[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50286-50287]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24551]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Corps of Engineers; Department of the Army
To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Willamette River Basin Review Feasibility Study
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS).
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SUMMARY: The alternatives to be evaluated in this feasibility study and
EIS address the modification of operation and storage allocation of the
Corps' 13-reservoir Willamette Basin, Oregon, system to better serve
current and anticipated future water resource needs. A proposed action
will be identified in the Final EIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Address questions about the
alternatives and EIS to: Lynne Hamilton, telephone (503) 326-6169,
Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental
Resources Branch, P.O. Box 2946, Portland, Oregon, 97208-2946.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Willamette River Basin lies in
northwestern Oregon. The Willamette Basin is the largest river basin
wholly within Oregon and supports most of the State's population,
larger cities, and many major industries. It also contains some of
Oregon's most productive agricultural lands and supports nationally and
regionally significant fish, wildlife, and plant species. There are a
number of streams in the basin designated as State scenic waterways and
Federal wild and scenic rivers. Water-related recreational
opportunities in the basin are numerous.
The basin is bounded on the east by the Cascade mountain range, on
the south by the Calapooya mountains, and on the west by the Coast
range. The basin has a drainage area of over 29,000 square kilometers
(11,200 square miles) at its confluence with the Columbia River. At
Salem, the capital of Oregon, near the middle of the basin, the
drainage area is about 18,900 square kilometers (7,300 square miles).
The mainstem Willamette River forms at the confluence of the Coast Fork
and Middle Fork Willamette rivers near the cities of Eugene and
Springfield. The river flows northward for a total of about 317
kilometers (197 miles). Major cities on the Willamette River downstream
of Eugene-Springfield include Corvallis, Albany, Salem, and Portland.
Major eastside tributaries include the Middle Fork Willamette,
McKenzie, Santiam, and Clackamas rivers. Major westside tributaries
include the Coast Fork Willamette, Long Tom, Marys, Luckiamute,
Yamhill, and Tualatin rivers.
The purposes of the Corps' Willamette projects include flood damage
reduction, power generation, navigation, irrigation, recreation,
domestic water supply, fish and wildlife conservation, and pollution
abatement. Of the 13 Corps reservoirs in the Willamette River Basin, 11
are multiple-purpose, and 2 are re-regulating reservoirs for
hydropower.
Six of the Corps' multipurpose projects in the Willamette Basin
generate hydropower and have exclusive reservoir storage for this
purpose. Releases from the power projects are used to generate
electrical energy for local and regional consumption. Energy generated
by the Corps' projects is marketed by Bonneville Power Administration
to help meet local and regional energy demand within the Federal
Columbia River Power System.
[[Page 50287]]
Water uses, needs, and public expectations have changed
dramatically since the reservoir system was originally authorized in
1938. A full range of beneficial uses needs to be considered for the
reservoir system. Because the Willamette Valley is heavily populated
and one of fastest growing regions in the State, the demands placed on
Corps reservoirs for municipal and industrial water supplies as well as
irrigation needs are expected to increase in the future.
The water quality strategy for the Willamette River is currently
based on release of stored water for low flow augmentation. Water
quality permits based on the existing minimum flows provide no
allowance for new waste loads in the future and presume that increased
growth and development would be achieved within existing permit limits.
Also, recreation has become a major economic and social use at many of
the reservoirs and is dependent upon maintaining high conservation pool
levels.
In recent years, the regional awareness for rebuilding fish and
wildlife populations in the Willamette Basin has steadily increased.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has adopted a Wild
Fish Management Policy to protect the genetic resources of Oregon's
wild fish and has adopted management strategies by subbasin based on
increasing natural production. Natural production is accepted as the
key to restoration and recovery of the declines in native fish stocks
as an effort to prevent more listings of fish species under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA). In the Willamette Basin, steelhead and
spring chinook salmon are native anadromous fish listed by the ODFW as
sensitive species; recently, these species were petitioned for listing
under the ESA. As of July 1996, the National Marine Fisheries Service
proposed some steelhead stocks for listing; stocks originating above
Willamette Falls were not included. Other sensitive fish species in the
basin include the Oregon chub and bull trout. Oregon chub was listed as
Federally endangered in November 1993, and bull trout is a candidate
species for listing under the ESA. Because of their regional and
national significance, these fish species are given high priority with
respect to current and future management activities in the Willamette
Basin.
Five alternative scenarios reflecting changed system conditions
from the base (without project or No Action) condition will be
developed by varying the emphasis of the beneficial uses of the system.
Beneficial uses to emphasize in addition to the purposes of flood
protection, navigation, irrigation, and power include acquatic habitat
and fish life-cycle needs, water quality, reservoir and downstream
recreation, municipal and industrial water supply, and possibly other
uses. The alternative of no action, i.e., continuing to operate the
system as presently done, will also be considered. This includes
development of a scenario reflecting the greatest net National Economic
Development benefits (NED plan). The alternative scenarios will be
analyzed in the feasibility study to determine physical, economic,
environmental, cultural, and other possible benefits and effects from
the base condition.
The EIS scoping process will commence in October 1996 with the
issuance of a scoping letter. Federal, State and local agencies, Indian
tribes, and interested organizations and individuals will be asked to
comment on the significant issues relating to the potential effects of
the alternatives. Potentially significant issues to be addressed in the
EIS include: Effects on populations and habitat of anadromous and
resident fish, especially threatened, endangered, or sensitive species;
Effects on wetlands and flood plains; Effects on power production,
recreation, irrigation, water quality.
Other environmental review and consultation requirements to be
addressed in the EIS include:
(1) Clean Water Act of 1977, as amended
(2) Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
(3) Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended
(4) Cultural Resources Acts
(5) Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management
(6) Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands
A series of scoping meetings/public workshops are planned for
February-March 1997 at various locations in the basin. Other public
workshops will be held periodically throughout the study. Times and
locations of these public workshops will be announced via the media.
The DEIS is scheduled to be published and distributed for public review
and comment in October 1999.
Dated: September 13, 1996.
Howard B. Jones,
Chief, Planning and Engineering Division.
[FR Doc. 96-24551 Filed 9-24-96; 8:45 am]
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