Otay River Estuary Restoration Project, South San Diego Bay Unit of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, California; Environmental Impact Statement, 70480-70481 [2011-29265]
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mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
70480
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 219 / Monday, November 14, 2011 / Notices
accurate descriptions of vegetation,
water features, and soil types; (4)
current land use practices and existing
development; and (5) a detailed account
of conservation activities to be
undertaken on the portion of the
property to be enrolled. After signing a
Cooperative Agreement, landowners
will receive a certificate of inclusion to
document landowners’ participation in
the Safe Harbor Agreement and convey
incidental take authorization from the
Applicant to certificate recipients. The
Applicant will be responsible for annual
monitoring and reporting related to
implementation of the Safe Harbor
Agreement and Cooperative Agreements
and fulfillment of their provisions.
We have worked with the Applicant
to design conservation activities
expected to have a net conservation
benefit to the Houston toad within the
nine Texas counties to be covered under
this proposed Agreement. These
conservation activities include: (1)
Brush management to create desired
understory conditions and facilitate
restoration of native ground cover; (2)
forest enhancement/restoration to create
favorable canopy conditions; (3)
prescribed burning to restore, create,
and maintain desired understory and
ground cover conditions; (4)
enhancement of existing breeding ponds
to provide habitat for breeding adults
and emerging toadlets; (5) control of red
imported fire ants to maximize
successful toadlet survival; (6) creation
of new breeding ponds; and (7)
headstarting and/or reintroduction of
captively bred Houston toads (see
section 5 ‘‘Conservation Activities’’ in
the draft Agreement).
These conservation activities are
expected to: (1) Enhance Houston toad
foraging and hibernating habitat; (2)
create and enhance Houston toad
breeding and toadlet emergence habitat;
(3) facilitate Houston toad dispersal
through the creation and enhancement
of habitat linkages throughout the
species’ range; (4) increase Houston toad
population numbers through
headstarting and reintroduction; and (5)
facilitate viable, self-sustaining Houston
toad subpopulations.
The incidental take of toads may
occur from: (1) Habitat management
actions conducted in accordance with
the conservation activities in the
Agreement, (2) ongoing land use
activities that may have an increased
chance of taking a toad if toad numbers
increase, as expected, and (3) cessation
of the conservation activities, return to
baseline activities; if enrolled
landowners exercise their authorization
to do so under the permit.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
19:40 Nov 10, 2011
Jkt 226001
The impacts of permit issuance and
implementation on the human
environment are analyzed within the
draft Environmental Assessment, in
compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
Section 9 of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.) prohibits ‘‘taking’’ of threatened
or endangered species. However, the
Service, under limited circumstances,
may issue permits to take threatened
and endangered wildlife species
incidental to, and not the purpose of,
otherwise lawful activities.
Public Availability of Comments
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 your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Authorities
We provide this notice pursuant to
section 10(c) of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.), its implementing regulations
(50 CFR 17.22), and the National
Environmental Policy Act (42 CFR 4371
et seq.).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: October 13, 2011.
Joy E. Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region,
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2011–29044 Filed 11–10–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–R–2011–N199; 1261–0000–81680–
W5]
Otay River Estuary Restoration
Project, South San Diego Bay Unit of
the San Diego Bay National Wildlife
Refuge, California; Environmental
Impact Statement
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for
public comment.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), intend to
prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for the proposed Otay
River Estuary Restoration Project. The
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00074
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
proposed project involves the
restoration of 66.4 acres of estuarine
(subtidal and intertidal) wetland habitat
within the western terminus of the Otay
River, part of the San Diego Bay
National Wildlife Refuge. This notice
advises the public that 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 sending written suggestions
and information on the issues and
concerns that should be addressed in
the draft EIS, including the range of
alternatives, appropriate mitigation
measures, and the nature and extent of
potential environmental impacts.
DATES: To ensure that we have adequate
time to evaluate and incorporate
suggestions and other input, we must
receive your comments on or before
January 6, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments or
requests for more information by any
one of the following methods.
Email: Otay_NOI@fws.gov. Please
include ‘‘Otay Estuary NOI’’ in the
subject line of the message.
Fax: Attn: Brian Collins, (619) 476–
9149.
