PUBLIC NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY: Draft Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis Report

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ANNOUNCES THE AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENGINEERING EVALUATION/COST ANALYSIS REPORT FOR THE MERIWETHER LEWIS FIRING RANGE SITE NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY, TENNESSEE

The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability for public review of the draft Engineering Evaluation/ Cost Analysis (EE/CA) report for the Meriwether Lewis Firing Range Site. The former firing range is located on the north side of the Natchez Trace Parkway near Milepost 378, approximately 8 miles south of the Meriwether Lewis Monument and Campground. NPS has investigated hazardous substance contamination at the Site, assessed the associated risks to human health and the environment, and evaluated remedial alternatives to address those risks using its authorities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) related to the former NPS firing range.

NPS has evaluated the following options to address Site risks:

Alternative 1: No Action

Alternative 2: Firing Range Backstop Removal and Revegetation

In the draft EE/CA report, NPS identified Alternative 2 as the Preferred Remedial Alternative for the Site. However, NPS welcomes comments on the evaluated remedial alternatives and will select a remedy in a Record of Decision (ROD) based on all of the information contained in the Administrative Record File, including comments received from the public. NPS may select a remedy other than the Preferred Alternative based on public comments, new information, or a reevaluation of existing information.

Location of the Administrative Record File: The Administrative Record File comprises the documents that will form the basis for NPS’s selection of a remedy for the Site, and is available in digital format. To request a digital copy, please provide your email address or mailing address to:

Public Comment Period: The thirty-day public comment period begins on April 26, 2021 and will close on May 26, 2021. The final EE/ CA report will include a responsiveness summary that responds to all significant comments received during the comment period.

Providing Your Comments: Comments on the EE/CA report and the other documents contained in the Administrative Record File can be submitted to Béla Varga using the contact information above. Please note that all comments received, as part of the Administrative Record File, will be made available for inspection by the general public, and copies may be provided to members of the public. If you submit a comment that includes personally identifiable information, you may request in your comment that NPS withhold that information from the public. However, NPS cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.