FMA - City of Gretna Environmental Assessment Public Notice 001

Initial Public Notice: Availability for the Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of NO significant Impact for the Proposed Gretna 25th Street Canal and Heebe Canal Improvements, City of Gretna, Louisiana| FMA-PJ-06-LA-2018-014

Interested parties are hereby notified that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  Funding to the City of Gretna for a Non-Disaster Grants project would be provided through the Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program implemented under the authority of Section 1366 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended, and Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, respectfully.

A Draft EA was prepared pursuant to the NEPA and both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FEMA’s implementing Instructions. The Draft EA also assesses the project’s compliance with other applicable environmental laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act; the Endangered Species Act; and Executive Orders 11988 (Floodplain Management), 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), and 12898 (Environmental Justice).

The purpose of the Draft EA is to assess the effects on the human and natural environment from improvements to the 25^th Street Canal drainage system in the City of Gretna in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The proposed action consists of flood risk reduction activities along the Heebe Canal and 25th Street Canal in Jefferson Parish. This includes the construction of flood risk reduction activities that would include installing flap gates, improving drainage pipelines, 25th Street Canal improvements through dredging and reshaping of the canal and reconstructing 25th Street, and constructing a new pump station at the corner of 25th Street and the Heebe Canal. The purpose of the proposed action is to reduce risk of flood hazards to properties in the City of Gretna. The proposed project is located in Flood Zone AE, a special flood hazard area with 1 percent annual chance of flooding and an undesignated floodway. The 25th Street Canal drainage basin encompasses one of the highest concentrations in the country of both repetitive loss and severe repetitive loss properties as a result of flooding. Floodwaters have repeatedly inundated residences and roadways, impacting access to homes and fire and emergency services. The proposed project would reduce flood risk and property damage by addressing backwater flooding from the Heebe Canal and insufficient stormwater capacity within the drainage system. The specific need of this project is to address the insufficient stormwater drainage capacity in the 25th Street Canal drainage system.

Pursuant to Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management) and FEMA’s implementing regulations at Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 9, FEMA hereby provides interested parties with a notice of its intent to carry out an action affecting a floodplain. The City will host a public meeting at the Gretna Cultural Center for the Arts located at 740 4^th Street, Gretna, LA on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 beginning at 6:00p.m. to make the community aware of the proposed project.

The purpose of the draft EA is to analyze the potential environmental impacts associated with the Proposed Action Alternatives.  The draft EA evaluates a No Action Alternative and the Proposed Action, which would manage and increase available runoff capacity within the Heebe Canal via drainage improvements to provide protection up to the 25-year storm event. The draft FONSI is FEMA’s finding that the Proposed Action would not have a significant effect on the human and natural environment.

The draft EA and draft FONSI are available for review at the Gretna City Hall located at 740 2^nd Street, Gretna, LA – Mondays through Fridays 8:00am to 4:00pm. This public notice will run in the The Advocate-New Orleans Edition for five (5) days from Thursday, November 16, 2023 to Monday, November 20, 2023. The document can also be downloaded from the City of Gretna website at https://www.gretnala.com/gretna-resilience-district/ or FEMA’s website at https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/environmental-historic/nepa/environmental-assessment-gretna-25th. There will be a 30-day comment period beginning on Thursday, November 16, 2023 and concluding on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 4:00p.m.  Written comments may be mailed to: DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY-FEMA EHP – Gretna 25^th Street Canal and Heebe Canal Improvements, 1500 MAIN STREET, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, 70802.  Comments may be emailed fema-liro-ndg-bric-fema-ehp@fema.dhs.gov. If no substantive comments are received, the draft EA and associated draft FONSI will become final.