[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 32 (Friday, February 15, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7188-7189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-3610]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) on the Icicle Creek Restoration Project

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed Icicle Creek Restoration Project 
is available. Preparation of the Record of Decision will begin no 
sooner than 30 days from this notice.

ADDRESSES: Questions should be addressed to Ms. Corky Broaddus, 
Supervisory Information and Education Specialist, U. S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Leavenworth National Fish

[[Page 7189]]

Hatchery Complex, 12790 Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA 98826.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Pratschner, Icicle Creek 
Restoration Project Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Leavenworth 
National Fish Hatchery Complex, 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, 
Washington 98826, at (509) 548-7641.
    Individuals wishing copies of this Final EIS for review should 
immediately contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Leavenworth 
National Fish Hatchery Complex. Copies have been sent to all agencies 
and individuals who previously received copies and to all others who 
have already requested copies.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  

Document Availability

    Copies of the final Environmental Impact Statement are available at 
the following government offices and libraries:
    Government Offices--Fish and Wildlife Service, Leavenworth National 
Fish Hatchery, 12790 Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA 98826, (509) 548-
7641; Fish and Wildlife Service, Mid-Columbia River Fisheries Resource 
Office, 12790 Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA 98826, (509) 548-7573; 
Forest Service, Leavenworth Ranger District, 600 Sherbourne, 
Leavenworth, WA 98826, (509) 548-6977; Forest Service, Okanogan-
Wenatchee National Forest, Supervisor's Office, 215 Melody Lane, 
Wenatchee, WA 98801, (509) 662-4335.
    Libraries--Leavenworth Public Library, 700 Highway 2, Leavenworth, 
WA 98826, (509) 548-7923; Wenatchee Public Library, 310 Douglas, 
Wenatchee, WA 98801, (509) 662-5021; East Wenatchee Public Library, 271 
Ninth Street Northeast, East Wenatchee, WA 98802, (509) 886-7404; 
Cashmere Public Library, 101 Woodring, Cashmere, WA 98815, (509) 782-
3314.

A. Background

    Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) prepared a Final Environmental 
Impact Statement evaluating the consequences of a proposed action to 
remove instream structures in Icicle Creek, a tributary of the 
Wenatchee River, near Leavenworth, Washington.
    When the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery (Hatchery) was built in 
1939, the original Icicle Creek channel was modified into a series of 
salmon and steelhead holding ponds with the instream placement of 
weirs, dams, and a headgate, which controlled flow through the ponds. 
Fish passage to areas above the Hatchery was deliberately blocked. Flow 
in Icicle Creek was diverted downstream via a manmade canal bounded on 
the downstream end by a velocity barrier dam and spillway. The use of 
the instream ponds to hold returning salmon, and steelhead was 
abandoned in 1979, due to recurrent water temperature and water quality 
problems. Instead, the hatchery constructed a conventional fish ladder 
and holding ponds adjacent to the spillway dam. The ladder and holding 
ponds are currently in use.
    On March 10, 1999, the Service published a Notice of Intent (NOI) 
to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register. The Purpose and Need were to 
provide long term, year-round, sustainable passage of native fish to 
habitat above the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, and provide 
riverine fish habitat through the Hatchery grounds.
    Scoping activities were undertaken preparatory to developing a 
draft EIS in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. We proposed to 
provide improved riverine habitat within the hatchery grounds. 
Structure No. 2 (headgate) would be retained for its historic value and 
to provide control for high flows. A new fish passage structure would 
be constructed at Structure No. 2 to accommodate up and downstream, 
migrating fish. Sediment would be dredged out of the historic channel 
to reduce downstream transport. A seasonal fish barrier would be 
constructed at Structure No. 5, for collecting returning adult spring 
Chinook salmon and maintaining the effectiveness of the hatchery 
operations. These actions will be modified to accommodate upstream and 
downstream fish passage. Project impacts are expected to be the same as 
described in the June 2001 draft EIS.

B. Development of the Final EIS

    The final EIS has been developed cooperatively by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (lead agency) and the U.S. Forest Service. In the 
development of the final EIS, the Service has initiated action to 
assure compliance with the purpose and intent of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended.
    Key issues addressed in the final EIS are identified as the effects 
that implementation of various alternative would have upon (1) hatchery 
operations, (2) threatened and endangered species and their riverine 
habitat, (2) stream dynamics, (3) tribal fisheries, (4) water quality 
and sediment, (5) historic values, (6) wetlands, and other resource 
related issues.

C. Alternatives Analyzed in the Final EIS

    More than 20 alternatives were considered before limiting the 
alternatives to be advanced for further study. Six alternatives 
advanced for detailed analyses include: (1) Alternative 1, The No 
Action Alternative in which none of the existing structures in the 
historic channel would be removed, and the channel would be managed as 
status quo, (2) Alternative 2, the Restoration Strategy Alternative, 
which was all possible actions proposed by other agencies, public 
interests groups, and neighbors for providing both fish passage and 
riverine habitat within the hatchery grounds, (3) Alternative 3, The 
Service's Proposed Action, and our Preferred Alternative, which 
recognizes concerns about stream dynamics, historic values, water 
quality, and the tribal issues, (4) Alternative 5 maintained current 
flow regimes to favor existing hatchery fish collection, and holding 
facilities, while maintaining existing wetlands, (5) Alternative 6 was 
developed to provide fish passage through the historic channel at least 
cost, by modifying the headgate and structure No. 5, and only flushing 
natural sediments, and (6) Alternative 7, which was driven by the 
concern of preserving the historic values of the original hatchery 
construction.
    The Service has selected Alternative Number 3 as their preferred 
alternative with a slight modification. That modification is to employ 
natural flushing of accumulated sediments, rather than using mechanical 
dredging to remove those sediments. Impacts anticipated will be: 
Numbers of hatchery fish produced will be maintained; tribal fisheries 
will be maintained; all sediment will be transported through the Icicle 
Creek and Wenatchee River systems, to the Columbia, and Alternative 3, 
with modifications, will provide upstream and downstream passage for 
the fish.

    Dated: February 8, 2002.
Anne Badgley,
Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. 02-3610 Filed 2-14-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P