South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, Phase 2 at the Eden Landing Ecological Reserve; Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report, 39949-39951 [2016-14565]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 118 / Monday, June 20, 2016 / Notices
action on the Indiana bat and the
northern long-eared bat.
Bloomington, Indiana (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
Alternatives in the Draft EA
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and its implementing regulations (50
CFR 17.22), the NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4371
et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR part
46), and the NHPA (16 U.S.C. 470 et
seq.) and its implementing regulations
(36 CFR 800).
The DEA contains an analysis of four
alternatives: (1) No Action alternative,
in which all 125 turbines would be
feathered up to 5.0 meters per second
(m/s) from 1⁄2 hour before sunset to 1⁄2
hour after sunrise from March 15
through May 15, and all turbines would
be feathered up to 6.9 m/s from 1⁄2 hour
before sunset to 1⁄2 hour after sunrise
from August 1 through October 15, the
primary spring and fall migratory
periods of the Indiana bat and the
northern long-eared bat, each year
during the operational life (27 years) of
Wildcat; (2) the 5.0 m/s Cut-In Speed
(feathered) Alternative including
implementation of the HCP and
Issuance of a 28-year ITP; (3) the 6.5 m/
s Cut-In Speed (feathered) Alternative,
including implementation of the HCP
and issuance of a 28-year ITP; and (4)
the 4.0 m/s Cut-In Speed (Feathered)
Alternative, including implementation
of the HCP and Issuance of a 28-year
ITP. The DEA considers the direct,
indirect, and cumulative effects of the
alternatives, including any measures
under the Proposed Action alternative
intended to minimize and mitigate such
impacts. The DEA also identifies three
additional alternatives that were
considered but were eliminated from
consideration as detailed in Section 3.4
of the DEA.
The Service invites comments and
suggestions from all interested parties
on the content of the DEA. In particular,
information and comments regarding
the following topics are requested:
1. The direct, indirect, or cumulative
effects that implementation of any
alternative could have on the human
environment;
2. Whether or not the significance of
the impact on various aspects of the
human environment has been
adequately analyzed; and
3. Any other information pertinent to
evaluating the effects of the proposed
action on the human environment.
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Public Comments
You may submit your comments and
materials concerning the notice by one
of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We
request that you send comments only by
one of the methods described in
ADDRESSES.
Comments and materials we receive,
as well as documents associated with
the notice, will be available for public
inspection by appointment, during
normal business hours, at the Indiana
Ecological Services Field Office in
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Dated: May 25, 2016.
Lynn Lewis,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological
Services, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2016–14566 Filed 6–17–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–R–2016–N061;
FXRS282108E8PD0–167–F2013227943]
South Bay Salt Pond Restoration
Project, Phase 2 at the Eden Landing
Ecological Reserve; Intent To Prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement
of meeting; request for public
comments.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS), in
coordination with the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife
(CDFW), are preparing a joint
environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR)
for the proposed restoration of ponds at
the CDFW’s Eden Landing Ecological
Reserve (Reserve) in Alameda County,
California. We intend to gather
information necessary to prepare an EIS
pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). We encourage the
public and other agencies to participate
in the NEPA scoping process by
attending the public scoping meeting
and/or by sending written suggestions
and information on the issues and
concerns that should be addressed in
the draft EIS/EIR, including the range of
alternatives, appropriate mitigation
measures, and the nature and extent of
potential environmental impacts.
DATES:
Submitting Comments: To ensure that
we have adequate time to evaluate and
incorporate suggestions and other input,
we must receive your comments on or
before July 20, 2016.
SUMMARY:
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39949
Public Scoping Meeting: A public
scoping meeting will be held on
Thursday, June 30, 2016, from 1:00 p.m.
to 3:00 p.m., at Don Edwards San
Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Headquarters—Third Flood Auditorium
located at 1 Marshlands Road, Fremont,
California, 94555. The details of the
public scoping meeting will be posted
on the SBSP Restoration Project’s Web
site (https://www.southbayrestoration
.org/events/). Scoping meeting details
will also be emailed to the Project’s
Stakeholder Forum and to those
interested parties who request to be
notified. Notification requests can be
made by emailing the SBSP Restoration
Project’s public outreach coordinator,
Ariel Ambruster, at aambrust@
ccp.csus.edu (email) or 510–815–7111
(phone).