U.S. Mail: Brian Collins, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, San Diego National
Wildlife Refuge Complex, P.O. Box
2358, Chula Vista, CA 91912.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian Collins, Refuge Manager (619)
575–2704, extension 302), or Andy
Yuen, Project Leader (619) 476–9150,
extension 100).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In 2006, we completed a
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
(CCP) and EIS/Record of Decision (ROD)
to guide the management of the San
Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge over
a 15-year period (71 FR 64552,
November 2, 2006). The wildlife and
habitat management goal of the selected
management alternative in the CCP for
the South San Diego Bay Unit is to
‘‘protect, manage, enhance, and restore
* * * coastal wetlands * * * to benefit
the native fish, wildlife, and plant
species supported within the South San
Diego Bay Unit.’’ One of the strategies
identified to meet this goal is to restore
native habitats in the Otay River
floodplain. The proposed restoration
project represents step-down restoration
planning for the western portion of the
Otay River floodplain. The site-specific
EIS for this project will tier from the
programmatic EIS and ROD prepared for
the CCP.
E:\FR\FM\14NON1.SGM
14NON1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 219 / Monday, November 14, 2011 / Notices
Funding for the proposed restoration
is being provided by the Poseidon
Resources Carlsbad Desalination Project,
in order to implement their Marine Life
Mitigation Plan (MLMP), which is
required to fulfill part of their mitigation
requirement for the desalination project.
On November 15, 2007, the California
Coastal Commission approved a Coastal
Development Permit (CDP No. E–06–
013) for the Poseidon desalination
facility in Carlsbad, San Diego County.
As part of that approval, the
Commission required Poseidon to
implement a Marine Life Mitigation
Plan (MLMP).
In early 2010, Poseidon submitted an
initial proposal to the California Coastal
Commission identifying possible
mitigation sites. The submittal
compared about a dozen potential sites
in the Southern California Bight and
concluded that the Otay River
floodplain portion of the San Diego Bay
NWR was most suited to provide the
type and amount of mitigation the
MLMP required. California Coastal
Commission staff and members of its
Scientific Advisory Panel reviewed
Poseidon’s analysis and concurred that
the Otay River floodplain site was most
likely to meet the MLMP requirements
and objectives. Final site selection
required approval by both the California
Coastal Commission and the San Diego
Regional Water Quality Control Board
(Control Board).
On February 9, 2011, the California
Coastal Commission unanimously
approved the Otay River floodplain site,
and the site was approved by the
Control Board on March 9, 2011. The
MLMP requirements and objectives are
consistent with the goals and objectives
set forth in our CCP for the Otay River
floodplain.
Prior to implementation of the
restoration project, the California
Coastal Commission must approve a
Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for
the proposed restoration. In accordance
with the California Environmental
Quality Act, the CDP process is exempt
from the requirement of preparing an
environmental impact report. The
Commission’s staff report and findings
related to the CDP application for the
project will be the environmental
analysis document prepared under the
Commission’s certified regulatory
program. The Commission will allow
sufficient opportunity during the CDP
process for public review and comment.
Proposed Project
We propose to convert approximately
67 acres of disturbed uplands within the
western portion of the Otay River
floodplain to functional estuarine
VerDate Mar<15>2010
19:40 Nov 10, 2011
Jkt 226001
habitats, including subtidal wetlands
and intertidal salt marsh and mudflat
habitat. Upland buffers to be provided
around portions of the restored
wetlands would be planted with native
upland and wetland/upland transitional
vegetation. The major goals of the
project are to protect, manage, enhance,
and restore open water coastal wetlands
and native upland to benefit native fish,
wildlife, and plant species supported
within the South San Diego Bay Unit of
the San Diego Bay NWR and to provide
habitat for migratory shorebirds and
other salt marsh-dependent species.
The project site, which is located
within the City of San Diego to the west
of Interstate 5 between Main Street to
the north and Palm Avenue to the south,
is included entirely within an area
managed by the Service as a National
Wildlife Refuge. The eastern portion of
the site is owned by the Service in fee
title, while the western portion is leased
to the Service by the State Lands
Commission.
In order to restore estuarine habitat in
the Otay River floodplain, we have
initially estimated that approximately
75 acres would need to be graded to
provide both the wetland and upland
components of the proposed restoration.
