Final Public Notice for FEMA Grant Application

PUBLIC NOTICE

August 8, 2017

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) have received an application for Federal grant funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Final notice is hereby given of FEMA’s consideration to provide funding in the form of a hazard mitigation grant.

Funding for this grant was made available following the 4241 Presidential declaration regarding the flood of October 2015. This historic flooding event affected the entire state of South Carolina from October 1 to October 5.

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 to and provide public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. EO 12898 also requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts to minority or low-income populations.

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

Applicant:

City of Cayce

Project Title:

City of Cayce Critical Infrastructure Generator

Location of Proposed Project:

City of Cayce Raw Water Intake Facility, 109 Old State Road, Cayce, SC

Proposed Project:

The City of Cayce is seeking a hazard mitigation grant to purchase a new, larger-capacity backup power generator (800kW) and have it engineered and installed at the Raw Water Intake Facility. The City will also purchase and install a new automatic transfer switch at the generator, providing an automatic transfer of power from the electric grid to the generator in the event that the facility loses power from the standard electric grid. The new 800kW backup generator will replace the current 500kW generator at the facility. There is currently not an automatic turn on/off lever to switch from electric to the backup source during an emergency. The automatic switch will eliminate the need for any manual generator operations. This project will not require new construction or disturbance of land. The City will locate the generator in an existing facility at the site of the current generator. The transfer switch will be located at the generator pad. The City anticipates some minor site clearing and preparation to place the new generator, but does not require new construction. The current generator and its concrete pad is built to meet the required 500-year floodplain elevation requirements. The new generator and transfer switch will be located in the same area and will exceed the 500-year floodplain requirements without requiring alterations to the site.

The Critical Infrastructure Generator project for Cayce's Raw Water Intake Facility will prevent the loss of power at the raw water intake facility from all natural hazards that impact the City of Cayce. The Raw Water Intake Facility is crucial to providing sanitary drinking water to all residential and commercial customers on the Cayce Water System. The project is consistent with the goals and actions in the All Natural Hazards Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan for the Central Midlands Region of South Carolina to “procure and use electric generators at designated critical facilities.” The project supports the plan’s goal of “Ensuring that the availability and functioning of the infrastructure of local governments in the region will not be significantly disrupted by a natural disaster.”

This project is located in a Special Flood Hazard Zone, as indicated by FIRM maps. Therefore, this project may affect the wetlands or floodplains in the proposed areas. The City of Cayce will comply with Executive Order 11-9-88 or 11-9-90, which pertains to wetlands and floodplains. This project must take place in an area affected by a floodplain because the facility needs to be in close proximity to the river for intake purposes. The project site is more than 200 feet away from the river. Maps of the proposed project location are available for viewing and public inspection.

Project Alternatives:

The alternatives to the project that have and will be considered are: 1) take no action and 2) install new automatic transfer switch to the existing generator. These alternatives to the proposed project are not viable because under alternative 1) the city will have to continue using an outdated generator (23 years old) that must be manually switched over from electric to generator power; and 2) the City would be investing in, and modifying, an outdated generator that is not a sufficient size to serve the City currently or into the future.

Comment Period:

The City of Cayce will be responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the project. For more information, maps of the location, or to comment on the proposed action, please contact Rachelle Moody at (803) 550-9506, or [email protected] within 15 days from the date of publication of this notice.