Reasonable Accommodations:
Persons needing reasonable
accommodations in order to attend and
participate in the public scoping
meeting should contact Ariel Ambruster
at least 1 week in advance of the
meeting to allow time to process the
request.
ADDRESSES:
Submitting Comments: Send written
comments to Chris Barr, Deputy
Complex Manager, Don Edwards San
Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge,
1 Marshlands Road, Fremont, CA 94555,
or to Scott Wilson, CDFW Regional
Manager, Bay Delta Region, Silverado
Trail, Napa, CA 94558.
Alternatively, you may send written
comments by facsimile to 510–792–
5828, or via the Internet through the
public comments link on the SBSP
Restoration Project Web site at
www.southbayrestoration.org/Question_
Comment.html. Your correspondence
should indicate which issue your
comments pertain to.
Mailing List: To have your name
added to our mailing list, contact Ariel
Ambruster; telephone (510) 815–7111;
email aambrust@ccp.csus.edu.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chris Barr, Refuge Manager, USFWS,
510–792–0222 (phone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS), in coordination with the
California Department of Fish and
Wildlife (CDFW), are preparing a joint
environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR)
for the proposed restoration of ponds
E1, E1C, E2, E2C, E4, E4C, E5, E5C, E6,
E6C, and E7 at the CDFW’s Eden
Landing Ecological Reserve (Reserve) in
Alameda County, California.
Phase 2 of the SBSP Restoration
Project at Eden Landing is intended to
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 118 / Monday, June 20, 2016 / Notices
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
restore and enhance a mix of
approximately 2,300 acres of wetland
habitats while simultaneously providing
flood protection and wildlife-oriented
public access and recreation in the
South Bay.
We intend to gather information
necessary to prepare an EIS pursuant to
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). We encourage the public and
other agencies to participate in the
NEPA scoping process by attending the
public scoping meeting and/or by
sending written suggestions and
information on the issues and concerns
that should be addressed in the draft
EIS/EIR, including the range of
alternatives, appropriate mitigation
measures, and the nature and extent of
potential environmental impacts.
Background
The SBSP Restoration Project is
located in the San Francisco Bay, in
northern California. The project is a
multiagency, multiphase effort to restore
and enhance a mix of wetland habitats
while simultaneously providing flood
protection and wildlife-oriented public
access and recreation in the South Bay.
The SBSP Restoration Project as a whole
contains over 15,000 acres of former
industrial salt production ponds in
three complexes: The Ravenswood pond
complex, the Alviso pond complex, and
the Eden Landing pond complex. The
Ravenswood and Alviso pond
complexes are owned and managed by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as
part of the Don Edwards San Francisco
Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge).
The Eden Landing Ecological Reserve
(Reserve) is owned by the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife
(CDFW).
In 2007, the USFWS and the CDFW
published a Final EIS/EIR for the SBSP
Restoration Project (72 FR 71937–
71939). The SBSP Restoration project
presented in the Final EIS/EIR was both
programmatic, covering a 50-year
period, as well as project-level,
addressing the specific components and
implementation of Phase 1. Both the
USFWS and the CDFW selected the
Tidal Emphasis Alternative (Alternative
C) for implementation. Alternative C
represents a goal of 90 percent of the
salt ponds restored to tidal action and
10 percent restored to managed ponds.
This ratio of restoration is guided by the
Adaptive Management Plan.
Implementation of Phase 1 actions
began in 2008 and was completed in
2016. The northern half of the Eden
Landing pond complex was addressed
in Phase 1 and is now complete.
The Phase 2 actions at the Alviso and
Ravenswood pond complexes were
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considered in a separate project-level
EIS/EIR, the draft of which was
published in August of 2015 and is
expected to be finalized in the summer
of 2016.
Proposed Action
The CDFW now proposes restoration
or enhancement of approximately 2,300
acres of former salt ponds in the
southern half of the CDFW-owned Eden
Landing pond complex. Phase 2 projectlevel actions to be evaluated in this EIS/
EIR are project-level habitat restoration
of approximately 2,300 acres of former
salt ponds, while also providing
recreation and public access
opportunities, and maintaining or
improving current levels of flood
protection in the surrounding
communities.
Habitat restoration actions evaluated
in the EIS/EIR may include the
following:
• Breaching levees at one or more
locations to allow tidal flows into the
ponds.
