'$ UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY o REGION III 1650 Arch Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-2029 August 25, 2004 William Abadie U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District P.O. Box 1715 Baltimore, MD 21203-1715 RE: Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the Design Modifications and Recreational Enhancements to the Wyoming Valley Levee Raising Project at the Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania River Commons Dear Mr. Abadie: In accordance with the National Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 309 of the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reviewed the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the above referenced project. The DSEIS was prepared to meet the requirements of NEPA. It supplements the original EIS entitled Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Wyoming Valley Levee Raising Project, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania which was published in the Federal Register on February 28, 1996, Vol. 61, No. 40. The design modifications and recreational enhancements proposed in this DSEIS include alternatives that evaluate the impacts of adding two portals through the levee, a river landing, a fishing platform/dock and an amphitheater and stage. The No Action alternative as well as alternatives with fewer recreational features were considered. EPA has rated the alternatives in this document as LO (Lack of Objections). We concur that Alternative 4, which includes the addition of two portals through the levee, a river landing, a fishing platform/dock and an amphitheater and stage, has no significant environmental impacts. The implementation of the proposed action would maintain the level of flood protection necessary under the levee raising project, but would also reconnect the residents of Wilkes-Barre to the Susquehanna River. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this DSEIS. Please contact Jamie Davis at (215) 814-5569 if you have any questions regarding our comments. Sincerely, /s/ William Arguto NEPA Team Leader ------- |