Final Notice and Public Explanation of a Proposed Activity in a FFRMS Floodplain and Wetland

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Final Notice and Public Explanation of a Proposed Activity in a FFRMS Floodplain and Wetland To: All interested Agencies, Groups and Individuals on 7/1/2025 : This is to give notice that the city has conducted an evaluation as required by Executive Order 11988 and Executive Order 11990, in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR 55.20 Subpart C Procedures for Making Determinations on Floodplain Management and Wetlands Protection. The activity is funded under the Community Development Block Grant Program and administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) ERR #(CDV23-0206). The City proposes to Replace approximately one thousand eight hundred sixty linear feet (1,860 LF) of ten-inch (10 in.) sewer line, including site clearing, boring, manhole replacement, related pavement repairs, and all associated appurtenances. The project will traverse one thousand eight hundred sixty linear feet (1,860 l.f.) cross country moving north beginning at Graham Street at approximately 120 LF east of 31st Street SW, and end approximately 220 LF south of Shiloh Street on 28th Street NW, Paris, Lamar County, Texas. The purpose of the project is to replace deteriorated sewer lines. The extent of the FFRMS floodplain was determined using 0.2 percent flood approach. According to the Federal Flood Standard Support Tool (FFSST) CISA data is not available for the project area. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has defined the 0.2-percent-annual-chance floodplain for the project area. According to FEMA, Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Panel No. 48277C0315C effective date 8/16/2011, approximately 0.04 acres of proposed project is located within the 1%-annual-chance floodplain and 0.003 acres is located within the regulatory floodway. Therefore, approximately 0.043 acres of the proposed project is located within the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) floodplain. As the proposed project does not involve an activity for which even a slight chance of flooding might be too great because such flooding might result in a loss of life, injury to persons, or damage to property, it is therefore not a critical action. According to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Wetlands Inventory (NWI), the proposed project is located within approximately 0.03 acres of designated wetland code R4SBC wetland. The natural and beneficial functions and values of the floodplain and wetland potentially affected by the proposed activity include floodwater storage and conveyance, groundwater recharge, erosion control, surface water quality maintenance, biological productivity, fish and wildlife habitats, harvest for wild & cultivated products, recreational, educational, scientific, historic, and cultural opportunities. The City of Paris has considered the following alternatives and mitigation measures to minimize adverse impacts and to restore and preserve natural and beneficial functions and intrinsic values of the existing floodplain and wetlands: locations outside and not affecting the FFRMS floodplain or wetlands, alternative methods to serve the identical project objective, and a determination not to approve any action proposing the occupancy or modification of a floodplain or wetland. The practicability of alternatives considered the natural, social, and economic values of each alternative. The alternatives considered were not chosen because they would fail to address the most deteriorated sewer lines in need of repair, would be economically prohibitive, and would allow health, safety, and environmental violations to persist. The City of Paris has reevaluated the alternatives and has determined that there is no practicable alternative to locating the proposed project in the FFRMS floodplain and wetlands. The proposed project must be located within the floodplain and wetland due to the necessity of aligning with existing infrastructure and to meet critical service requirements for the surrounding community. The best action is to proceed with the project as planned utilizing the following mitigation measures to minimize adverse impacts and to restore and preserve natural and beneficial functions and values of the FFRMS floodplain: Sewer systems shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltration of flood waters into the systems and discharges from the systems The project shall not lead to any significant increases in impermeable cover and shall have no negative impacts on the floodplain, as all lines will be subsurface, and the project area will be restored to pre- project conditions upon completion. The project shall meet any applicable, additional local floodplain requirements set forth by the communityÓs Floodplain Administrator prior to construction. All state, local, and NFIP floodplain protection procedures will be followed. Including manhole elevation/floodproofing as necessary. The consulting engineer shall take into consideration additional specifications to minimize damage to and/or restore the native plant species The project shall be implemented using best management practices designed to protect improvements from flood damage. The proposed improvements that intersect the floodway will be installed underneath the floodway using directional drilling The implementation of erosion and sediment control measures will be used wherever possible, such as the installation of silt fences, sediment barriers, or erosion control blankets, using sediment basins to