[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 42 (Monday, March 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14117-14119]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-04892]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report
for Yolo Bypass Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage,
California
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent and scoping meetings.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Water
Resources intend to prepare an environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) for the implementation of actions
I.6.1 and I.7 identified in the National Marine Fisheries Service's
2009 Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion on the Long-term
Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project
Reasonable and Prudent Alternative. These actions consist of salmonid
habitat restoration efforts within the lower Sacramento River basin and
fish passage through the Yolo Bypass. We are seeking suggestions and
information on the alternatives and topics to be addressed and any
other important issues related to the proposed action.
DATES: Submit written comments on the scope of the environmental impact
statement by April 3, 2013.
Oral and written comments will also be accepted during two scoping
meetings held to solicit public input on alternatives, concerns, and
issues to be addressed in the environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report:
1. March 14, 2013, 1:30-3:30 p.m., West Sacramento, California.
2. March 14, 2013, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Woodland, California.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Traci Michel, Project Manager,
Bureau of Reclamation, Bay-Delta Office, 801 I Street, Suite 140,
Sacramento, CA 95814-2536; fax to 916-414-2439; or email at
[email protected].
The scoping meetings will be held at the following locations:
1. West Sacramento--1075 West Capitol Ave., West Sacramento, CA
95691, Galleria and Community Center in the Community Room.
2. Woodland--2001 East St., Woodland, CA 95776, Woodland Community
and Senior Center in Banquet Rooms 2 & 3.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Traci Michel, 916-414-2420, fax 916-
414-2439, or email [email protected]; or Megan Sheely, FESSRO, Fish
Passage Improvement Program, California Department of Water Resources,
901 P Street, Room 411A, Sacramento, CA 95814, 916-651-9623, fax 916-
376-9688, or email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Agencies Involved
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is the lead Federal agency,
and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is the lead
state agency. Reclamation will invite the following agencies, and
others, as
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appropriate, to participate as cooperating agencies for the preparation
of the EIS/EIR in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA):
National Marine Fisheries Service;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
Natural Resources Conservation Service;
California Department of Fish and Wildlife;
Central Valley Flood Protection Board;
Delta Stewardship Council;
Delta Conservancy;
Delta Protection Commission;
Yolo County;
State and Federal Contractors Water Agency;
Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency; and
Local agencies (e.g., potentially affected cities, water
districts and reclamation districts).
DWR has identified several agencies that may be trustee or
responsible agencies in accordance with CEQA.
II. Why We Are Taking This Action
The National Marine Fisheries Service's 2009 Biological Opinion and
Conference Opinion on the Long-term Operation of the Central Valley
Project and State Water Project (NMFS BO) concluded that, as proposed,
the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project operations were
likely to jeopardize the continued existence of four anadromous species
listed under the federal Endangered Species Act: Sacramento River
winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Central Valley
spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), California
Central Valley steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and the Southern
Distinct Population Segment of North American green sturgeon (Acipenser
medirostris). The NMFS BO identifies actions within the Reasonable and
Prudent Alternative (RPA) that would allow continuing Central Valley
Project and State Water Project operations to avoid jeopardy of these
species.
RPA actions I.6.1 and I.7 address salmonid habitat restoration
actions in the lower Sacramento River basin and fish passage actions in
the Yolo Bypass, respectively. The Yolo Bypass, which currently
experiences at least some flooding in approximately 80% of years, still
retains many characteristics of the historic floodplain habitat that
are favorable to various fish species. The primary purpose of the Yolo
Bypass is flood damage reduction, but other functions include
agriculture and wildlife habitat. Major California restoration planning
efforts over several decades (e.g., CALFED, the Bay Delta Conservation
Plan) have focused on the Yolo Bypass as a prime area of the lower
Sacramento River basin for enhancement of seasonal floodplain fisheries
rearing habitat.
The two RPA actions being addressed in this EIS/EIR include:
RPA Action I.6.1: Restoration of Floodplain Rearing
Habitat, through the increase of seasonal inundation within the lower
Sacramento River basin; and
RPA Action I.7: Reduce Migratory Delays and Loss of
Salmon, Steelhead, and Sturgeon, through the modification of Fremont
Weir and other structures of the Bypass.
III. Purpose and Need for Action
Significant modifications have been made to the historic floodplain
of California's Central Valley for water supply and flood damage
reduction purposes. The resulting losses of fisheries rearing habitat,
migration corridors, and food web production for fish have hindered
native fish species that rely on floodplain habitat during part or all
of their life history.
