Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for Yolo Bypass Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage, California, 14117-14119 [2013-04892]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Reclamation

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 42 (Monday, March 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14117-14119]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-04892]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report 
for Yolo Bypass Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage, 
California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent and scoping meetings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Water 
Resources intend to prepare an environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) for the implementation of actions 
I.6.1 and I.7 identified in the National Marine Fisheries Service's 
2009 Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion on the Long-term 
Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project 
Reasonable and Prudent Alternative. These actions consist of salmonid 
habitat restoration efforts within the lower Sacramento River basin and 
fish passage through the Yolo Bypass. We are seeking suggestions and 
information on the alternatives and topics to be addressed and any 
other important issues related to the proposed action.

DATES: Submit written comments on the scope of the environmental impact 
statement by April 3, 2013.
    Oral and written comments will also be accepted during two scoping 
meetings held to solicit public input on alternatives, concerns, and 
issues to be addressed in the environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report:
    1. March 14, 2013, 1:30-3:30 p.m., West Sacramento, California.
    2. March 14, 2013, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Woodland, California.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Traci Michel, Project Manager, 
Bureau of Reclamation, Bay-Delta Office, 801 I Street, Suite 140, 
Sacramento, CA 95814-2536; fax to 916-414-2439; or email at 
tmichel@usbr.gov.
    The scoping meetings will be held at the following locations:
    1. West Sacramento--1075 West Capitol Ave., West Sacramento, CA 
95691, Galleria and Community Center in the Community Room.
    2. Woodland--2001 East St., Woodland, CA 95776, Woodland Community 
and Senior Center in Banquet Rooms 2 & 3.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Traci Michel, 916-414-2420, fax 916-
414-2439, or email tmichel@usbr.gov; or Megan Sheely, FESSRO, Fish 
Passage Improvement Program, California Department of Water Resources, 
901 P Street, Room 411A, Sacramento, CA 95814, 916-651-9623, fax 916-
376-9688, or email Megan.Sheely@water.ca.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Agencies Involved

    The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is the lead Federal agency, 
and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is the lead 
state agency. Reclamation will invite the following agencies, and 
others, as

[[Page 14118]]

appropriate, to participate as cooperating agencies for the preparation 
of the EIS/EIR in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA):
     National Marine Fisheries Service;
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
     U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
     Natural Resources Conservation Service;
     California Department of Fish and Wildlife;
     Central Valley Flood Protection Board;
     Delta Stewardship Council;
     Delta Conservancy;
     Delta Protection Commission;
     Yolo County;
     State and Federal Contractors Water Agency;
     Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency; and
     Local agencies (e.g., potentially affected cities, water 
districts and reclamation districts).
    DWR has identified several agencies that may be trustee or 
responsible agencies in accordance with CEQA.

II. Why We Are Taking This Action

    The National Marine Fisheries Service's 2009 Biological Opinion and 
Conference Opinion on the Long-term Operation of the Central Valley 
Project and State Water Project (NMFS BO) concluded that, as proposed, 
the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project operations were 
likely to jeopardize the continued existence of four anadromous species 
listed under the federal Endangered Species Act: Sacramento River 
winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Central Valley 
spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), California 
Central Valley steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and the Southern 
Distinct Population Segment of North American green sturgeon (Acipenser 
medirostris). The NMFS BO identifies actions within the Reasonable and 
Prudent Alternative (RPA) that would allow continuing Central Valley 
Project and State Water Project operations to avoid jeopardy of these 
species.
    RPA actions I.6.1 and I.7 address salmonid habitat restoration 
actions in the lower Sacramento River basin and fish passage actions in 
the Yolo Bypass, respectively. The Yolo Bypass, which currently 
experiences at least some flooding in approximately 80% of years, still 
retains many characteristics of the historic floodplain habitat that 
are favorable to various fish species. The primary purpose of the Yolo 
Bypass is flood damage reduction, but other functions include 
agriculture and wildlife habitat. Major California restoration planning 
efforts over several decades (e.g., CALFED, the Bay Delta Conservation 
Plan) have focused on the Yolo Bypass as a prime area of the lower 
Sacramento River basin for enhancement of seasonal floodplain fisheries 
rearing habitat.
    The two RPA actions being addressed in this EIS/EIR include:
     RPA Action I.6.1: Restoration of Floodplain Rearing 
Habitat, through the increase of seasonal inundation within the lower 
Sacramento River basin; and
     RPA Action I.7: Reduce Migratory Delays and Loss of 
Salmon, Steelhead, and Sturgeon, through the modification of Fremont 
Weir and other structures of the Bypass.

