the EIS. This ensures an independent review, according to the USACE Sacramento District website. Although the applicant is responsible for the cost of the EIS’ preparation, the Corps will only direct the contractor, who will have very limited interaction with the applicant.
Benson hopes that stakeholders will feel more secure knowing that the EIS will have been prepared by a third party contractor.
The environmental review process, by design, is a systematic and independent evaluation. Benson stated that adding a third-party contractor, whose work will be directed and managed by the Army Corps, gives all stakeholders confidence that the review process will be impartial.
After the selection of a contractor to complete the EIS the USACE will publish a Notice in the Federal Register stating that it intends to prepare the EIS and issue a public notice. This Notice will serve as a call to actions for the public to submit elements that should be considered in an EIS. Public comment will be invited on both the final and initial drafts of EIS via an availability notice published in Federal Register.
The process will take at most two more years, even though the Utah Lake Restoration project is moving to the next step in NEPA.
