South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, Phase 2; Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge; Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report, 35790-35792 [2016-13100]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 107 (Friday, June 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35790-35792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13100]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-R-2016-N076]; [FXRS282108E8PD0-167-F2013227943]


South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, Phase 2; Don Edwards 
National Wildlife Refuge; Final Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; final environmental impact statement 
and environmental impact report.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the 
California State Coastal Conservancy, announce that the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/EIR) 
for Phase 2 of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSP) at 
the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in Alameda, Santa 
Clara, and San Mateo Counties, California, is now available. The FEIS/
EIR, which we prepared and now announce in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), describes the alternatives 
analyzed for Phase 2 of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, 
including the preferred alternative.

ADDRESSES: Document Availability: You may obtain copies of the document 
in the following places:
    Internet: https://www.southbayrestoration.org/planning/phase2/.
    Libraries:

 San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex 
Headquarters, 1 Marshlands Rd., Fremont, CA 94555.
 Alviso Branch Library, 5050 N. First St., San Jose, CA 95002.
 Biblioteca Latino America, 921 S. First St., San Jose, CA 
95110.

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 California State University Library, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., 
Hayward, CA 94542.
 Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont, CA 94538.
 Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park, CA 94025.
 Mountain View Library, 585 Franklin St., Mountain View, CA 
94041.
 Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303.
 King Library, 150 E. San Fernando St., San Jose, CA 95112.
 Redwood City Main Library, 1044 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City, 
CA 94063.
 San Mateo County East Palo Alto Library, 2415 University Ave., 
East Palo Alto, CA 94303.
 Santa Clara County Milpitas Library, 160 N. Main St., 
Milpitas, CA 95035.
 Santa Clara Public Library, 2635 Homestead Rd., Santa Clara, 
CA 95051.
 Sunnyvale Public Library, 665 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 
94086.
 Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the Interior, 
1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20240-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Barr, Deputy Project Leader, 
USFWS, 510-792-0222 (phone).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    In December 2007, the USFWS and the California Department of Fish 
and Wildlife (CDFW) published a Final EIS/EIR for the SBSP Restoration 
Project at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge 
(Refuge) and the CDFW Eden Landing Ecological Reserve (December 19, 
2007; 72 FR 71937). The overall south bay salt pond restoration area 
includes 15,100 acres, which the USFWS and the CDFW acquired from 
Cargill, Inc., in 2003. The lands acquired from Cargill are divided 
into three pond complexes: The Ravenswood Pond Complex, in San Mateo 
County, managed by the USFWS; the Alviso Pond complex, also managed by 
the USFWS, which is mostly in Santa Clara County, with five ponds in 
Alameda County; and the Eden Landing Pond Complex, in Alameda County, 
which is owned and managed by the CDFW. The SBSP Restoration Project 
presented in the Final EIS/EIR was both programmatic, covering a 50-
year period, and project-level, addressing the specific components and 
implementation of Phase 1.
    In January 2008, we signed a Record of Decision selecting the Tidal 
Emphasis Alternative (Alternative C) for implementation. This 
alternative will result in 90 percent of the USFWS's ponds on the 
Refuge being restored to tidal wetlands and 10 percent converted to 
managed ponds. Under Phase 1 of Alternative C, we restored ponds E8A, 
E8X, E9, E12, and E13 at the Eden Landing complex; A6, A8, A16, and A17 
at the Alviso complex; and SF2 at the Ravenswood complex. We also added 
several trails, interpretive features, and other recreational access 
points. Construction was completed on the USFWS ponds in 2013.
    We now propose restoration or enhancement of over 2,000 acres of 
former salt ponds in the second phase of the SBSP Restoration Project. 
In the Phase 2 DEIS/EIR, we provided project-level analysis of proposed 
restoration or enhancement of portions of the following three 
geographically separate pond clusters: The Ravenswood Pond Complex (R3, 
R4, R5, and S5), the Alviso Pond Complex--Mountain View Ponds (A1 and 
A2W), the Alviso Pond Complex--A8 Ponds (A8 and A8S), and the Alviso 
Pond Complex--Island Ponds (A19, A20, and A21). These pond clusters are 
illustrated in Figures 1-5 on the SBSP Restoration Project Web site at 
https://www.southbayrestoration.org/planning/phase2/.
    Phase 2 of the SBSP Restoration Project is intended to restore and 
enhance tidal wetlands and managed pond habitats in South San Francisco 
Bay while providing for flood management and wildlife-oriented public 
access and recreation. In this Phase 2 document, we would continue 
habitat restoration activities in both USFWS pond complexes, while also 
providing recreation and public access opportunities at two sets of 
ponds and maintaining or improving current levels of flood protection 
in the surrounding communities.
    The Draft EIS/EIR was available for a 60-day public review and 
comment period, which we announced via several methods, including 
public notices in local newspapers and a notice in the Federal Register 
(80 FR 44103; July 24, 2015). We held a public meeting to solicit 
comments on the Draft EIS/EIR on August 4, 2015. We identified and 
analyzed a range of alternatives by pond cluster alternatives in the 
Draft EIS/EIR.

