Department of Defense January 27, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The action being taken is the preparation of a programmatic and project-specific Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the West Sacramento Levee Improvements Program (WSLIP) in Yolo County and Solano County, CA. Under 33 U.S.C. 408, the Chief of Engineers grants permission to alter an existing flood control structure if it is not injurious to the public interest and does not impair the usefulness of such work. Under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the District Engineer permits the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States if the discharge meets the requirements for the Environmental Protection Agency's 404(b)(1) guidelines and is not contrary to the public interest. The U.S Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will consider granting both 408 permission to the Central Valley Flood Protection Board (CVFPB) and 404 permit to West Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (WSAFCA) for their work on the WSLIP. The CVFPB and WSAFCA are requesting this permission and permit in order to reduce flood risk the City of West Sacramento by meeting the following objectives for the project: Achieve a minimum of a 200-year level (an event that has a 0.5% chance of occurring in any given year) of flood protection for the entire City by improving approximately 50 miles of levees that protect it; Construct levee improvements as soon as possible to reduce flood risk as quickly as possible; and, Provide recreational and open space elements for the City that are compatible with flood improvement actions.