Upper Columbia Alternative Flood Control and Fish Operations, Libby and Hungry Horse Dams, MT, 25572-25573 [E6-6532]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
• Engineers Corps

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 83 (Monday, May 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25572-25573]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6532]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Upper Columbia Alternative Flood Control and Fish Operations, 
Libby and Hungry Horse Dams, MT

AGENCY: Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Seattle District, 
announces the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS) for Upper Columbia Alternative Flood Control and Fish 
Operations. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is a 
cooperating agency for this FEIS. The document describes and analyzes 
the environmental impacts of alternative flood control operations at 
Libby Dam on the Kootenai River and at Hungry Horse Dam on the South 
Fork Flathead River. Both dams are located in northwestern Montana. The 
overall goal of the FEIS is to evaluate effects of alternative dam 
operations to provide better reservoir and flow conditions at and below 
Libby and Hungry Horse Dams for anadromous and resident fish listed as 
threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 
consistent with authorized project purposes, including maintaining the 
current level of flood control benefits. Two new alternatives for Libby 
Dam were added in the FEIS and the Corps is particularly interested in 
any comments on those alternatives which are described in Section 2.2 
and evaluated in Section 3.3 of the FEIS.

DATES: A Record of Decision (ROD) will be issued by each agency no 
sooner than May 30, 2006 (the first business day at least 30 days after 
the Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of Availability for this 
FEIS in the April 28, 2006, Federal Register).

ADDRESSES: The FEIS may be accessed online at https://www.nws.
usace.army.mil/PublicMenu/Menu.cfm?sitename=VARQ&pagename= VARQ.
    Compact discs or hard copies of the entire document or the 
executive summary are available upon request from the address below. 
Mail comments relating to the FEIS to Mr. Evan Lewis, Environmental 
Resources Section, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, P.O. 
Box 3755, Seattle, Washington 98124-3755, or submit electronic comments 
to uceis@usace.army.mil. For electronic comments, please include your 
name and address in your message. Comments may also be sent via fax to 
(206) 764-4470.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Evan Lewis at (206) 764-6922, or 
E-mail: evan.r.lewis@usace.army.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps, in cooperation with Reclamation, 
has prepared an FEIS that considers alternative flood control and fish 
operations at Libby and Hungry Horse dams in northwestern Montana. The 
FEIS evaluates an action and a no-action alternative for Hungry Horse 
Dam (operated by Reclamation), and 5 action alternatives and a no-
action alternative for Libby Dam (operated by the Corps).
    Hungry Horse alternatives are:
     Alternative HS (No Action): Hungry Horse Dam operations 
using Standard flood control (FC) with bull trout and salmon 
augmentation flows. In very general terms, Standard FC operations are 
based on the principle of providing deep drafts for flood control, then 
minimizing outflow during the refill period from May through June 30.
     Alternative HV (Preferred Alternative): Hungry Horse Dam 
operations using variable discharge (VARQ) FC to increase the 
likelihood of refill (store more water) with bull trout and salmon 
augmentation flows (seasonal flow targets to enhance conditions 
downstream for these species). This is the current interim operation at 
Hungry Horse Dam.
    Libby Dam alternatives are:
     Alternative LS1 (No Action): Libby Dam operations using 
Standard FC with sturgeon, bull trout, and salmon flow augmentation. 
Sturgeon flow augmentation would provide tiered sturgeon volumes, as 
adopted in the 2006 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Biological 
Opinion (BiOp) on Libby Dam operations, using a maximum Libby Dam 
release rate up to the existing powerhouse capacity (about 25,000 cubic 
feet per second, or 25 kcfs). Dam releases for sturgeon flows would be 
timed and optimized to provide for temperatures of 50 [deg] F with no 
more than a 3.6 [deg] F drop for all of the Libby alternatives.
     Alternative LV1: Libby Dam operations similar to 
Alternative LS1, but with VARQ FC rather than Standard FC. Alternative 
LV1 is the current interim operation at Libby Dam.
     Alternative LS2: Libby Dam operations similar to 
Alternative LS1, except that sturgeon flow augmentation would provide 
tiered sturgeon volumes using a maximum Libby Dam release rate at some 
level up to 10 kcfs above the approximately 25 kcfs powerhouse 
capacity. Alternative LS2 does not identify a specific mechanism to 
achieve the 10 kcfs of additional flow and the corresponding analysis 
presumes that the full 10 kcfs of flow above powerhouse capacity would 
be provided for all sturgeon flow augmentation events, except when 
limited to avoid exceeding flood stage of 1,764 feet at Bonners Ferry, 
Idaho. Therefore, it portrays the maximum extent of impacts associated 
with these flows.
     Alternative LV2: Libby Dam operations similar to 
Alternative LV1, except that sturgeon flow augmentation would provide 
tiered sturgeon volumes