To achieve elevations appropriate for
supporting the desired estuarine habitat
types, excavation of 3 to 11 feet of soil
over an area of approximately 65 acres
would be required, generating an
estimated 750,000 to 1 million cubic
yards of material, some of which will be
used on site, while the remainder will
be transported off site to an approved
disposal site. The proposed wetlands
would be tidally connected to San Diego
Bay via the existing Otay River channel.
Additional grading to deepen and
potentially widen the Otay River
channel from the western edge of the
project site out to the mouth of the river
may also be needed, pending hydraulic
modeling.
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. The Service is currently developing
a range of restoration alternatives to be
analyzed in the draft EIS, and we invite
written comments from interested
parties to ensure identification of the
full range of alternatives, issues, and
concerns. Information gathered through
this scoping process will assist us in
developing a range of alternatives. A
detailed description of the proposed
action and alternatives will be included
PO 00000
Frm 00075
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
70481
in the EIS. The EIS will also address the
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts
of the alternatives on environmental
resources and identify appropriate
mitigation measures for adverse
environmental effects.
Written comments we receive become
part of the public record associated with
this action. 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 your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
In addition to providing written
comments, the public is encouraged to
attend a public scoping meeting to
provide us with suggestions and
information on the scope of issues and
alternatives to consider when drafting
the EIS. A public scoping meeting will
be held in San Diego County, California,
in the fall of 2011. We will mail a
separate announcement to the public
with the exact date, time, and location
of the public scoping meeting. Requests
to be contacted about the scoping
meeting should be directed to Brian
Collins (see ADDRESSES). We will accept
both oral and written comments at the
scoping meeting.
NEPA Compliance
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. We anticipate that a draft
EIS will be available for public review
in the spring of 2012.
Alexandra Pitts,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2011–29265 Filed 11–10–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLMT926000–L19100000–BJ0000–
LRCME1G04814]
Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey;
South Dakota
AGENCY:
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
E:\FR\FM\14NON1.SGM
14NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 219 (Monday, November 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70480-70481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29265]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-R-2011-N199; 1261-0000-81680-W5]
Otay River Estuary Restoration Project, South San Diego Bay Unit
of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, California;
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for public comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Otay
River Estuary Restoration Project. The proposed project involves the
restoration of 66.4 acres of estuarine (subtidal and intertidal)
wetland habitat within the western terminus of the Otay River, part of
the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This notice advises the
public that 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 sending written suggestions and information on the
issues and concerns that should be addressed in the draft EIS,
including the range of alternatives, appropriate mitigation measures,
and the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts.
DATES: To ensure that we have adequate time to evaluate and incorporate
suggestions and other input, we must receive your comments on or before
January 6, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information by any
one of the following methods.
Email: Otay_NOI@fws.gov. Please include ``Otay Estuary NOI'' in
the subject line of the message.
Fax: Attn: Brian Collins, (619) 476-9149.
U.S. Mail: Brian Collins, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Diego
National Wildlife Refuge Complex, P.O. Box 2358, Chula Vista, CA 91912.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Collins, Refuge Manager (619)
575-2704, extension 302), or Andy Yuen, Project Leader (619) 476-9150,
extension 100).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In 2006, we completed a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and
EIS/Record of Decision (ROD) to guide the management of the San Diego
Bay National Wildlife Refuge over a 15-year period (71 FR 64552,
November 2, 2006). The wildlife and habitat management goal of the
selected management alternative in the CCP for the South San Diego Bay
Unit is to ``protect, manage, enhance, and restore * * * coastal
wetlands * * * to benefit the native fish, wildlife, and plant species
supported within the South San Diego Bay Unit.'' One of the strategies
identified to meet this goal is to restore native habitats in the Otay
River floodplain. The proposed restoration project represents step-down
restoration planning for the western portion of the Otay River
floodplain. The site-specific EIS for this project will tier from the
programmatic EIS and ROD prepared for the CCP.
[[Page 70481]]
Funding for the proposed restoration is being provided by the
Poseidon Resources Carlsbad Desalination Project, in order to implement
their Marine Life Mitigation Plan (MLMP), which is required to fulfill
part of their mitigation requirement for the desalination project. On
November 15, 2007, the California Coastal Commission approved a Coastal
Development Permit (CDP No. E-06-013) for the Poseidon desalination
facility in Carlsbad, San Diego County. As part of that approval, the
Commission required Poseidon to implement a Marine Life Mitigation Plan
(MLMP).
