[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 106 (Friday, June 3, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-13531]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 3, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
 

Notice of Availability of the Joint Draft Environmental 
Assessment and Draft Restoration Plan for the John Day River Acid Spill

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish 
and Wildlife, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian 
Reservation (hereafter known as the Trustees) announce the availability 
of the Joint Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Restoration Plan 
for the John Day River Acid Spill (DEA/Plan) for public review. The 
Trustees are proposing to restore natural resources injured as a result 
of the 1990 John Day River acid spill. Public comments are invited 
pursuant to applicable National Environmental Policy Act regulations 
and Department of the Interior Natural Resource Damage Assessment 
regulations.

DATES: Written comments are requested and will be accepted until July 
5, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the DEA/Plan may be sent to: U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, 2600 S.E. 98th Avenue, 
Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 97266-1325.
    Written comments or material regarding the DEA/Plan should be sent 
to the same address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Russell D. Peterson, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
2600 S.E. 98th Avenue, Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 97266-1325, 
(Attention: Environmental Contaminants Program).
    Interested parties may also call (503) 231-6179 for further 
information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 8, 1990, a tanker truck owned 
and operated by Thatcher Trucking Company of Salt Lake City, Utah 
skidded off Highway 395 and rolled down an embankment into the North 
Fork of the John Day River in north-central Oregon. An estimated 3,500 
gallons, or 33,500 pounds, of hydrochloric acid was discharged into the 
river and flowed downstream at an approximate rate of one mile per 
hour.
    The spill drastically changed the pH of the river water resulting 
in extensive mortality and injury to fish resources. An estimated 
98,000 to 145,000 fish were destroyed, including 4,000 anadromous fish, 
300 bull trout, and 9,500 Pacific lampery. Additionally, 50 percent of 
the chinook salmon alevins were estimated to have been killed. Aquatic 
mammals, waterfowl, and endangered species, which utilize the John Day 
River Basin, may also have been directly or indirectly impacted by the 
spill.
    In 1992, the United States of America, State of Oregon, and the 
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation settled claims 
for natural resource damages associated with the 1990 John Day River 
acid spill. The claims were settled by consent decree under Section 107 
of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
Liability Act, as amended. The consent decree established a $275,000 
Trust Fund for use only for restoration, replacement, or acquisition of 
equivalent resources injured by the spill.
    A Restoration Committee, comprised of a representative from each 
Trustee, was established to review and select restoration actions. The 
following strategies and alternatives were developed by the Restoration 
Committee: (1) Permanent Protection--land acquisition and perpetual 
easements, leases, or covenants; (2) Temporary Protection--easements, 
leases, or management rights; (3) Habitat Enhancement--riparian habitat 
restoration, instream habitat improvement measures, and watershed 
improvement measures; (4) Combined Protection and Enhancement--all 
alternatives previously listed; and (5) No Action--unmitigated action.
    In order to maximize recovery of injured resources, the Restoration 
Committee selected the Combined Protection and Enhancement Strategy. In 
selecting this strategy, the Trustees emphasis on the selection of 
restoration projects was on Permanent Protection followed by Temporary 
Protection and then Habitat Enhancement projects. Selected projects 
include the following; land acquisition, permanent easements, riparian 
habitat protection, riparian habitat restoration, instream habitat 
enhancement, erosion control, and watershed restoration. These projects 
are outlined in the DEA/Plan and would be implemented on the North 
Fork, Middle Fork, and other tributaries of the John Day River. The 
primary criteria for the selection of projects was based on the 
project's potential to restore resources injured by this spill. The 
Restoration Committee is also actively seeking matching funds for 
restoration projects in order to enhance selected projects or implement 
additional projects. Potential cost-share organizations include the 
U.S. Forest Service, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the 
Nature Conservancy, and the Bonneville Power Administration, among 
others.
    Interested members of the public are invited to review and comment 
on the DEA/Plan and to provide additional alternatives and projects. 
Copies of the DEA/Plan are available for review at the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service's Ecological Services Field Office (2600 S.E. 98th 
Avenue, suite 100, Portland, Oregon), the Oregon Department of Fish and 
Wildlife's John Day District Office (305 North Canyon Boulevard, Canyon 
City, Oregon), and the Grant County Library (507 South Canyon 
Boulevard, John Day, Oregon). Copies of the DEA/Plan may be obtained at 
the aforementioned U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office. All written 
comments will be considered and addressed in the final agency 
determination.

    Dated: May 23, 1994.
Marvin Plenert,
Regional Director, Region 1, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 94-13531 Filed 6-2-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M