Draft FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT EMERGENCY TEMPORARY HOUSING PROJECT GILLIS W. LONG CENTER TEMPORARY HOUSING SITE, IBERVILLE PARISH, LOUISIANA FEMA-1603-DR-LA, FEMA-1607-DR-LA As a result of damages from Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was authorized under two Presidential disaster declarations (FEMA-1603-DR-LA; FEMA-1607-DR-LA) to provide Federal assistance to designated disaster areas in Louisiana. FEMA proposes to administer federal disaster assistance funds per the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 USC 5121-5206, as amended (Stafford Act). Section 403 of the Stafford Act authorizes the Public Assistance Program to provide federal assistance to eligible local and state governments and private non-profit organizations. The Governor of the State of Louisiana has requested assistance under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program for temporary housing. Consistent with FEMA’s guidance Temporary Shelter for Workers of Public Entities (September 30, 2005), the proposed activities are required to provide emergency temporary housing for essential workers who are also disaster victims eligible for temporary housing assistance. In order to implement its Public Assistance Program in a timely and effective manner, FEMA proposed an expedited process to assess the potential environmental impacts of building emergency temporary housing for displaced disaster victims. An Environmental Assessment (EA), dated November 11, 2005 was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the President’s Council on Environmental Quality regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and FEMA regulations for NEPA compliance (44 CFR Part 10). The EA’s purpose is to analyze and document the proposed alternative’s potential environmental impacts, serve as a vehicle to document compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations, and to determine whether to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The EA is hereby incorporated by reference. The proposed project is located on property owned by the Louisiana Department of Corrections, adjacent to the Gillis W. Long Center. The project site is located approximately 0.3-mile north of LA Highway 141, west of Carville, Iberville Parish, Louisiana. The site consists of approximately 34 acres of former agricultural land located adjacent to and east of the Gillis W. Long Center. The project site is currently owned by the Louisiana Department of Corrections and is used for agricultural purposes. The project site is bound on the west by the Gillis W. Long Center, and by agricultural fields on the north, east, and south. The proposed action would involve the construction of a travel trailer site that would accommodate approximately 198 travel trailers. The travel trailers would serve as temporary housing for military personnel and their families displaced by damages resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. New utilities will be installed, including connecting potable water and electrical service to existing infrastructure. A wastewater treatment plant, including oxidation and settling ponds and a rock filter leach field would be constructed for sanitary wastewater. Site preparation would include vegetation removal and site grading. Geotextile grade fabric and limestone rock would be used for the interior roadways and trailer pads. The remaining disturbed area would be seeded following grading activities. When the temporary housing need has ended, FEMA expects that the trailers will be hauled from the site, to suitable locations elsewhere (to be determined on case-by-case basis). The project site will then be seeded and restored to previous conditions and/or used by the landowner in a manner consistent with county zoning classification. FINDINGS FEMA has made the following determinations from the information contained in the Gillis W. Long Center Temporary Housing Project EA: The above described action will not result in any significant adverse impacts related to geology and soils; hydrology and floodplains; wetlands and jurisdictional waters of the U.S.; water quality; air quality; vegetation and wildlife; state and federally listed threatened and endangered species; cultural resources; socioeconomics (including minority and low income populations); safety and security; hazardous materials and toxic wastes; and traffic and transportation. The proposed alternative has been reviewed and, to the best of our knowledge, does not have the potential for significant cumulative effects when combined with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions in accordance with 44 CFR Part 10.8 (d)(3)(x). The following summarizes what is outlined in the EA’s Mitigation Actions section and are the conditions that must be met as part of implementing this proposed action alternative: 1. Use of best management practices (e.g., installation of silt fences and straw bales) will be required to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation. If fill is stored on site, the contractor is required to appropriately cover it to prevent erosion. 2. Construction contractor would be required to apply for and obtain all applicable wastewater and stormwater construction permits, including a LAPDES permit or waiver from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. 3. In order to control stormwater runoff, the contractor will be required to design drainage features so that flows will not flood Park residents or surrounding properties during storm events. The drainage system will be required to meet local and Parish requirements, including the acquisition of easements if applicable. 4. Area soils would be covered and/or wetted during construction to minimize dust. 5. An archaeological monitor would be placed onsite during all ground disturbing activities. 6. In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, if unanticipated historic or cultural materials are discovered during construction, all construction activities shall immediately cease within 100 feet of the materials until their cultural affiliation and ultimate disposition are determined in consultation with the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office, FEMA Environmental Liaison Officer and other interested parties. 7. If necessary, the following noise reduction measures should be considered: (1) restricting the 24-hour schedule to the first two weeks of construction; (2) using a 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. construction schedule; (3) completing construction closest to adjoining residents first; and (4) completing noisier activities during the day if a 24-hour schedule is used. 8. If any hazardous materials are found during construction or Park occupation, all hazardous materials shall be remediated, abated, or disposed of as appropriate, and otherwise handled in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations. 9. The contractor will post appropriate signage and fencing to minimize potential adverse public safety concerns. Appropriate signage and barriers should be in place prior to construction activities in order to alert pedestrians and motorists of project activities and traffic pattern changes. CONCLUSIONS Based upon the incorporated EA, and in accordance with Presidential Executive Orders 12898 (Environmental Justice), 11988 (Floodplain Management), and 11990 (Wetland Protection), FEMA has determined that the proposed action implemented with the conditions and mitigation measures outlined above and in the EA will not have any significant adverse effects on the quality of the natural and human environment. As a result of this FONSI, an Environmental Impact Statement will not be prepared (44 CFR Part 10.8) and the proposed action alternative as described in the EA may proceed. APPROVAL: ___________________________________________________ Science Kilner Date Deputy Environmental Liaison Officer FEMA-1603-DR-LA ___________________________________________________ Stephen DeBlasio Housing Area Command Date FEMA-1603-DR-LA ___________________________________________________ William Lokey Date Federal Coordinating Officer FEMA-1603-DR-LA FEMA-1603-DR-LA; FEMA-1607-DR-LA Gillis W. Long Center Temporary Housing Site Finding of No Significant Impact November 20, 2005 Page 4 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Joint Field Office FEMA-1603-DR-LA 415 N 15th Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802