III. Purpose and Need for Action

    Significant modifications have been made to the historic floodplain 
of California's Central Valley for water supply and flood damage 
reduction purposes. The resulting losses of fisheries rearing habitat, 
migration corridors, and food web production for fish have hindered 
native fish species that rely on floodplain habitat during part or all 
of their life history.
    The purpose of the action is to create more suitable conditions for 
fish in the Yolo Bypass and/or lower Sacramento River basin by 
implementing RPA actions I.6.1 and I.7, as described in the NMFS BO and 
the 2012 Yolo Bypass Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage 
Implementation Plan. The purpose of RPA action I.6.1 is to restore 
floodplain fisheries rearing habitat for juvenile Sacramento River 
winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, 
and Central Valley steelhead. This action could also improve conditions 
for species of concern, including Sacramento splittail and Central 
Valley fall-run Chinook salmon. Specific biological purposes related to 
implementing RPA action I.6.1 include increasing access to, and acreage 
of, seasonal floodplain fisheries rearing habitat; reducing stranding 
and the presence of migration barriers; increasing aquatic primary and 
secondary biotic production to provide food through an ecosystem 
approach; and providing access to seasonal habitat through volitional 
entry.
    The purpose of RPA action I.7 is to reduce migratory delays and 
loss of fish at Fremont Weir and other structures in the Yolo Bypass. 
Specific biological purposes related to RPA action I.7 include 
improving connectivity within the Yolo Bypass for passage of juvenile 
salmonids and green sturgeon and improving connectivity between the 
Sacramento River and the Yolo Bypass to provide passage for adult 
Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run 
Chinook salmon, California Central Valley steelhead, and the Southern 
Distinct Population Segment of green sturgeon.

IV. Project Area

    The Yolo Bypass is located in Yolo County, California, within the 
Sacramento Valley region. The Yolo Bypass spans 25 square miles between 
the cities of Sacramento and Woodland, south to the City of Rio Vista. 
The Yolo Bypass is a flood basin, connected by a system of weirs 
(Fremont, Lisbon, and Sacramento) to the Sacramento River, and various 
local creeks. Action alternatives may include restoration actions 
within the lower Sacramento River basin, which also covers parts of 
Sacramento and San Joaquin counties in California.

V. Alternatives To Be Considered

    Both physical and operational modifications will be included in 
efforts to increase seasonal inundation and improve fish passage. RPA 
action I.6.1 includes floodplain fisheries rearing habitat restoration 
in the lower Sacramento River basin. Several physical and operational 
modifications within the project area may be a part of efforts to 
increase seasonal inundation. Modifications could include notching 
Fremont Weir and/or the Sacramento Weir to allow flows to enter the 
Yolo Bypass during a range of flows in the Sacramento River, improving 
fish passage at Lisbon Weir, grading or altering channels to improve 
connectivity, changing operations to increase the frequency and 
duration of inundation, and identifying and addressing potential areas 
that could strand fish. Alternatives may include floodplain fisheries 
rearing habitat restoration actions at other sites in the lower 
Sacramento River basin.
    RPA action I.7 includes changes to improve fish passage within the 
Yolo Bypass. Elements of the proposed project could include replacing 
road crossings that impair fish passage, constructing fish passage 
facilities at Fremont Weir, connecting isolated pools to main channels, 
improving fish passage at Lisbon Weir, and addressing other obstacles 
to fish passage.

VI. Statutory Authority

    NEPA [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.] requires that Federal agencies 
conduct an environmental analysis of their proposed actions to 
determine if the actions may significantly affect the

[[Page 14119]]

human environment. CEQA (California Public Resources Code [CCR], 
Section 15222 [State CEQA Guidelines]) requires State agencies complete 
a similar review of how their actions could affect the environment. As 
required by NEPA and CEQA, Reclamation and DWR will analyze in the EIS/
EIR the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental 
effects that may result from implementation of the proposed action and 
alternatives, which may include, but are not limited to, the following 
areas of potential impact:
    a. Water resources, including groundwater;
    b. Flood control;
    c. Land use, including agricultural resources;
    d. Socioeconomics;
    e. Environmental justice;
    f. Biological resources, including fish, wildlife, and plant 
species;
    g. Cultural resources;
    h. Hydrology/water quality;
    i. Air quality;
    j. Power/energy and natural resources;
    k. Public services and utilities;
    l. Hazards and hazardous materials;
    m. Geology, soils, and mineral resources;
    n. Visual, scenic, or aesthetic resources;
    o. Global climate change/greenhouse gas emissions;
    p. Indian trust assets;
    q. Noise;
    r. Population and housing;
    s. Transportation; and
    t. Recreation.

VII. Request for Comments

    The purposes of this notice are:
     To advise other agencies, potentially affected local 
governments, tribes, and the public of our intent to prepare an EIS/
EIR;
     To obtain suggestions and information from other agencies, 
interested parties, and the public on the scope of alternatives and 
issues to be addressed in the EIS/EIR; and
     To identify important issues raised by the public related 
to the development and implementation of the proposed action.
    We invite written comments from interested parties to ensure that 
the full range of alternatives and issues related to the development of 
the proposed action are identified. Written comments may be submitted 
by mail, electronic mail, facsimile transmission or in person (see 
ADDRESSES above). Comments and participation in the scoping process are 
encouraged.

VIII. Public Disclosure

    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.

IX. How To Request Reasonable Accommodation

    If special assistance is required at one of the scoping meetings, 
please contact Traci Michel at the information provided above, or TDD 
916-978-5808, at least five working days before the meetings. 
Information regarding this proposed action is available in alternative 
formats upon request.

    Dated: February 22, 2013.
Anastasia T. Leigh,
Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2013-04892 Filed 3-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P