[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 190 (Monday, October 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57569-57570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-19694]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 
Programmatic Sediment Management Plan, Lower Snake River Reservoirs, in 
the States of Washington and Idaho

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a Programmatic Sediment 
Management Plan that will address sediment management within the four 
lower Snake River reservoirs and that portion of McNary reservoir 
contained within the lower Snake River The plan will identify and 
evaluate ways the Corps can manage sediment within these reservoirs and 
examine the sediment input (sources) on a programmatic basis in the 
near-term, mid-term, and long-term. The reservoirs extend from the 
mouth of the Snake River upstream to the communities of Lewiston, 
Idaho, and Clarkston, Washington; and include the lower 2 miles of the 
Clearwater River from its confluence with the Snake River at Lewiston 
upstream to the U.S. Highway 12 Bridge. In the plan the Corps will also 
include all tributaries that could significantly contribute sediment to 
the lower Snake River. The Corps is preparing this plan because 
sediment management has been an ongoing maintenance issue since the 
completion of Ice Harbor Dam, the first dam and reservoir on the lower 
Snake River, in 1961. Rather than addressing sediment-related problems 
on a case-by-case basis, the Corps has determined that it would be more 
effective to evaluate sediment management as a whole and on a watershed 
basis. The intent of the plan is to identify ways to reduce the amount 
of sediment entering the reservoirs, identify how to manage the 
sediment once it enters the reservoirs, and identify possible changes 
to structures or operations to reduce maintenance and associated 
impacts while still providing for authorized project purposes, 
including navigation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Carl Christianson, Project 
Manager, Walla Walla District, Corps of Engineers, CENWW-PM-PD, 201 
North Third Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362, phone (509) 527-7260, or Ms. 
Sandra Simmons, NEPA Coordinator, Walla Walla District, Corps of 
Engineers, CENWW-PD-EC, 201 North Third Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362, 
phone (509) 527-7265.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since construction of its first dam on the 
lower Snake River, the Corps has recognized that sediment management 
would be an ongoing maintenance issue within the reservoirs. 
Historically the Corps has used dredging as the primary means of 
managing sediment that deposited in areas that interfere with man's use 
of the river. Most of these maintenance dredging actions have been 
conducted on a case-by-case basis without a long-term look at more 
effective ways of managing sediment. The Corps has now determined it 
would be more effective to evaluate sediment management within the 
lower Snake River on a watershed scale, and evaluate the potential for 
reducing sediment input, rather than focusing only on the reservoirs 
themselves. Although the Corps does not have the authority to manage 
land outside of the reservoir project boundaries, the Corps can 
identify and evaluate management strategies that could be implemented 
on non-Corps property.
    The Corps is considering a variety of sediment management measures 
that could be used individually or in combination. Measures identified 
to date for evaluation include:

Sediment Reduction Measures

Structural Sediment Reduction Measures

     Aquatic ecosystem restoration projects under current 
authorities (Section 206 Water Resources Development Act of 1996 and 
Section 1135 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986)
     Shoreline vegetated filter strips
     Streambank erosion control
     Improved logging road placement and design

Non-Structural Sediment Reduction Measures

     Natural Resource Conservation Service conservation 
programs
     Land use planning
     Public education
     Watershed planning
     Forest management practices
     Timber harvest planning

Sediment Management Measures

    In-water systems to control sediment deposition.
     Agitation to prevent settling
     Bendway weirs
     Dikes and dike fields
     Air curtains to prevent settling of material at specific 
locations

Sediment Removal and Management

     Agitation to re-suspend sediment
     Dredging to remove sediment
     Beneficial use of dredged material
     In-water disposal of dredged material
     Upland disposal of dredged material

System Management Measures

Modify Navigation System Infrastructure

     Relocate affected commercial navigation, recreational 
boating and water intake facilities
     Build sediment retention dams upstream of Lower Granite 
reservoir and/or in tributaries

Modify Reservoir Operations

     Raise pool levels to increase water depth
     Modify flows to flush sediment
     Draw down Lower Granite reservoir to add flow conveyance 
capacity

Provide Flow Conveyance at Snake/Clearwater Rivers Confluence

    The Corps has also initially identified several key resource areas 
that may be affected by the sediment management

[[Page 57570]]

measures and will be analyzed in the EIS. These include water quality, 
anadromous fish, cultural resources, and socio-economics. The Corps 
expects other resource concerns to be identified during the scoping 
process.
    The EIS will address measures, alternatives, and impacts on a 
programmatic level, but will not address site-specific actions. 
However, the EIS will present the coordination and environmental review 
steps the Corps will take with regard to subsequent site-specific 
actions.
    The Corps currently anticipates conducting public scoping for this 
EIS in early 2006. The exact dates, times, and locations of these 
meetings have not yet been set. The Corps will publicize this 
information once the meeting arrangements have been made. The Corps 
invites affected Federal, state, and local agencies, affected Native 
American tribes, and other interested organizations and persons to 
participate in the development of the EIS. The Corps will also invite 
input from the local, interagency sediment management group formed 
under the Northwest Regional Dredging Team.
    The draft EIS is currently scheduled to be available for public 
review in fall 2008. The final EIS is currently scheduled to be 
available for public review in fall 2009.

Randy L. Glaeser,
LTC, EN, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 05-19694 Filed 9-30-05; 8:45 am]
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