[[Page 25573]]

using a maximum Libby Dam release rate at some level up to 10 kcfs 
above the approximately 25 kcfs powerhouse capacity. As with 
Alternative LS2, Alternative LV2 does not identify a specific mechanism 
to achieve the 10 kcfs of additional flow and the corresponding 
analysis presumes that the full 10 kcfs of flow above powerhouse 
capacity would be provided for all sturgeon flow augmentation events 
except when limited to avoid exceeding flood stage of 1,764 feet at 
Bonners Ferry, Idaho. As with LS2, it portrays the maximum extent of 
impacts associated with these flows.
     Alternative LSB: Libby Dam operations using Standard FC 
with sturgeon, bull trout, and salmon flow augmentation. Sturgeon flow 
augmentation would provide tiered sturgeon volumes consistent with the 
2006 FWS BiOp. Annual operations would be based on a scientific 
approach for testing different releases from Libby Dam and determining 
the effectiveness for achieving the habitat attributes and meeting the 
conservation needs established for sturgeon as described in the 2006 
BiOp. Specific details are being developed in a Flow Plan 
Implementation Protocol in collaboration with the states of Montana and 
Idaho, interested tribes and other Federal agencies. Maximum peak 
augmentation flows would be provided for up to 14 days, when water 
supply conditions are conducive, during the peak of the spawning 
period. After the peak augmentation flows, remaining water in the 
sturgeon tier would be provided to maximize flows for up to 21 days 
with a gradually receding hydrograph. Under LSB, Libby Dam would 
provide sturgeon flow augmentation either with dam releases up to 
existing powerhouse capacity, or with dam releases to powerhouse 
capacity plus up to 10 kcfs via the Libby Dam spillway. Under Standard 
FC, simulations indicate that the appropriate reservoir and water 
supply conditions to allow for releases of sturgeon flows via the Libby 
Dam spillway would occur for some period of time in approximately 25% 
of years. Actual duration and quantity of spill operations would vary 
in any given year when spill is provided based on actual water supply.
     Alternative LVB (Preferred Alternative): Libby Dam 
operations similar to Alternative LSB, but with VARQ FC rather than 
Standard FC. Under VARQ FC, simulations indicate that the appropriate 
reservoir and water supply conditions to allow for releases of sturgeon 
flows from the Libby Dam spillway for some period of time would occur 
in approximately 50% of years. Actual duration and quantity of spill 
operations would vary in any given year when spill is provided based on 
actual water supply.
    Alternatives LSB and LVB represent new alternatives that were added 
to the FEIS in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 
issuance of a new BiOp on Libby Dam operations on Feb. 18, 2006. The 
2006 BiOp recommends the implementation of actions by the Corps, 
including increased releases by Libby Dam in accordance with the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA). Alternatives LSB and LVB would provide 
flexibility to operate Libby Dam with a range of releases to achieve 
habitat attributes for sturgeon using the 2006 FWS BiOp's performance-
based approach, with the spillway as the only currently available 
mechanism for achieving flows up to 10,000 cfs above current powerhouse 
capacity.
    In order to ensure that the Corps' actions are consistent with the 
terms of the 2006 USFWS BiOp, and due to Reclamation's ongoing 
consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act (NHPA), Reclamation decided to step down from co-lead status on the 
FEIS and move to cooperating agency status under NEPA regulations. Each 
agency will prepare its own Record of Decision (ROD) for its respective 
dams to implement the FEIS for future operations. The Corps plans to 
issue a ROD for Libby Dam during the spring of 2006. As a cooperating 
agency, Reclamation may choose to adopt and/or expand upon portions of 
the FEIS that apply to Reclamation's actions at Hungry Horse Dam. 
Reclamation plans to issue a ROD on the proposed implementation of the 
FEIS at Hungry Horse dam following the Reclamation's completion of NHPA 
Section 106 consultation and NEPA analysis and documentation. In the 
interim, Reclamation will continue to implement such operations as 
described in its March 2002 voluntary Environmental Assessment.
    The Corps will accept comments on the FEIS until May 30, 2006. 
Comments on the FEIS will be addressed in the appropriate agency's ROD.
    Copies of the FEIS are available for public review at libraries 
throughout the potentially affected portions of the Kootenai, Flathead, 
Clark Fork, Pend Oreille, and upper Columbia basins in the U.S. and 
Canada. See ADDRESSES for instructions for requesting a copy of the 
FEIS.
    The FEIS has been prepared in accordance with (1) The National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality for 
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), and (3) Corps regulations implementing NEPA (ER-200-2-2).

    Dated: April 20, 2006.
Debra M. Lewis,
Colonel, District Commander, Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers.
[FR Doc. E6-6532 Filed 4-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-92-P