[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 87 (Tuesday, May 6, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25881-25882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10331]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management Agency
[Docket ID FEMA-2014-0014]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Southern Flow Corridor Flood Reduction and Habitat Restoration
Project, Tillamook County, Oregon
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in cooperation
with other Federal agencies, intends to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) evaluating the environmental impacts associated with
funding activities to reduce flood impacts and to restore habitat for
fish and wildlife within Tillamook County, Oregon. FEMA intends to
provide funding for the project, known as the Southern Flow Corridor
project, to the Port of Tillamook Bay (Applicant) through FEMA's Public
Assistance (PA) grant program. Other funding for the project comes from
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration
Center, State of Oregon lottery funds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and Tillamook County. Other public
and private entities may also provide funding to support the Project.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Eberlein, Regional Environmental
Officer, FEMA Region X, 130 228th Street SW., Bothell, WA 98021, phone:
425-487-4735, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), in cooperation with other Federal agencies, intends to prepare
an environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluating the environmental
impacts associated with funding activities to reduce flood impacts and
to restore habitat for fish and wildlife within Tillamook County,
Oregon. FEMA intends to provide funding for the project, known as the
Southern Flow Corridor project, to the Port of Tillamook Bay
(Applicant) through FEMA's Public Assistance (PA) grant program. Other
funding for the project comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center, State of Oregon lottery
funds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Watershed Enhancement
Board, and Tillamook County. Other public and private entities may also
provide funding to support the Project.
Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations
implementing NEPA, and FEMA's Environmental Considerations regulations
require the preparation of an EIS for major Federal actions that would
have significant impacts on the quality of the human environment. The
CEQ regulations at 40 CFR 1501.7 require the issuance of a notice of
intent to prepare an EIS prior to initiating the scoping process.
Scoping is an early and open process that assists the Federal action
agency in determining the scope of issues to be addressed and in
identifying significant issues related to a proposed action.
FEMA received a Public Assistance application from the Port of
Tillamook Bay for the Southern Flow Corridor (Project) as an alternate
project to the repairs of its rail line that was damaged during
flooding and severe storms in December, 2007. FEMA's proposed action is
to provide funding for the Project; this funding is authorized under
Section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act, Public Law 93-288, as amended.
The development of the Project by the Applicant originated through
an initiative of the Oregon Solutions Program, which is a program
launched by the Governor's office after passage of the Oregon
Sustainability Act in 2001. This initiative brought together Federal,
State, and local government agencies to identify strategies for
implementing flood control measures and ecosystem restoration actions
within the Tillamook Bay watershed. The Oregon Solutions team
identified, evaluated, and prioritized projects. Multiple alternatives
were considered along with multiple funding sources. The proposed
Project is the outcome of this effort. More information can be found
at: http://www.co.tillamook.or.us/Documents/Misc/White%20Paper.pdf.
This report includes a graphical depiction of constructed elements,
alternatives considered by the Applicant prior to the development of
the
[[Page 25882]]
Southern Flow Corridor project, previous public outreach and
involvement efforts, and a history of efforts since the late 1990s to
address flooding and restore habitat in the Tillamook Bay watershed.
The Applicant's goal for the Project is to restore flood flow
pathways from the Wilson River to Tillamook Bay. Implementation of the
Project will result in flood level reductions across the lower Wilson
River floodplain and to a lesser degree on the lower Trask and
Tillamook Rivers. The Project is intended to reduce the flood levels to
more natural levels over a wide range of flood magnitudes, but it will
not reduce the frequency of flooding, which is controlled by flows and
bank elevations upstream. Another goal of the Project is to restore
ecological function and habitat for salmon listed under the Endangered
Species Act and for other fish and wildlife.
The Project proposes to accomplish these goals by removing existing
levees and fills to restore tidal marsh, and creating new setback tidal
dikes to protect adjacent private lands. Key preliminary project
elements include: (1) Levee, Fill, and Structure Removal: Remove
approximately 6.9 miles of existing levee, 2.1 miles of road, 4
structures, and lower 2.1 miles of levee within the flow corridor to
provide increased flood conveyance and allow the natural processes to
restore ecosystem functions and habitat in the project area (total fill
removal is estimated at 85,000 cubic yards); (2) New Tidal Setback and
Upgraded Levees: Approximately 1.4 miles of new tidal setback levee
will be constructed and up to 2.3 miles of existing levee adjusted to
design grade (lowered or raised), and strengthened in order to improve
flood conveyance and protect adjacent agricultural lands from tidal
influence in the project area; (3) New Floodgates: A series of
floodgates will be incorporated in the new levee in order to replace
the existing gates slated for removal. Some of the existing floodgates
may be recycled and re-used in the new levee system; (4) Hall Slough
Elements: Additional flood reduction elements include improving the
hydraulic connectivity between Hall and Blind Sloughs through removal
of the Fuhrman Road berm and constructing an approximate 1,000-foot-
long Hall Slough--Blind Slough connector channel; (5) Drainage Network
Improvements: Improvements to the existing drainage ditches inside the
new levee will be made as necessary to connect them to the new
floodgates and ensure that equal or better drainage is maintained once
the project is implemented. In addition, over 3 miles of drainage
ditches will be filled to restore a natural drainage regime and improve
habitat conditions; (6) Habitat Restoration Elements: The project
elements described above are anticipated to result in full tidal
inundation of 521 acres of restored marsh and wetland fringe habitat.
In addition, the project would include extensive placement of large
wood habitat features and reconnection of high-quality tidal channel
habitat by constructing new channels, which are expected to naturally
expand in total length to approximately 14 miles; and (7) Property
Acquisition: The majority of the project area is already held in public
ownership (398 acres), but acquisition of additional acres in private
ownership is required. In addition, permanent flood easements and
temporary construction easements may be required to maintain post-
project floodplain functions and for proposed modifications of existing
levees and removal of some dredge spoils on lands not required for
acquisition.
The EIS scoping process will utilize and build upon the previous
efforts of the Oregon Solutions team. To further scope the Project,
FEMA will be soliciting public input to help identify and refine
Project alternatives and significant issues for evaluation in the EIS.
Outreach for the scoping process will include a public notice in local
and regional media, direct mailing to interested parties, and a public
scoping meeting. Federal, State and local agencies, Indian tribes,
interested organizations and individuals will be asked to comment on
the scope of issues, alternatives and their potential impacts. This
outreach effort is planned for the spring of 2014 in Tillamook County.
The specific date, time, and location for the public meeting will be
provided with the public notice. A similar approach is planned for
release of the Draft EIS.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.; 40 CFR part 1500; 44 CFR
part 10.
W. Craig Fugate,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2014-10331 Filed 5-5-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-A6-P