[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 162 (Friday, August 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44918-44919]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22489]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Intent To Conduct Public Scoping and Prepare an
Environmental Document
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior; National Marine Fisheries
Service, NOAA, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to conduct public scoping and prepare an
environmental document.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and in
accordance with the Washington State Environmental Policy Act, this
notice advises the public that the Fish and Wildlife Service and
National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) intend to gather
information necessary to prepare an environmental document
(environmental assessment or environmental impact statement) related to
the proposed approval of a Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan) and
issuance of an incidental take permit (Permit) to take endangered and
threatened species in accordance with section 10(a) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Permit applicant is the City
of Tacoma, Washington, Public Utilities, Water Division (Tacoma Water);
the application is related to forest management activities in the Green
River Watershed located in southern King County, Washington. Tacoma
Water intends to request a Permit for the northern spotted owl, marbled
murrelet, and other federally-listed species. Tacoma Water also plans
to seek coverage for approximately 25 currently unlisted fish and
wildlife species (including Chinook salmon and bull trout which are
proposed for listing under the Act, and other anadromous and resident
fish) under specific provisions of the Permit, should these species be
listed in the future. In accordance with the Act, Tacoma Water will
prepare a Plan for, among other things, minimizing and mitigating any
such take which could occur incidental to the proposed Permit
activities (watershed management).
The Services are furnishing this notice in order to: (1) advise
other agencies and the public of our intentions; and (2) to obtain
suggestions and information on the scope of issues to include in the
environmental document.
DATES: Written comments from all interested parties must be received on
or before September 21, 1998. A public scoping meeting will be held
August 25, 1998, 6:30-9:00 p.m., at the Enumclaw Public Library, 1700
First Street, Enumclaw, Washington.
ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for information should be sent to John
Engbring, Habitat Conservation Plan Program Manager, Fish and Wildlife
Service, 510 Desmond Drive, S.E., Suite 102, Lacey, Washington 98503-
1273, telephone (360) 753-5836, facsimile (360) 753-9518; or Steve
Landino, Habitat Conservation Plan Program Manager, National Marine
Fisheries Service, 510 Desmond Drive, S.E., Suite 103, Lacey,
Washington 98503-1273, telephone (360) 753-6054, facsimile (360) 753-
9517. Comments and materials received will be available for public
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above
address.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Tacoma Water owns and manages a water diversion dam and associated
facilities (Headworks) on the Green River, approximately 5500 hectares
(13,600 acres) of land upstream of the diversion dam on both sides of
the River, and a well field (North Fork Well Field) located
approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) upstream of the Headworks. Tacoma
Water operates and manages the Headworks, watershed lands, and the
North Fork Well Field as the principal source of municipal and
industrial water for the City of Tacoma and portions of Pierce and King
Counties. Howard Hanson Dam (Dam) and Howard Hanson Reservoir
(Reservoir), owned and operated by the
[[Page 44919]]
Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), are also located on the Green River,
upstream of the Headworks. City lands in the watershed are adjacent to
the Dam and Reservoir on all sides.
Current trends in population growth within the Puget Sound region
create a need for Tacoma Water to explore possibilities for increasing
its water supply capabilities. To meet this need, Tacoma has developed
two separate but related plans. The first of these, the Second Supply
Project, involves improvements at the Headworks and the construction of
a 54 kilometers (33.5 miles) long pipeline from the Headworks to the
City of Tacoma. This project is the subject of a State Environmental
Policy Act review in the document entitled ``Final Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement for the Second Supply Project, October
18, 1994,'' prepared by Tacoma Water. The second related plan was
developed in conjunction with the Corps, and in cooperation with the
Services, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington
Department of Ecology, and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, to increase
the size of the Dam and consequently the Reservoir. Known as the
Additional Water Storage Project, this plan incorporates restoration
and mitigation measures (including fish passage) to alleviate the
historical barrier to migrating salmon, and hence spawning, created by
the Headworks and the Corps' Dam. This project is the subject of a
National Environmental Policy Act review in the document entitled
``Draft Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement, Howard
Hanson Dam, Green River, Washington, April 1998,'' prepared by the
Seattle District of the Corps.