• Adding water control structures to
allow some ponds to be retained as
enhanced managed ponds for ponddependent bird species.
• Increasing habitat complexity by
adding deep-water channels, islands,
and/or habitat transition zones.
• Modifying pond bottom elevations
or topography to redirect tidal flows.
• Using dredged or upland fill
material to speed marsh vegetation
establishment.
Recreation and public access actions
may include the following:
• Maintain the existing trail that runs
along the top of the large Federal levee
that forms the southern edge of the
complex. This may involve constructing
bridge(s) over any changes that are made
to that levee.
• Complete the Bay Trail spine along
the eastern edge of the pond complex.
• Adding a spur trail along the
northern edge of Pond E6 from the Bay
Trail spine to the site of the former
Alvarado Salt Works.
• Convert the above spur trail into a
loop by building a footbridge over Old
Alameda Creek and a trail back to the
Bay Trail spine.
Flood protection may include:
• Raising and improving existing
levees or berms or making other
improvements to maintain or increase
coastal flood risk protection.
Alternatives
The EIS/EIR will consider a range of
alternatives and their impacts, including
the No Action/No Project Alternative.
Scoping is designed to be an early and
open process to determine the issues
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and alternatives to be addressed in the
EIS/EIR. The range of alternatives may
include varying approaches to restoring
and enhancing a mix of wetland
habitats, as well as varying levels and
means of flood management, and
recreation and public access
components which correspond to the
project objectives.
The Phase 2 EIS/EIR for Eden Landing
will identify the anticipated effects of
the alternatives (both negative and
beneficial) and describe and analyze
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts
of each alternative.
NEPA Compliance
This EIS/EIR is a project-level
environmental document that is tiered
from the programmatic portion of the
2007 Final EIS/EIR for the SBSP
Restoration Project. Information
gathered through this scoping process
will assist us in developing a reasonable
range of alternatives to continue to
address the restoration of Eden Landing
salt ponds and collaborative integration
with adjacent landowners and operators
of public infrastructure.
A detailed description of the
proposed action and alternatives will be
included in the EIS/EIR. For each issue
or potential impact identified, the EIS/
EIR will include a discussion of the
parameters used in evaluating the
impacts as well as recommended
mitigation, indicating the effectiveness
of mitigation measures proposed to be
implemented and what, if any,
additional measures would be required
to reduce the degree of impact. The EIS/
EIR will include an analysis of the
restoration, flood management, and
recreation and public access
components associated with the
proposed restoration.
We will conduct environmental
review in accordance with the
requirements of NEPA, as amended (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), its implementing
regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508),
other applicable regulations, and our
procedures for compliance with those
regulations. The environmental
document will be prepared to meet both
the requirements of NEPA and the
California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA). The CDFW is the CEQA lead
agency and USFWS is the lead agency
under NEPA. We are the NEPA lead
agency because we provide a variety of
biological monitoring, financial and
management support on this CDFW
unit. We anticipate that a Draft EIS/EIR
will be available for public review in
November 2016.
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 118 / Monday, June 20, 2016 / Notices
Public Comment
We are furnishing this notice in
accordance with section 1501.7 of the
NEPA implementing regulations to
obtain suggestions and information from
other agencies and the public on the
scope of issues to be addressed in the
EIS/EIR. We invite written comments
from interested parties to ensure
identification of the full range of issues.
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 you comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Public Scoping Meeting
In addition to providing written
comments, the public is encouraged to
attend a public scoping meeting on
Thursday, June 30, 2016, to provide us
with suggestions and information on the
scope of issues and alternatives to
consider when drafting the EIS/EIR. The
location of the public scoping meeting
is provided in DATES.
Persons needing reasonable
accommodations in order to attend and
participate in the public meeting should
contact us at the address in ADDRESSES
no later than 1 week before the public
meeting. Information regarding the
proposed restoration is available in
alterative formats upon request. We will
accept written comments at the scoping
meeting or afterwards.
Alexandra Pitts,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest
Region.
[FR Doc. 2016–14565 Filed 6–17–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–ES–2016–N097;
FXES11130800000–167–FF08E00000]
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Endangered Species Recovery Permit
Applications
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit
applications; request for comment.
endangered species. With some
exceptions, the Endangered Species Act
(Act) prohibits activities with
endangered and threatened species
unless a Federal permit allows such
activity. The Act also requires that we
invite public comment before issuing
recovery permits to conduct certain
activities with endangered species.
