[Federal Register: October 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 190)]
[Notices]
[Page 57569-57570]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03oc05-47]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement,
Programmatic Sediment Management Plan, Lower Snake River Reservoirs, in
the States of Washington and Idaho
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a Programmatic Sediment
Management Plan that will address sediment management within the four
lower Snake River reservoirs and that portion of McNary reservoir
contained within the lower Snake River The plan will identify and
evaluate ways the Corps can manage sediment within these reservoirs and
examine the sediment input (sources) on a programmatic basis in the
near-term, mid-term, and long-term. The reservoirs extend from the
mouth of the Snake River upstream to the communities of Lewiston,
Idaho, and Clarkston, Washington; and include the lower 2 miles of the
Clearwater River from its confluence with the Snake River at Lewiston
upstream to the U.S. Highway 12 Bridge. In the plan the Corps will also
include all tributaries that could significantly contribute sediment to
the lower Snake River. The Corps is preparing this plan because
sediment management has been an ongoing maintenance issue since the
completion of Ice Harbor Dam, the first dam and reservoir on the lower
Snake River, in 1961. Rather than addressing sediment-related problems
on a case-by-case basis, the Corps has determined that it would be more
effective to evaluate sediment management as a whole and on a watershed
basis. The intent of the plan is to identify ways to reduce the amount
of sediment entering the reservoirs, identify how to manage the
sediment once it enters the reservoirs, and identify possible changes
to structures or operations to reduce maintenance and associated
impacts while still providing for authorized project purposes,
including navigation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Carl Christianson, Project
Manager, Walla Walla District, Corps of Engineers, CENWW-PM-PD, 201
North Third Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362, phone (509) 527-7260, or Ms.
Sandra Simmons, NEPA Coordinator, Walla Walla District, Corps of
Engineers, CENWW-PD-EC, 201 North Third Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362,
phone (509) 527-7265.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since construction of its first dam on the
lower Snake River, the Corps has recognized that sediment management
would be an ongoing maintenance issue within the reservoirs.
Historically the Corps has used dredging as the primary means of
managing sediment that deposited in areas that interfere with man's use
of the river. Most of these maintenance dredging actions have been
conducted on a case-by-case basis without a long-term look at more
effective ways of managing sediment. The Corps has now determined it
would be more effective to evaluate sediment management within the
lower Snake River on a watershed scale, and evaluate the potential for
reducing sediment input, rather than focusing only on the reservoirs
themselves. Although the Corps does not have the authority to manage
land outside of the reservoir project boundaries, the Corps can
identify and evaluate management strategies that could be implemented
on non-Corps property.
The Corps is considering a variety of sediment management measures
that could be used individually or in combination. Measures identified
to date for evaluation include:
Sediment Reduction Measures
Structural Sediment Reduction Measures
Aquatic ecosystem restoration projects under current
authorities (Section 206 Water Resources Development Act of 1996 and
Section 1135 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986)
Shoreline vegetated filter strips
Streambank erosion control
Improved logging road placement and design
Non-Structural Sediment Reduction Measures
Natural Resource Conservation Service conservation
programs
Land use planning
Public education
Watershed planning
Forest management practices
Timber harvest planning
Sediment Management Measures
In-water systems to control sediment deposition.
Agitation to prevent settling
Bendway weirs
Dikes and dike fields
Air curtains to prevent settling of material at specific
locations
Sediment Removal and Management
Agitation to re-suspend sediment
Dredging to remove sediment
Beneficial use of dredged material
In-water disposal of dredged material
Upland disposal of dredged material
System Management Measures
Modify Navigation System Infrastructure
Relocate affected commercial navigation, recreational
boating and water intake facilities
Build sediment retention dams upstream of Lower Granite
reservoir and/or in tributaries
Modify Reservoir Operations
Raise pool levels to increase water depth
Modify flows to flush sediment
Draw down Lower Granite reservoir to add flow conveyance
capacity
Provide Flow Conveyance at Snake/Clearwater Rivers Confluence
The Corps has also initially identified several key resource areas
that may be affected by the sediment management
[[Page 57570]]
measures and will be analyzed in the EIS. These include water quality,
anadromous fish, cultural resources, and socio-economics. The Corps
expects other resource concerns to be identified during the scoping
process.
The EIS will address measures, alternatives, and impacts on a
programmatic level, but will not address site-specific actions.
However, the EIS will present the coordination and environmental review
steps the Corps will take with regard to subsequent site-specific
actions.
The Corps currently anticipates conducting public scoping for this
EIS in early 2006. The exact dates, times, and locations of these
meetings have not yet been set. The Corps will publicize this
information once the meeting arrangements have been made. The Corps
invites affected Federal, state, and local agencies, affected Native
American tribes, and other interested organizations and persons to
participate in the development of the EIS. The Corps will also invite
input from the local, interagency sediment management group formed
under the Northwest Regional Dredging Team.
The draft EIS is currently scheduled to be available for public
review in fall 2008. The final EIS is currently scheduled to be
available for public review in fall 2009.
Randy L. Glaeser,
LTC, EN, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 05-19694 Filed 9-30-05; 8:45 am]
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