In early 2010, Poseidon submitted an initial proposal to the
California Coastal Commission identifying possible mitigation sites.
The submittal compared about a dozen potential sites in the Southern
California Bight and concluded that the Otay River floodplain portion
of the San Diego Bay NWR was most suited to provide the type and amount
of mitigation the MLMP required. California Coastal Commission staff
and members of its Scientific Advisory Panel reviewed Poseidon's
analysis and concurred that the Otay River floodplain site was most
likely to meet the MLMP requirements and objectives. Final site
selection required approval by both the California Coastal Commission
and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (Control Board).
On February 9, 2011, the California Coastal Commission unanimously
approved the Otay River floodplain site, and the site was approved by
the Control Board on March 9, 2011. The MLMP requirements and
objectives are consistent with the goals and objectives set forth in
our CCP for the Otay River floodplain.
Prior to implementation of the restoration project, the California
Coastal Commission must approve a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for
the proposed restoration. In accordance with the California
Environmental Quality Act, the CDP process is exempt from the
requirement of preparing an environmental impact report. The
Commission's staff report and findings related to the CDP application
for the project will be the environmental analysis document prepared
under the Commission's certified regulatory program. The Commission
will allow sufficient opportunity during the CDP process for public
review and comment.
Proposed Project
We propose to convert approximately 67 acres of disturbed uplands
within the western portion of the Otay River floodplain to functional
estuarine habitats, including subtidal wetlands and intertidal salt
marsh and mudflat habitat. Upland buffers to be provided around
portions of the restored wetlands would be planted with native upland
and wetland/upland transitional vegetation. The major goals of the
project are to protect, manage, enhance, and restore open water coastal
wetlands and native upland to benefit native fish, wildlife, and plant
species supported within the South San Diego Bay Unit of the San Diego
Bay NWR and to provide habitat for migratory shorebirds and other salt
marsh-dependent species.
The project site, which is located within the City of San Diego to
the west of Interstate 5 between Main Street to the north and Palm
Avenue to the south, is included entirely within an area managed by the
Service as a National Wildlife Refuge. The eastern portion of the site
is owned by the Service in fee title, while the western portion is
leased to the Service by the State Lands Commission.
In order to restore estuarine habitat in the Otay River floodplain,
we have initially estimated that approximately 75 acres would need to
be graded to provide both the wetland and upland components of the
proposed restoration. To achieve elevations appropriate for supporting
the desired estuarine habitat types, excavation of 3 to 11 feet of soil
over an area of approximately 65 acres would be required, generating an
estimated 750,000 to 1 million cubic yards of material, some of which
will be used on site, while the remainder will be transported off site
to an approved disposal site. The proposed wetlands would be tidally
connected to San Diego Bay via the existing Otay River channel.
Additional grading to deepen and potentially widen the Otay River
channel from the western edge of the project site out to the mouth of
the river may also be needed, pending hydraulic modeling.
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. The Service is currently developing a range
of restoration alternatives to be analyzed in the draft EIS, and we
invite written comments from interested parties to ensure
identification of the full range of alternatives, issues, and concerns.
Information gathered through this scoping process will assist us in
developing a range of alternatives. A detailed description of the
proposed action and alternatives will be included in the EIS. The EIS
will also address the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the
alternatives on environmental resources and identify appropriate
mitigation measures for adverse environmental effects.
Written comments we receive become part of the public record
associated with this action. 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 your comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
In addition to providing written comments, the public is encouraged
to attend a public scoping meeting to provide us with suggestions and
information on the scope of issues and alternatives to consider when
drafting the EIS. A public scoping meeting will be held in San Diego
County, California, in the fall of 2011. We will mail a separate
announcement to the public with the exact date, time, and location of
the public scoping meeting. Requests to be contacted about the scoping
meeting should be directed to Brian Collins (see ADDRESSES). We will
accept both oral and written comments at the scoping meeting.
NEPA Compliance
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.
We anticipate that a draft EIS will be available for public review in
the spring of 2012.
Alexandra Pitts,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-29265 Filed 11-10-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