The purpose of the action is to create more suitable conditions for
fish in the Yolo Bypass and/or lower Sacramento River basin by
implementing RPA actions I.6.1 and I.7, as described in the NMFS BO and
the 2012 Yolo Bypass Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage
Implementation Plan. The purpose of RPA action I.6.1 is to restore
floodplain fisheries rearing habitat for juvenile Sacramento River
winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon,
and Central Valley steelhead. This action could also improve conditions
for species of concern, including Sacramento splittail and Central
Valley fall-run Chinook salmon. Specific biological purposes related to
implementing RPA action I.6.1 include increasing access to, and acreage
of, seasonal floodplain fisheries rearing habitat; reducing stranding
and the presence of migration barriers; increasing aquatic primary and
secondary biotic production to provide food through an ecosystem
approach; and providing access to seasonal habitat through volitional
entry.
The purpose of RPA action I.7 is to reduce migratory delays and
loss of fish at Fremont Weir and other structures in the Yolo Bypass.
Specific biological purposes related to RPA action I.7 include
improving connectivity within the Yolo Bypass for passage of juvenile
salmonids and green sturgeon and improving connectivity between the
Sacramento River and the Yolo Bypass to provide passage for adult
Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run
Chinook salmon, California Central Valley steelhead, and the Southern
Distinct Population Segment of green sturgeon.
IV. Project Area
The Yolo Bypass is located in Yolo County, California, within the
Sacramento Valley region. The Yolo Bypass spans 25 square miles between
the cities of Sacramento and Woodland, south to the City of Rio Vista.
The Yolo Bypass is a flood basin, connected by a system of weirs
(Fremont, Lisbon, and Sacramento) to the Sacramento River, and various
local creeks. Action alternatives may include restoration actions
within the lower Sacramento River basin, which also covers parts of
Sacramento and San Joaquin counties in California.
V. Alternatives To Be Considered
Both physical and operational modifications will be included in
efforts to increase seasonal inundation and improve fish passage. RPA
action I.6.1 includes floodplain fisheries rearing habitat restoration
in the lower Sacramento River basin. Several physical and operational
modifications within the project area may be a part of efforts to
increase seasonal inundation. Modifications could include notching
Fremont Weir and/or the Sacramento Weir to allow flows to enter the
Yolo Bypass during a range of flows in the Sacramento River, improving
fish passage at Lisbon Weir, grading or altering channels to improve
connectivity, changing operations to increase the frequency and
duration of inundation, and identifying and addressing potential areas
that could strand fish. Alternatives may include floodplain fisheries
rearing habitat restoration actions at other sites in the lower
Sacramento River basin.
RPA action I.7 includes changes to improve fish passage within the
Yolo Bypass. Elements of the proposed project could include replacing
road crossings that impair fish passage, constructing fish passage
facilities at Fremont Weir, connecting isolated pools to main channels,
improving fish passage at Lisbon Weir, and addressing other obstacles
to fish passage.
VI. Statutory Authority
NEPA [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.] requires that Federal agencies
conduct an environmental analysis of their proposed actions to
determine if the actions may significantly affect the
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human environment. CEQA (California Public Resources Code [CCR],
Section 15222 [State CEQA Guidelines]) requires State agencies complete
a similar review of how their actions could affect the environment. As
required by NEPA and CEQA, Reclamation and DWR will analyze in the EIS/
EIR the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental
effects that may result from implementation of the proposed action and
alternatives, which may include, but are not limited to, the following
areas of potential impact:
a. Water resources, including groundwater;
b. Flood control;
c. Land use, including agricultural resources;
d. Socioeconomics;
e. Environmental justice;
f. Biological resources, including fish, wildlife, and plant
species;
g. Cultural resources;
h. Hydrology/water quality;
i. Air quality;
j. Power/energy and natural resources;
k. Public services and utilities;
l. Hazards and hazardous materials;
m. Geology, soils, and mineral resources;
n. Visual, scenic, or aesthetic resources;
o. Global climate change/greenhouse gas emissions;
p. Indian trust assets;
q. Noise;
r. Population and housing;
s. Transportation; and
t. Recreation.
VII. Request for Comments
The purposes of this notice are:
To advise other agencies, potentially affected local
governments, tribes, and the public of our intent to prepare an EIS/
EIR;
To obtain suggestions and information from other agencies,
interested parties, and the public on the scope of alternatives and
issues to be addressed in the EIS/EIR; and
To identify important issues raised by the public related
to the development and implementation of the proposed action.
We invite written comments from interested parties to ensure that
the full range of alternatives and issues related to the development of
the proposed action are identified. Written comments may be submitted
by mail, electronic mail, facsimile transmission or in person (see
ADDRESSES above). Comments and participation in the scoping process are
encouraged.
VIII. Public Disclosure
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
IX. How To Request Reasonable Accommodation
If special assistance is required at one of the scoping meetings,
please contact Traci Michel at the information provided above, or TDD
916-978-5808, at least five working days before the meetings.
Information regarding this proposed action is available in alternative
formats upon request.
Dated: February 22, 2013.
Anastasia T. Leigh,
Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2013-04892 Filed 3-1-13; 8:45 am]
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