[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 106 (Friday, June 3, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-13531] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: June 3, 1994] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Notice of Availability of the Joint Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Restoration Plan for the John Day River Acid Spill AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (hereafter known as the Trustees) announce the availability of the Joint Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Restoration Plan for the John Day River Acid Spill (DEA/Plan) for public review. The Trustees are proposing to restore natural resources injured as a result of the 1990 John Day River acid spill. Public comments are invited pursuant to applicable National Environmental Policy Act regulations and Department of the Interior Natural Resource Damage Assessment regulations. DATES: Written comments are requested and will be accepted until July 5, 1994. ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the DEA/Plan may be sent to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, 2600 S.E. 98th Avenue, Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 97266-1325. Written comments or material regarding the DEA/Plan should be sent to the same address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Russell D. Peterson, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2600 S.E. 98th Avenue, Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 97266-1325, (Attention: Environmental Contaminants Program). Interested parties may also call (503) 231-6179 for further information. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 8, 1990, a tanker truck owned and operated by Thatcher Trucking Company of Salt Lake City, Utah skidded off Highway 395 and rolled down an embankment into the North Fork of the John Day River in north-central Oregon. An estimated 3,500 gallons, or 33,500 pounds, of hydrochloric acid was discharged into the river and flowed downstream at an approximate rate of one mile per hour. The spill drastically changed the pH of the river water resulting in extensive mortality and injury to fish resources. An estimated 98,000 to 145,000 fish were destroyed, including 4,000 anadromous fish, 300 bull trout, and 9,500 Pacific lampery. Additionally, 50 percent of the chinook salmon alevins were estimated to have been killed. Aquatic mammals, waterfowl, and endangered species, which utilize the John Day River Basin, may also have been directly or indirectly impacted by the spill. In 1992, the United States of America, State of Oregon, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation settled claims for natural resource damages associated with the 1990 John Day River acid spill. The claims were settled by consent decree under Section 107 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended. The consent decree established a $275,000 Trust Fund for use only for restoration, replacement, or acquisition of equivalent resources injured by the spill. A Restoration Committee, comprised of a representative from each Trustee, was established to review and select restoration actions. The following strategies and alternatives were developed by the Restoration Committee: (1) Permanent Protection--land acquisition and perpetual easements, leases, or covenants; (2) Temporary Protection--easements, leases, or management rights; (3) Habitat Enhancement--riparian habitat restoration, instream habitat improvement measures, and watershed improvement measures; (4) Combined Protection and Enhancement--all alternatives previously listed; and (5) No Action--unmitigated action. In order to maximize recovery of injured resources, the Restoration Committee selected the Combined Protection and Enhancement Strategy. In selecting this strategy, the Trustees emphasis on the selection of restoration projects was on Permanent Protection followed by Temporary Protection and then Habitat Enhancement projects. Selected projects include the following; land acquisition, permanent easements, riparian habitat protection, riparian habitat restoration, instream habitat enhancement, erosion control, and watershed restoration. These projects are outlined in the DEA/Plan and would be implemented on the North Fork, Middle Fork, and other tributaries of the John Day River. The primary criteria for the selection of projects was based on the project's potential to restore resources injured by this spill. The Restoration Committee is also actively seeking matching funds for restoration projects in order to enhance selected projects or implement additional projects. Potential cost-share organizations include the U.S. Forest Service, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Nature Conservancy, and the Bonneville Power Administration, among others. Interested members of the public are invited to review and comment on the DEA/Plan and to provide additional alternatives and projects. Copies of the DEA/Plan are available for review at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ecological Services Field Office (2600 S.E. 98th Avenue, suite 100, Portland, Oregon), the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's John Day District Office (305 North Canyon Boulevard, Canyon City, Oregon), and the Grant County Library (507 South Canyon Boulevard, John Day, Oregon). Copies of the DEA/Plan may be obtained at the aforementioned U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office. All written comments will be considered and addressed in the final agency determination. Dated: May 23, 1994. Marvin Plenert, Regional Director, Region 1, Fish and Wildlife Service. [FR Doc. 94-13531 Filed 6-2-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-M