Final Environmental Assessment

Southeast Tissue Company

Approvals for construction and operation of a paper recycling mill

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), in cooperation with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), prepared an Environmental Assessment for proposals to issue permits and approvals for the actions listed below that would occur along the left bank of Pickwick Reservoir at about Tennessee River mile 242 in Colbert County, Alabama:

TVA approval for the Shoals Economic Development Authority (SEDA) to sell approximately 820 acres of the Barton Riverfront Industrial Park site to Southeast Tissue Company LLC (Southeast Tissue) for construction and operation of a paper mill , which will recycle waste paper by converting it to tissue, paper towels, and similar products.
TVA approvals under Section 26a of the TVA Act and transfer of permanent industrial easements for the proposed mill’s raw water intake and a wastewater outfall crossing TVA property and extending into the navigation channel of the reservoir at approximately mile 241.8.
TVA approval under Section 26a of the TVA Act for a crossing of Whitley Branch, a small perennial stream about two miles south of the site, by the access road to the site.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers proposal to issue individual permits for the intake and outfall under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and a nationwide Section 404 permit for the crossing of Whitley Branch.

The new mill would provide Southeast Tissue with the additional paper manufacturing capacity needed to support its current sales objectives, and improve the company’s supply chain network by locating a large portion of its paper-making and converting assets within the geographic region where important sales potential exists.

The proposed actions would also benefit the economy of the Shoals area. In recent years the area has suffered the loss of numerous high-wage jobs as several large manufacturing companies have reduced staff or closed. The jobs provided by Southeast Tissue would help offset these losses.

Final Environmental Assessment

The entire final environmental assessment can be viewed here. The figures are linked separately for faster downloading (PDF files, require Adobe Acrobat Reader):

Text (2.5 mb)

Figures

Figure 1-1 Site Location Map (332 kb)
Figure 1-2 General Layout Drawing – United States Geological Survey Map (736 kb)
Figure 1-3 Request for Easement – Southeast Tissue Company Water Intake Structure (508 kb)
Figure 2-1 Aerial Photograph Showing General Layout (80 kb)
Figure 2-2 Raw Water Intake and Discharge Lines (200 kb)
Figure 2-3 Profile – Raw Water Intake Line (160 kb)
Figure 2-4 Raw Water Intake Wetwell Sections (228 kb)
Figure 2-5 Raw Water Intake Pump Building Sections and Details (212 kb)
Figure 2-6 Proposed Process Flow Diagram – Wastewater Treatment Facility (20 kb)
Figure 2-7 Profile – Discharge Line (152 kb)
Figure 2-8 Diffuser Sections and Details (200 kb)
Figure 3-1 Site Vicinity 100-Year Floodplain (444 kb)
Figure 3-2 Wetland Areas (552 kb)
Figure 3-3 Historical Sites (712 kb)

Finding of No Significant Impact

Based on the Final EA, TVA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on September 27, 2002. This document explains TVA’s decision to approve the sale of the properties and grant the 26a approvals. With mitigation to preserve visual/aesthetic values and avoid affecting the cemetery near the site, there will be no significant impacts. The entire FONSI can be viewed here (PDF file, 32 kb, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Additional information

For more information, write to Peter Scheffler, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 W. Summit Hill Dr. WT 8C, Knoxville, TN 37902. Comments or questions may also be sent via e-mail to tvainfo@tva.gov (Attn.: Peter Scheffler).