DATES: Comments on these permit
applications must be received on or
before July 20, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Written data or comments
should be submitted to the Endangered
Species Program Manager, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Region 8, 2800 Cottage
Way, Room W–2606, Sacramento, CA
95825 (telephone: 916–414–6464; fax:
916–414–6486). Please refer to the
respective permit number for each
application when submitting comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Daniel Marquez, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist; see ADDRESSES (telephone:
760–431–9440; fax: 760–431–9624).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
following applicants have applied for
scientific research permits to conduct
certain activities with endangered
species under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the
Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). We seek
review and comment from local, State,
and Federal agencies and the public on
the following permit requests.
Applicants
Permit No. TE–080779
Applicant: Melissa Busby, San Diego,
California
The applicant requests a permit
renewal to take (survey by pursuit) the
Quino checkerspot butterfly
(Euphydryas editha quino); and take
(harass by survey, capture, handle,
release, collect vouchers, analyze soil
samples, and collect branchiopod cysts)
the Conservancy fairy shrimp
(Branchinecta conservatio), longhorn
fairy shrimp (Branchinecta
longiantenna), San Diego fairy shrimp
(Branchinecta sandiegonensis),
Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus
woottoni), and vernal pool tadpole
shrimp (Lepidurus packardi) in
conjunction with survey activities
throughout the range of the species in
California for the purpose of enhancing
the species’ survival.
AGENCY:
Permit No. TE–85448A
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, invite the public to
comment on the following applications
to conduct certain activities with
Applicant: East Bay Zoological Society,
Oakland, California
The applicant requests a permit
renewal to take (receive, handle, and
administer veterinary treatment and
care) the California condor (Gymnogyps
californianus) in conjunction with
SUMMARY:
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39951
general husbandry activities at the
Oakland Zoo in Oakland, California, for
the purpose of enhancing the species’
survival.
Permit No. TE–170381
Applicant: Bill Stagnaro, San Francisco,
California
The applicant requests a permit
renewal to take (harass by survey,
capture, handle, and release) the San
Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis
sirtalis tetrataenia); and take (harass by
survey using taped vocalization
callback) the California Ridgway’s rail
(California clapper r.) (Rallus obsoletus
obsoletus) (R. longirostris o.) in
conjunction with survey activities
throughout the range of the species in
California for the purpose of enhancing
the species’ survival.
Permit No. TE–94719B
Applicant: Richard Lis, Redding,
California
The applicant requests a permit to
take (harass by survey, capture, handle,
release, collect vouchers, and collect
branchiopod cysts) the Conservancy
fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio),
longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta
longiantenna), San Diego fairy shrimp
(Branchinecta sandiegonensis),
Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus
woottoni), and vernal pool tadpole
shrimp (Lepidurus packardi) in
conjunction with survey activities
throughout the range of the species in
California for the purpose of enhancing
the species’ survival.
Permit No. TE–94702B
Applicant: Kristin Hubbard, Redding,
California
The applicant requests a permit to
take (harass by survey, capture, handle,
release, collect vouchers, and collect
branchiopod cysts) the Conservancy
fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio),
longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta
longiantenna), San Diego fairy shrimp
(Branchinecta sandiegonensis),
Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus
woottoni), and vernal pool tadpole
shrimp (Lepidurus packardi) in
conjunction with survey activities
throughout the range of the species in
California for the purpose of enhancing
the species’ survival.
Permit No. TE–94998A
Applicant: Leonard Liu, Oakland,
California
The applicant requests a permit
renewal to take (harass by survey using
taped vocalization callback) the
California Ridgway’s rail (California
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 118 (Monday, June 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39949-39951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14565]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-R-2016-N061; FXRS282108E8PD0-167-F2013227943]
South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, Phase 2 at the Eden
Landing Ecological Reserve; Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement/Environmental Impact Report
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement of meeting; request for public
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in
coordination with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
(CDFW), are preparing a joint environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) for the proposed restoration of
ponds at the CDFW's Eden Landing Ecological Reserve (Reserve) in
Alameda County, California. We intend to gather information necessary
to prepare an EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). We encourage the public and other agencies to participate in
the NEPA scoping process by attending the public scoping meeting and/or
by sending written suggestions and information on the issues and
concerns that should be addressed in the draft EIS/EIR, including the
range of alternatives, appropriate mitigation measures, and the nature
and extent of potential environmental impacts.
