Public comments sought on proposed FEMA project

FINAL PUBLIC NOTICE

The City of Cedar Rapids has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) funding through the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (Iowa HSEMD) as a Subrecipient.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations.

Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990, FEMA is required to consider alternatives, and to provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. This notice may also fulfill requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements, and conditions.

Subrecipient: City of Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa
Project Title: EMK-2023-BR-001-0007, Cedar Rapids Downtown Generator Project
Location of Proposed Work: 41.979280, -91.671090
Special Flood Hazard Area Zone:
All proposed work would take place in a Regulatory Floodplain. Confirmation of the location in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) was determined by accessing the Linn County Flood Insurance Rate Map, Panel Number: 19113C0410E, effective on 7/20/2021 There is a potential for the facility to be impacted by future flooding events due to its location within the Regulatory Floodplain. The proposed work will not take place in wetlands per the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory and will have little potential to impact or affect wetland values.

Proposed Work and Purpose:
The City of Cedar Rapids is requesting funding for the installation of a backup generator to ensure the uninterrupted availability of electrical service to the A Avenue Pump Station during loss of power. This emergency backup generator will help operate the Pump Station and 5-in-1 dam, which will help to protect the community from heavy rain events, ice storms, high winds, or other disruptions to the electrical distribution system.

Project Alternatives:
Alternative #1 (No action): The 'no action' alternative results in the Pump Station remaining vulnerable during extreme weather events. When the city experiences losses of power, this station is not able to function. Wastewater and hazardous materials can build up in the sewer system and cause damage to city infrastructure in addition to posing health risks to the city citizens.

Alternative #2 (Place Pump Station generator outside the floodplain): The second alternative to the proposed action is to purchase a generator for the Pump Station but install it outside of the floodplain. Since the Pump Station is required to be in the floodplain by function of its design, additional construction would be necessary to connect the generator to the station, and there is a greater possibility for interrupted service which would render the generator ineffective. Additionally, moving the generator would have a much larger cost and create additional environmental impacts.

Comment Period: Comments are solicited from the public, local, state, or federal agencies, and other interested parties to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to the following email: [email protected]. Please send comments with the subject line [EMK-2023-BR-001-0007 - Cedar Rapids Downtown Generator Project].

All comments are due by no later than 15 days after the posted date of this notice.