[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 122 (Monday, June 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36329-36330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9999]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration


Lyle Falls Fish Passage Project

AGENCY: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Department of Energy 
(DOE).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and notice of floodplain and wetlands involvement.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces BPA's intention to prepare an EIS on 
proposed improvements to the Lyle Falls Fishway in Klickitat County, 
near Lyle, Washington. The improvements would ease fish passage to 
upstream high quality habitat in the Klickitat Basin and improve 
capabilities to trap and handle adult fish. The project is designed to 
meet state and Federal fish passage criteria for all salmonid species, 
including mid-Columbia steelhead, which are listed as threatened under 
the Endangered Species Act.
    This action may involve floodplains and wetlands located in 
Klickitat County, Washington. In accordance with DOE regulations for 
compliance with floodplain and wetlands environmental review 
requirements, BPA will prepare a floodplain and wetlands assessment and 
will design this proposed action in a manner so as to avoid or minimize 
potential harm to or within the affected floodplain and wetlands. The 
assessment and a floodplain statement of findings will be included in 
the EIS being prepared for

[[Page 36330]]

the proposed project in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act.

DATES: Written comments are due to the address below no later than: 
July 26, 2006. Comments may also be made at an EIS scoping meeting to 
be held on July 11, 2006 at the address below.

ADDRESSES: Comments and suggestions on the proposed scope of the Draft 
EIS, and requests to be placed on the project mailing list, may be 
mailed to Bonneville Power Administration, Public Affairs Office--DKC-
7, P.O. Box 14428, Portland, OR, 97293-4428. Or, you may fax them to 
(503) 230-3285; submit them on-line at http://www.bpa.gov/comment; or 
e-mail them to [email protected]. You may also call us toll-free with 
your comments at (800) 622-4519. Please reference the Lyle Falls Fish 
Passage Project with your comments.
    On Tuesday, July 11, 2006, a scoping meeting will be held from 7 
p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Lyle Lions Community Center, 5th Street and State 
Highway 14, Lyle, Washington. At this meeting, we will provide 
information about the project, including maps, and have members of the 
project team available to answer questions. We look forward to 
accepting oral and written comments offered on the project.
    We also invite interested parties to attend a site visit that is 
planned for 3 p.m., Tuesday, July 11, 2006, to view the proposed 
project site. To get to the project site from State Highway 14 in the 
town of Lyle, take Route 142 north for about two miles, then turn west 
onto Fishers Hill Road. Cross the Klickitat River and follow the road 
for less than one-fourth mile. Make a right onto an unpaved road and 
proceed about seven hundred feet. There will be signs provided to help 
direct traffic.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Carl J. Keller, Environmental Project 
Manager, Bonneville Power Administration, KEC-4, P.O. Box 3621, 
Portland, Oregon, 97208-3621; toll-free telephone number (800) 622-
4519; fax number (503) 230-5699; e-mail address [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: BPA is a federal power marketing 
agency that markets power from many of the federal dams in the Columbia 
River Basin, and has a duty to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish 
affected by the construction and operation of those dams. The Yakama 
Nation, through the Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Council, 
has proposed that BPA fund the reconstruction of the existing fish 
passage facility as part of those mitigation responsibilities. The 
proposed project in on the Klickitat River in Klickitat County, 
Washington in T3N, R12E, west half of Section 25 and east half of 
Section 26. The location is about two miles upriver of the confluence 
of the Klickitat River with the Columbia River. Currently the Lyle 
Falls Fishway does not meet federal and state fish passage criteria for 
migrating adult salmon. Design flows in the existing fishway result in 
poor attraction flows throughout the year, and significantly reduced 
attraction flows during periods of low river discharge (August--
September). During these periods of low flows the natural falls become 
an even greater obstruction to salmon and steelhead, resulting in 
lowered passage above Lyle Falls.
    Proposed Action: The proposed action is to improve and expand the 
Lyle Falls Fishway. The project would be designed to safely and 
effectively allow adult fish to move through the existing Lyle Falls 
into the upper reaches of the Klickitat River, and would improve the 
adult trapping capabilities at the fishway. Improvements would include 
reconstructing and lengthening the fishway and trash racks, upgrading 
the adult trapping facility, and adding a Passive Integrated 
Transponder (PIT) tag detector and video monitor. The adult trap would 
facilitate the collection of fish for monitoring and broodstock 
purposes.
    Process to Date: The Yakama Nation has proposed the project to 
support its fish passage and fish conservation initiatives. At a 
meeting held in March 2006, the Northwest Power and Conservation 
Council recommended that BPA fund the preparation of an EIS to focus on 
fish passage and monitoring at Lyle Falls.
    Alternatives Proposed for Consideration: BPA has identified two 
alternatives for examination in the DEIS. They are the proposed action, 
described above, and no action. We will use the no-action alternative 
to explore the environmental impacts of not improving the existing 
ladder and passage facilities at Lyle Falls. We will also consider in 
the Draft EIS other reasonable alternatives presented to us during the 
scoping process.
    Public Participation and Identification of Environmental Issues: 
BPA has established a 30-day scoping period during which interested and 
affected landowners, concerned citizens, tribes, special interest 
groups, government agencies, and any other interested parties are 
invited to comment on the scope of the proposed EIS. Scoping will help 
BPA ensure that a full range of issues related to this proposal is 
addressed in the EIS, and also will help identify significant or 
potentially significant impacts that may result from the proposed 
project. Environmental issues identified to date include potential 
conflicts with the Klickitat Wild and Scenic River designation, use of 
explosives during construction, impacts to archaeological and historic 
resources, impacts to threatened and endangered species, and water 
quality impacts.
    When completed, the Draft EIS will be circulated for public and 
agency review and comment; BPA will hold at least one public comment 
meeting for the Draft EIS. BPA will consider and respond in the Final 
EIS to comments received on the Draft EIS. BPA's subsequent decision 
will be documented in a publicly available Record of Decision.
    Maps and further information are available from BPA at the address 
above.

    Issued in Portland, Oregon, on June 20, 2006.
Stephen J. Wright,
Administrator and Chief Executive Officer.
[FR Doc. E6-9999 Filed 6-23-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P