DATES:
Submitting Comments: To ensure that we have adequate time to
evaluate and incorporate suggestions and other input, we must receive
your comments on or before July 20, 2016.
Public Scoping Meeting: A public scoping meeting will be held on
Thursday, June 30, 2016, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Don Edwards
San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters--Third Flood
Auditorium located at 1 Marshlands Road, Fremont, California, 94555.
The details of the public scoping meeting will be posted on the SBSP
Restoration Project's Web site (https://www.southbayrestoration.org/events/). Scoping meeting details will also be emailed to the Project's
Stakeholder Forum and to those interested parties who request to be
notified. Notification requests can be made by emailing the SBSP
Restoration Project's public outreach coordinator, Ariel Ambruster, at
aambrust@ccp.csus.edu (email) or 510-815-7111 (phone).
Reasonable Accommodations: Persons needing reasonable
accommodations in order to attend and participate in the public scoping
meeting should contact Ariel Ambruster at least 1 week in advance of
the meeting to allow time to process the request.
ADDRESSES:
Submitting Comments: Send written comments to Chris Barr, Deputy
Complex Manager, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife
Refuge, 1 Marshlands Road, Fremont, CA 94555, or to Scott Wilson, CDFW
Regional Manager, Bay Delta Region, Silverado Trail, Napa, CA 94558.
Alternatively, you may send written comments by facsimile to 510-
792-5828, or via the Internet through the public comments link on the
SBSP Restoration Project Web site at www.southbayrestoration.org/Question_Comment.html. Your correspondence should indicate which issue
your comments pertain to.
Mailing List: To have your name added to our mailing list, contact
Ariel Ambruster; telephone (510) 815-7111; email aambrust@ccp.csus.edu.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Barr, Refuge Manager, USFWS,
510-792-0222 (phone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS), in coordination with the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife (CDFW), are preparing a joint environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) for the proposed restoration of
ponds E1, E1C, E2, E2C, E4, E4C, E5, E5C, E6, E6C, and E7 at the CDFW's
Eden Landing Ecological Reserve (Reserve) in Alameda County,
California.
Phase 2 of the SBSP Restoration Project at Eden Landing is intended
to
[[Page 39950]]
restore and enhance a mix of approximately 2,300 acres of wetland
habitats while simultaneously providing flood protection and wildlife-
oriented public access and recreation in the South Bay.
We intend to gather information necessary to prepare an EIS
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We encourage
the public and other agencies to participate in the NEPA scoping
process by attending the public scoping meeting and/or by sending
written suggestions and information on the issues and concerns that
should be addressed in the draft EIS/EIR, including the range of
alternatives, appropriate mitigation measures, and the nature and
extent of potential environmental impacts.
Background
The SBSP Restoration Project is located in the San Francisco Bay,
in northern California. The project is a multiagency, multiphase effort
to restore and enhance a mix of wetland habitats while simultaneously
providing flood protection and wildlife-oriented public access and
recreation in the South Bay. The SBSP Restoration Project as a whole
contains over 15,000 acres of former industrial salt production ponds
in three complexes: The Ravenswood pond complex, the Alviso pond
complex, and the Eden Landing pond complex. The Ravenswood and Alviso
pond complexes are owned and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service as part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife
Refuge (Refuge). The Eden Landing Ecological Reserve (Reserve) is owned
by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
In 2007, the USFWS and the CDFW published a Final EIS/EIR for the
SBSP Restoration Project (72 FR 71937-71939). The SBSP Restoration
project presented in the Final EIS/EIR was both programmatic, covering
a 50-year period, as well as project-level, addressing the specific
components and implementation of Phase 1. Both the USFWS and the CDFW
selected the Tidal Emphasis Alternative (Alternative C) for
implementation. Alternative C represents a goal of 90 percent of the
salt ponds restored to tidal action and 10 percent restored to managed
ponds. This ratio of restoration is guided by the Adaptive Management
Plan. Implementation of Phase 1 actions began in 2008 and was completed
in 2016. The northern half of the Eden Landing pond complex was
addressed in Phase 1 and is now complete.
The Phase 2 actions at the Alviso and Ravenswood pond complexes
were considered in a separate project-level EIS/EIR, the draft of which
was published in August of 2015 and is expected to be finalized in the
summer of 2016.
