us army corps of engineers logo - white castle on red background

Maumelle River Ecosystem Restoration Study

Contact Information

Environmental Branch, Regional Planning and Environmental Center
 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 867,
Little Rock, Arkansas  72203-086

Planning Branch

Mailing Address:            

USACE Little Rock District
P.O. Box 867
Little Rock, AR 72203-0867    

Email: SWLPLN@usace.army.mil
Phone: 501-324-5751

water running over a low water crossing surrounded by forest

Restoring a local ecosystem

The Maumelle River Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Study is a partnership between the USACE and non-federal sponsor Central Arkansas Water.  Section 206 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996, as amended (Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration), is one of nine legislative authorities under which the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, is authorized to plan, design, and implement certain types of water resources projects without additional project specific congressional authority.

In this case, the Little Rock District and Central Arkansas water are working together in hopes to restore habitat and reforest 140 acres of former agricultural land with hardwood trees.

 

What is NEPA?

The National Environmental Policy Act is our basic national charter for protection of the environment. It is foremost a procedural law that helps ensure that federal decision makers take a hard look at the potential effects of a proposed action and allow the public and other stakeholders to comment on the federal agency’s effects analysis and consideration of reasonable alternatives. The NEPA analysis helps these decision makers understand the environmental consequences of the alternatives in comparative form before making a decision. This “hard look” is informed by the public and other stakeholders, starting with a project or study’s scoping phase.

graphic describing the national environmental policy act
* click the image to enlarge 

The environmental review process that accompanies Corps planning studies and its value to the public are not always easy to understand. Recognizing this, and to help the public and organizations effectively participate in federal agency environmental reviews, the Council on Environmental Quality wrote the informational A Citizen’s Guide to the NEPA