[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 134 (Thursday, July 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36123-36124]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17175]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplement (DSEIS) to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement; Sacramento River Bank Protection 
Project, Lower American River, California

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The proposed action is the implementation of streambank 
protection along the lower American River where erosion threatens the 
integrity and reliability of Federal flood control levees which provide 
flood protection to the Greater Sacramento Metropolitan Area. The 
proposed action, developed cooperatively by a task force composed of 
government agencies and local interest organizations, comprises a near-
term bank protection action and possible longer-term bank protection 
actions. Near-term actions include bank protection at five critical 
sites comprising 13,800 linear feet of streambank protection. Longer-
term actions may be taken at any location along the lower American 
River where project flood control levees become threatened by bank 
erosion. The proposed action is being implemented by the Sacramento 
River Bank Protection Project, a continuing construction project 
authorized by the 1960 Flood Control Act.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions or comments regarding this DSEIS should be addressed to Mr. 
Matt Davis, Planning Division, Corps of Engineers, 1325 J Street, 
Sacramento, California, 95814-2922, ATTN: CESPK-PD-R, telephone (916) 
557-6708. An issues-scoping meeting for this project will be held on 
July 11, 1995, as described below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Proposed Action

    The Corps of Engineers and non-Federal sponsors (The Reclamation 
Board, State of California, and the Sacramento Area Flood Control 
Agency) are proposing to implement streambank protection measures on 
the lower American River, California. The purpose of the proposed 
action to implement streambank protection measures is to ensure the 
reliability of the lower American River Federal levees, while 
preserving existing environmental values and other values that lead to 
the river's inclusion in the Federal and State Wild and Scenic Rivers 
systems and creation of the American River Parkway.
    The proposed action is being implemented under the Sacramento River 
Bank Protection Project (SRBPP). The SRBPP is a continuing construction 
project of the Corps of Engineers authorized by the Flood Control Act 
of 1960. The purpose of the SRBPP is to protect the existing levees and 
flood control facilities of the Sacramento River Flood Control Project. 
The proposed action on lower American River is within the project area 
of SRBPP.
    The area of the lower American River to be affected by the proposed 
action consists of the reach of the river bounded by Federal levees of 
the American and Sacramento River Flood Control Projects. This reach 
extends upstream from the confluence with the Sacramento River in the 
City of Sacramento about 11 miles (south bank) to 14 miles (north 
bank), through the American River Parkway of Sacramento County. This 
reach of the American River is a designated Recreational Zone 

[[Page 36124]]
of a Wild and Scenic River under both the Federal and State Acts.
    Since January 1994, the lower American River Task Force, comprised 
of flood-control agencies, resource-management agencies, local 
governments, and local interest organizations, has been developing the 
foundation for a locally preferred alternative for a flood control 
project along the lower American River. This task force is addressing 
five related areas: streambank protection measures, levee design and 
stabilization issues, infrastructure needs and alternative flows, a 
floodway management plan, and opportunities for parkway improvements. 
The environmental document noticed herein would address the task 
force's proposed streambank protection measures. The streambank 
protection action would protect the existing flood control levee system 
but not provide for a greater level of flood protection. Solutions to 
flood problems along the American and Sacramento Rivers in the greater 
Sacramento area are being addressed separately by the Corps of 
Engineers under the American River Watershed Project (DSEIS and 
Supplemental Information Report to be released for public review in 
summer of 1995).
    The proposed action to be addressed in the DSEIS, developed by 
consensus among the task force participants, comprises a near-term bank 
protection action and possible longer-term actions. Near-term actions 
include bank protection at five critical sites comprising 13,800 linear 
feet of streambank. Bank protection construction at these five sites is 
proposed to begin in 1997. Longer-term actions may be taken at any 
location along the Federal levee system where levees become threatened 
by bank erosion. Although some potential sites have been identified, 
other eroding sites may develop during future floods. The document will 
identify sites most likely to need treatment, the process to be used to 
determine if treatments are needed, the expected approaches to 
treatment, and the process to be used to determine the actual 
treatments.
    To shorten the time period between identification of treatment need 
and actual treatment in the future, as encouraged by the President's 
Council on Environmental Quality, the document will also provide a 
programmatic impact assessment of possible future bank protection 
throughout the lower American River project area. This assessment will 
focus on common, expected, and cumulative impacts of bank protection. 
Actual proposed actions in the future would be subjected to further, 
site-specific environmental review under this overall assessment, as 
provided for by NEPA. The selection of both sites and methods of 
protection will continue to involve collaboration with flood-control 
and resource agencies.
    All bank protection actions will be followed by monitoring of 
installation stability and development of vegetation and habitat 
values. In addition to onsite mitigation, offsite mitigation may be 
incorporated into the proposed action. Advanced project mitigation will 
also be considered in the document.