Tacoma Water's activities associated with the Second Supply
Project, the Additional Water Storage Project, and other management
activities on the City's watershed lands have the potential to impact
species subject to protection under the Act. Section 10 of the Act
contains provisions for the issuance of incidental take permits to non-
Federal landowners for the take of endangered and threatened species,
provided the take is incidental to otherwise lawful activities, and
will not appreciably reduce the likelihood of the survival and recovery
of the species in the wild. In addition, the applicant must prepare and
submit to the Services for approval a Plan containing a strategy for
minimizing and mitigating all take associated with the proposed
activities to the maximum extent practicable. The applicant must also
ensure that adequate funding for the Plan will be provided.
Tacoma Water has initiated discussions with the Services regarding
the possibility of securing a Permit and associated Plan for their
activities in the Green River Watershed. Activities proposed for
coverage under the Permit include the following:
(1) Water withdrawal at the Headworks for Municipal and Industrial
Water Supply which will reduce flows and have concomitant habitat
effects downstream and include the bypass of fish at the Headworks
intake, and inundate the impoundment area;
(2) Water withdrawal from the North Fork Well Field for Municipal
and Industrial Water Supply which will potentially reduce flows in the
North Fork Green River above the Reservoir;
(3) Construction of Headworks improvements (anticipated to occur
during a 2 year period from the third quarter 1999 through the third
quarter 2001). Such construction will cause:
(a) Bypassing of fish at the Headworks intake during construction;
(b) Raising the existing diversion dam by approximately 2 meters
(6.5 feet) which will extend the inundation pool to about 780 meters
(2,570 feet) upstream of the Headworks diversion;
(c) Realigning and enlarging the existing intake and adding
upgraded fish screens and bypass facilities for downstream passage;
(d) Reshaping the Green River channel downstream of the existing
diversion to accommodate the future installation of an efficient trap
and haul facility for upstream fish passage; and
(e) Installation, monitoring and maintenance of the instream
structures in the impoundment for the Headworks dam raise fisheries
mitigation;
(4) Fish and water quality impacts related to the Headworks
improvement construction;
(5) Operation and maintenance of a wetland restoration project at
Auburns Narrows associated with the Second Supply Project;
(6) Operation of a downstream fish bypass facility at the
Headworks;
(7) Tacoma watershed forest management activities;
(8) Monitoring of downstream fish passage through a proposed fish
passage facility at the Dam associated with the Additional Water Supply
Project;
(9) Monitoring and maintenance of Additional Water Supply Project
fish habitat restoration projects and Additional Water Supply Project
fish and wildlife habitat mitigation projects; and
(10) Restoration of anadromous fish above the Dam by trapping and
hauling of adults returning to the Headworks, and possible planting of
hatchery juveniles if found to be beneficial to restoration.
The Services will conduct an environmental review of the Plan and
prepare an environmental document. The environmental review will
analyze the proposal, as well as a full range of reasonable
alternatives and the associated impacts of each. The Services are
currently in the process of developing alternatives for analysis.
Should information become available which indicates the likelihood of
significant impacts from the proposed project, an environmental impact
statement will be prepared.
Comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties to
ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action
and all significant issues are identified. Comments or questions
concerning this proposed action and the environmental review should be
directed to the Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries
Service at the address or telephone numbers provided above.
The environmental review of this project will be conducted in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended (42 USC 4321 et seq.), National Environmental
Policy Act Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508), other appropriate Federal
laws and regulations, and policies and procedures of the Services for
compliance with those regulations.
Dated: August 14, 1998.
Thomas Dwyer,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. 98-22489 Filed 8-20-98; 8:45 am]
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