Alternatives

    We considered a range of alternatives and their impacts in the 
DEIS/EIR, including No Action Alternatives for each group of ponds. The 
range of alternatives included varying approaches to restoring tidal 
marshes (including number and location of breaches and other levee 
modifications), habitat enhancements (islands, transition zones, and 
channels), modifications to existing levees and berms to maintain or 
improve flood protection, and recreation and public access components 
(including trails, boardwalks, and viewing platforms) which correspond 
to the project objectives.
    The alternatives for each group of ponds, or pond cluster, are 
described below. The No Action Alternatives are described together, 
followed by the Action Alternatives that were considered for each pond 
cluster.

Alviso--Island Ponds, Alviso--Mountain View Ponds, Alviso--A8 Ponds, 
and Ravenswood Ponds--Alternatives A (No Action)

    Under Alternatives Island A, Mountain View A, A8 A, and Ravenswood 
A (the No Action Alternative at each of these pond clusters), no new 
activities would be implemented as part of Phase 2. The pond clusters 
would continue to be monitored and managed through the activities 
described in the Adaptive Management Plan (AMP) and in accordance with 
current USFWS practices.

Alviso--Island Ponds

Alternative Island B
    Alternative Island B would breach Pond A19's northern levee and 
remove or lower levees between Ponds A19 and A20 to increase 
connectivity and improve the ecological function of both ponds.
Alternative Island C
    Alternative Island C would include the components of Alternative 
Island B with the addition of levee breaches on the north sides of 
Ponds A20 and A21, lowering of portions of levees around Pond A20, 
pilot channels in Pond A19, and widening the existing breaches on the 
southern levee of Pond A19.

Alviso--Mountain View Ponds

Alternative Mountain View B
    Under Alternative Mountain View B, Ponds A1 and A2W levees would be 
breached at several points to introduce tidal flow in the ponds. 
Portions of Pond A1's western levee would be built up to maintain 
current levels of flood protection provided by the pond itself. Habitat 
transition zones and habitat islands would be constructed in the ponds 
to increase habitat complexity and quality for special-status species. 
A new trail and viewing platform would be installed to improve 
recreation and public access at these ponds.

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Alternative Mountain View C
    Under Alternative Mountain View C, levees would be breached and 
lowered to increase tidal flows in Pond A1, Pond A2W, and Charleston 
Slough. The inclusion of Charleston Slough (by breaching and lowering 
much of Pond A1's western levee) is the primary distinguishing feature 
between Alternative Mountain View B and Alternative Mountain View C. 
Several additional new trails and viewing platforms would be installed 
or replaced to improve recreation and public access at the pond 
cluster. To continue providing water to the City of Mountain View's 
Shoreline Park sailing lake, a new water intake would be constructed at 
the proposed breach between Pond A1 and Charleston Slough.