Proposed Action
The CDFW now proposes restoration or enhancement of approximately
2,300 acres of former salt ponds in the southern half of the CDFW-owned
Eden Landing pond complex. Phase 2 project-level actions to be
evaluated in this EIS/EIR are project-level habitat restoration of
approximately 2,300 acres of former salt ponds, while also providing
recreation and public access opportunities, and maintaining or
improving current levels of flood protection in the surrounding
communities.
Habitat restoration actions evaluated in the EIS/EIR may include
the following:
Breaching levees at one or more locations to allow tidal
flows into the ponds.
Adding water control structures to allow some ponds to be
retained as enhanced managed ponds for pond-dependent bird species.
Increasing habitat complexity by adding deep-water
channels, islands, and/or habitat transition zones.
Modifying pond bottom elevations or topography to redirect
tidal flows.
Using dredged or upland fill material to speed marsh
vegetation establishment.
Recreation and public access actions may include the following:
Maintain the existing trail that runs along the top of the
large Federal levee that forms the southern edge of the complex. This
may involve constructing bridge(s) over any changes that are made to
that levee.
Complete the Bay Trail spine along the eastern edge of the
pond complex.
Adding a spur trail along the northern edge of Pond E6
from the Bay Trail spine to the site of the former Alvarado Salt Works.
Convert the above spur trail into a loop by building a
footbridge over Old Alameda Creek and a trail back to the Bay Trail
spine.
Flood protection may include:
Raising and improving existing levees or berms or making
other improvements to maintain or increase coastal flood risk
protection.
Alternatives
The EIS/EIR will consider a range of alternatives and their
impacts, including the No Action/No Project Alternative. Scoping is
designed to be an early and open process to determine the issues and
alternatives to be addressed in the EIS/EIR. The range of alternatives
may include varying approaches to restoring and enhancing a mix of
wetland habitats, as well as varying levels and means of flood
management, and recreation and public access components which
correspond to the project objectives.
The Phase 2 EIS/EIR for Eden Landing will identify the anticipated
effects of the alternatives (both negative and beneficial) and describe
and analyze direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of each
alternative.
NEPA Compliance
This EIS/EIR is a project-level environmental document that is
tiered from the programmatic portion of the 2007 Final EIS/EIR for the
SBSP Restoration Project. Information gathered through this scoping
process will assist us in developing a reasonable range of alternatives
to continue to address the restoration of Eden Landing salt ponds and
collaborative integration with adjacent landowners and operators of
public infrastructure.
A detailed description of the proposed action and alternatives will
be included in the EIS/EIR. For each issue or potential impact
identified, the EIS/EIR will include a discussion of the parameters
used in evaluating the impacts as well as recommended mitigation,
indicating the effectiveness of mitigation measures proposed to be
implemented and what, if any, additional measures would be required to
reduce the degree of impact. The EIS/EIR will include an analysis of
the restoration, flood management, and recreation and public access
components associated with the proposed restoration.
We will conduct environmental review in accordance with the
requirements of NEPA, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), its
implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other applicable
regulations, and our procedures for compliance with those regulations.
The environmental document will be prepared to meet both the
requirements of NEPA and the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA). The CDFW is the CEQA lead agency and USFWS is the lead agency
under NEPA. We are the NEPA lead agency because we provide a variety of
biological monitoring, financial and management support on this CDFW
unit. We anticipate that a Draft EIS/EIR will be available for public
review in November 2016.
[[Page 39951]]
Public Comment
We are furnishing this notice in accordance with section 1501.7 of
the NEPA implementing regulations to obtain suggestions and information
from other agencies and the public on the scope of issues to be
addressed in the EIS/EIR. We invite written comments from interested
parties to ensure identification of the full range of issues.
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 you comment to withhold your personal identifying information
from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Public Scoping Meeting
In addition to providing written comments, the public is encouraged
to attend a public scoping meeting on Thursday, June 30, 2016, to
provide us with suggestions and information on the scope of issues and
alternatives to consider when drafting the EIS/EIR. The location of the
public scoping meeting is provided in DATES.
Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and
participate in the public meeting should contact us at the address in
ADDRESSES no later than 1 week before the public meeting. Information
regarding the proposed restoration is available in alterative formats
upon request. We will accept written comments at the scoping meeting or
afterwards.
Alexandra Pitts,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-14565 Filed 6-17-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