2. Alternatives

    Alternative bank protection measures for near-term and longer-term 
actions will be considered in the DSEIS. Streambank protection measures 
under consideration include both bank revetment and indirect measures 
to reduce erosion threats to the levees. Alternative designs retain as 
many environmental features of the proposed actions as possible, while 
modifying features potentially having adverse hydraulic effects. The 
bank protection design proposals are intended to provide a high level 
of flood safety and to retain and recreate onsite as much aquatic and 
riparian habitat value and visual quality as feasible. The preferred 
designs employ well-vegetated, visually irregular surfaces composed of 
soil and biotechnical materials overlying rock protection. Large woody 
material will be placed in embayments where hydraulic forces allow, and 
riparian vegetation will be established above the summer water level. 
The diverse physical structures are expected to result in a diversity 
of plant communities and habitat types. Construction methods will 
ensure minimum disturbance of vegetation on the remnant flood plains 
within the levees.

3. Scoping Process

    ``Scoping'' is the process of identifying the range of actions, 
alternatives, and impacts to be evaluated in an environmental document. 
The following activities will be used to assist the Corps in scoping 
the DSEIS:
    a. Concurrent with publishing this notice of intent in the Federal 
Register, the notice of intent will be sent to public agencies, 
organizations, and individuals known to have an interest in the 
project. All interested parties are encouraged to respond to this 
notice and to provide scoping comments and a current address if they 
wish to be contacted about the DSEIS. Comments received from the notice 
will be used in determining the scope of the DSEIS.
    b. Potential environmental impacts of the proposed action have been 
identified in the following areas: Aquatic, wetland, and riparian 
habitats; fish and wildlife populations; channel hydraulics, bank 
stability, and flood control safety; visual character, recreation 
opportunity and use, and recreation safety; construction traffic, air 
quality, and noise; construction water quality; and cultural resources. 
The environmental document will examine impacts in these topic areas 
and any other potentially significant effects identified in the scoping 
process. The ``no-action'' alternative, allowing bank erosion to 
proceed unimpeded, will provide the baseline for assessing impacts of 
the proposed action and the other alternatives.
    c. After the draft environmental document is prepared, it will be 
circulated for a 45-day review period to all interested parties for 
review and comment. A public meeting, documented through a transcript, 
will be held to receive verbal and written comments. All written and 
verbal comments will be considered and responded to in the subsequent 
Final SEIS.

4. Scoping Meeting

    The public is invited to assist the Corps of Engineers in scoping 
this DSEIS. To facilitate this involvement, the Corps will hold a 
public scoping meeting in Sacramento on July 11 at noon at the 
Sacramento Public Library, first floor, 828 I Street. A transcript of 
the meeting will be made. Individuals, organizations, and agencies are 
also encouraged to submit written scoping comments; these must be 
received by July 21, 1995.

5. Estimated Date of DSEIS

    The DSEIS is scheduled to be made available to the public on 
February 5, 1996.

    Dated: June 28, 1995.
John N. Reese,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 95-17175 Filed 7-13-95; 8:45 am]
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