Alviso--A8 Ponds

Alternative A8 B
    Alternative A8 B proposes the construction of habitat transition 
zones in Pond A8S's southwest corner, southeast corner, or both, 
depending on the amount of material available.

Ravenswood Ponds

Alternative Ravenswood B
    Alternative Ravenswood B would open Pond R4 to tidal flows, improve 
levees to provide additional flood protection, create habitat 
transition zone along the western edge of Pond R4, establish managed 
ponds to improve habitat for diving and dabbling birds, increase pond 
connectivity, and add a viewing platform to improve recreation and 
public access.
Alternative Ravenswood C
    Alternative Ravenswood C would be similar to Alternative Ravenswood 
B, with the following exceptions: Ponds R5 and S5 would be converted to 
a particular type of managed pond that is operated to maintain 
intertidal mudflat elevation; water control structures would be 
installed on Pond R3 to allow for improvement to the habitat for 
western snowy plover; an additional habitat transition zone would be 
constructed; and two public access and recreational trails and 
additional viewing platforms would be constructed.
Alternative Ravenswood D
    Alternative Ravenswood D would open Pond R4 to tidal flows, improve 
levees to provide additional flood protection, create two habitat 
transition zones in Pond R4, establish enhanced managed ponds in Ponds 
R5 and S5, increase pond connectivity, enhance Pond R3 for western 
snowy plover habitat, remove the levees within and between Ponds R5 and 
S5, and improve recreation and public access. Alternative Ravenswood D 
would also allow temporary stormwater detention into Ponds R5 and S5 
via connections with the City of Redwood City's Bayfront Canal and 
Atherton Channel Project. This would treat a residual salinity problem 
in Ponds R5 and S5.
    Following public review of the Draft EIS/EIR, USFWS and the 
California State Coastal Conservancy, in coordination with the Project 
Management Team and other project partners, identified the preferred 
alternative, which is based on restoration enhancements at all four 
pond clusters, as well as maintained or increased flood protection and 
additional public access and recreation features at two of the Phase 2 
pond clusters.
    Preferred Alternative: The preferred alternative at each pond 
cluster is as follows:
     At the Island Ponds it is Alternative Island B, with one 
restoration component of Alternative Island C included, which is to 
widen only the westernmost of the two existing breaches on the south 
side of Pond A19.
     At the Mountain View Ponds it is essentially Alternative 
Mountain View B, with the substitution of one habitat enhancement (do 
not include Charleston Slough in tidal marsh restoration but do 
construct a habitat transition zone across the entire southern extent 
of Pond A1, but only across central portion of A2W) and the addition of 
one public access component drawn from Mountain View C (add 
recreational trail on eastern levee of Pond A2W to the northeast corner 
of Pond A2W). There is also a modification of one of the flood 
protection features presented in the two action alternatives (raise the 
Coast Casey Forebay levee along southern border of Charleston Slough 
and maintain necessary access to existing utilities adjacent to that 
levee).
     At the A8 Ponds it is Alternative A8 B, except that the 
top elevation of the proposed transition zones has been increased to 
provide greater erosion protection.
     At the Ravenswood Ponds it is similar to Alternative 
Ravenswood B, in its restoration goals and features for Ponds R3, R4, 
R5, and S5, but it also includes an additional habitat transition zone 
and a trail on the eastern edge of Ponds R5 and S5, all of which were 
included in Alternatives Ravenswood C and D.

NEPA Compliance

    We will make a decision no sooner than 30 days after the 
publication of the final EIS/EIR. We anticipate issuing a Record of 
Decision in the summer of 2016.
    We provide this notice under regulations in the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) for implementing the National Environmental Policy 
Act (40 CFR 1506.6).

    Dated: May 20, 2016.
Ren Lohoefener,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-13100 Filed 6-2-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P