[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 225 (Tuesday, November 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69916-69917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29760]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability (NOA) of Draft Environmental Impact 
Report/Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Guadalupe Creek 
Restoration Project, San Jose, CA

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (as amended), the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (Corps) and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (District) 
have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report /Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIR/EIS) for the proposed Guadalupe Creek Restoration 
Project in San Jose, California. This Draft EIR/EIS is being made 
available for a 45-day public comment period.

DATES: Comments on the Draft EIR/EIS should be submitted on or before 
January 8, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft EIR/EIS should be submitted to the 
Santa Clara Valley Water District, 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, 
CA 95118-3686 (Attention: Al Gurevich). Printed copies of the Draft 
EIR/EIS are available for public inspection and review at the locations 
listed below in Supplementary Information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 1. Al Gurevich, Project Manager, Santa 
Clara Valley Water District, (408) 265-2607, extension 2018, or 
electronic mail: [email protected].
    2. Mr. Brad Hubbard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento 
District, (916) 557-7054, or electronic mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Report Availability

    The Draft EIR/EIS will be available for public inspection and 
review at the following locations:

Santa Clara Valley Water District, 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, 
CA 95118
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, 1325 J Street, 
Sacramento, CA 95814-2922
Almaden Library, 6455 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95120-2823
Alviso Library, 5050 North First Street, Alviso, CA 95002
Biblioteca Latino America, 921 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95110
Cambrian Library, 1780 Hillsdale Avenue, San Jose, CA 95124
Pearl Avenue Library, 4270 Pearl Avenue, San Jose, CA 95136
Rosegarden Library, 1580 Naglee Avenue, San Jose, CA 95126
Willow Glen Library, 1157 Minnesota Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125

2. Report Background and Scope

    This EIR/EIS addresses the impacts of the proposed Guadalupe Creek 
Restoration Project, which involves riparian vegetation and fish 
habitat restoration along a 1.7-mile segment of Guadalupe Creek (City 
of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California) designated as critical 
habitat for steelhead by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The 
Guadalupe Creek Restoration Project comprises two phases. Phase 1 
restoration plantings were completed in 1998. Phase 2, if

[[Page 69917]]

implemented, will result in the installation of approximately 6 acres 
of riparian vegetation, approximately 13,000 linear feet (lf) of shaded 
riverine aquatic (SRA) cover vegetation, and various aquatic habitat 
features. This EIR/EIS specifically addresses the environmental impacts 
of Phase 2 of the Guadalupe Creek Restoration Project and will support 
decision making by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Santa Clara Valley 
Water District, and other responsible agencies to implement Phase 2 and 
to ensure compliance with NEPA, the California Environmental Quality 
Act (CEQA), and other pertinent laws and regulations. This document 
analyzes potential direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental, 
social, and economic effects of a range of action alternatives for 
implementing Phase 2.
    The primary objective of the Guadalupe Creek Restoration Project is 
to restore shaded riverine aquatic (SRA) cover vegetation and improve 
aquatic habitat for anadromous fish (steelhead and Chinook salmon) in 
lower Guadalupe Creek between Almaden Expressway and Masson Dam. 
Additional secondary objectives are detailed in the Draft EIR/EIS. 
Action alternatives were developed to meet the Guadalupe Creek 
Restoration Project's primary objective while avoiding or minimizing 
adverse environmental effects to the maximum extent practicable. 
Alternatives were further screened based on their expected success in 
achieving the Guadalupe Creek Restoration Project's secondary 
objectives. Alternatives considered in detail in the Draft EIR/EIS 
include: channel and floodplain modification (proposed action/preferred 
alternative); reduced channel and floodplain modification; minimal 
channel and floodplain modification; and the No-Action (No-Project) 
Alternative. The proposed action/preferred alternative, described in 
greater detail below, would fulfill all primary and secondary 
objectives of the Guadalupe Creek Restoration Project.

3. Project Site

    The project site encompasses approximately 1.7 miles of lower 
Guadalupe Creek (including the active channel and adjacent floodplain 
areas) between Almaden Expressway and Masson Dam in the southwestern 
portion of the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. The 
study area addressed in this Draft EIR/EIS includes the project site 
and surrounding portions of the City of San Jose. For some resource 
areas (e.g., biological resources, hydrology and water quality), the 
Draft EIR/EIS also discusses conditions in the larger Guadalupe Creek 
watershed and/or Guadalupe River system.

4. Proposed Action

    The proposed action (channel and floodplain modification 
alternative) includes channel relocation, floodplain development, and 
bank stabilization to enhance instream habitat and support the 
establishment of SRA vegetation. Implementation of the proposed action/
preferred alternative would involve shifting approximately 2,500 lf of 
existing stream channel, excavating and removing approximately 42,000 
cubic yards of material, and importing 13,000 cubic yards of material 
to create planting sites. In addition, under the proposed action/
preferred alternative, approximately 725 lf of bank protection features 
would be installed and approximately 6 acres of riparian vegetation and 
13,000 lf of SRA cover vegetation would be established.

5. Commenting

    Comments received in response to this Draft EIR/EIS, including 
names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of 
the public record on the proposed action. Comments submitted 
anonymously will also be accepted and considered. Pursuant to 7 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) 1.27(d), any person may request that the lead 
agency withhold a submission from the public record if he or she can 
demonstrate that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such 
confidentiality. Persons requesting such confidentiality should be 
aware that, under FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very 
limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Corps will 
inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the request for 
confidentiality, and if the request is denied, the Corps will return 
the submission with notification that the comments may be resubmitted 
either with or without the commentor's name and address.

    Dated: November 14, 2000.
Robert A. O'Brien III,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, Acting Commander.
[FR Doc. 00-29760 Filed 11-20-00; 8:45 am]
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