[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 242 (Monday, December 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75768-75769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9748]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report 
for Redwood Creek and Wetland Restoration at Big Lagoon-Muir Beach Area 
Golden Gate National Recreation Area Marin County, CA; Notice of 
Availability

    Summary: Pursuant to Sec.  102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, January 1, 
1970, as amended), and the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations 
(40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508), the National Park Service, Department 
of the Interior, has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Draft Environmental Report (Draft EIS/EIR) for the Wetland and Creek 
Restoration at Big Lagoon. This Draft EIS/EIR evaluates alternatives 
for ecological restoration and public access upgrades in the Big Lagoon 
area at Muir Beach, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area 
(GGNRA). The National Park Service (NPS) and County of Marin (County) 
have jointly prepared the Draft EIS/EIR in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA). The Draft EIS/EIR analyzes multiple alternatives 
for ecological restoration, public access improvements, bridge 
replacement, and fill disposal locations. The alternatives are based 
upon park values, effective restoration strategies and public access 
approaches, NPS and County policy, and applicable law.
    Background: Redwood Creek is a coastal stream located in Marin 
County, California. The project's area of potential effect encompasses 
the lower reach of Redwood Creek extending from where the creek passes 
underneath Highway 1, to its mouth at the Pacific Ocean approximately 
2,800 feet downstream. Within this reach, the creek and its floodplain 
have been extensively modified by realignment of the creek; 
construction of Pacific Way and the Pacific Way bridge, a levee road 
that borders the creek, and the NPS parking lot and picnic area; and 
placement of gabions and other artificial fill in the creek channel and 
on its floodplain. Combined, these modifications to the creek and its 
floodplain have altered channel hydraulics and reduced its sediment 
transport capacity, resulting in extreme sediment deposition in the 
creek channel and reduction in channel capacity. Under current 
conditions, the creek floods during even moderate rain events, 
inundating Pacific Way, stranding residents, and hindering access to 
the public beach. In the winter, residents along Pacific Way often 
cannot access Highway 1, the sole connecting road, because floodwaters 
commonly prevent passage by vehicles and pedestrians. This lack of 
access severely limits emergency services.
    In addition to the flooding, current conditions in lower Redwood 
Creek present a risk of channel avulsion, in which the creek could 
abandon its existing channel and establish a new channel in the 
floodplain. Avulsion of the channel to the adjacent meadow, which is 
several feet lower in elevation than the channel bed, could impair 
passage of adult and juvenile coho salmon and steelhead through the 
lower creek and could have undetermined consequences to infrastructure.
    GGNRA has determined that restoration activities at the project 
site are necessary to address these issues, GGNRA and the County have 
been involved in an active planning process to identify alternative 
restoration and public access alternatives to address these identified 
issues.
    Proposal and Alternatives: As noted, this Draft EIS/EIR describes 
and analyzes four alternatives. Alternative 1, the ``baseline'' No 
Action Alternative, would maintain the existing management direction. 
Alternatives 2, 3, and 4 (action alternatives) contain varying mixes of 
three main components: (1) Ecological restoration; (2) public access 
upgrades, including a reconfiguration of the existing parking lot; and 
(3) replacement of the Pacific Way Bridge. Each of the action 
alternatives incorporates the following elements: Interim flood 
reduction measures; Relocation of the Redwood Creek channel; 
Construction of new drainage swale and upper pasture modification; 
Backbeach lagoon enhancement, channel realignment, and dune 
restoration; Removal of levee road; Invasive species removal; Removal 
of tavern remnants; Removal of utility lines; Removal of concrete 
channels and revetment; Modification to Green Gulch field 7. The main 
differences between the action alternatives is the approach by which 
ecological restoration would occur.
    Alternative 3 would combine riparian restoration components with 
restoration of open water and wetland habitants. Two open-water lagoons 
would be created, one on either side of the new channel. The two small 
lagoons would be backwaters, connected to the creek near the downstream 
end of each lagoon. The banks of the lagoons would have varied slopes 
to favor a variety of habitats. The lagoons would maintain a minimum 
water depth of 3-4 feet year-round. Alternative 4 would create a 
periodically brackish open-water habitat similar to historic (1853) 
conditions, modified to reflect existing constraints of Pacific Way and 
private property. This would involve creating a large lagoon with 
fringing wetlands extending to the edge of the valley immediately 
landward of Muir Beach. The lagoon would be excavated with gentle side 
slopes to encourage colonization of emergent wetland vegetation. Like 
the small lagoons under Alternative 3, the large lagoon would maintain 
a minimum water depth of 3-4 feet year-round.
    Alternative 2 (Creek Restoration) (agency-preferred alternative) 
would involve relocating approximately 2,000 linear feet of Redwood 
Creek to the topographically lowest portion of the valley, while 
maintaining a habitat mix similar to current conditions. In addition to 
relocating Redwood Creek, this alternative includes the following two 
core elements: Parking--A parking lot with capacity for 175 cars 
located parallel to Pacific Way. The lot would include a new turn-off 
from Pacific Way and would include 310 linear feet of stacking room for 
cars between the entrance and the first parking stall. Other parking 
lot options considered in the Draft EIS/EIR include: maintaining the 
current capacity of 175 Cars at Beach; Alternative B1 (50 Cars at 
Beach); Alternative B2 (145 Cars at Beach); Alternative B3 (175 Cars at 
Beach--similar shape as existing lot); Alternative B5 (200 Cars at 
Beach); and Alternative C (118 Cars at Alder Grove plus 14 Handicapped 
Spaces and Drop-Off at Beach).
    Bridge Replacement--150-foot-long bridge with raised road. This 
bridge would span the new 35-foot-wide channel and areas of riparian 
habitat and flood plain on either side of the channel. Two-foot-wide 
piers, placed at approximately 40-foot intervals, would

[[Page 75769]]

be used to support the span. Other bridge alternatives considered in 
the Draft EIS/EIR include: Alternative BR1 (50-foot-long bridge with a 
raised road); Alternative BR2 (50-foot-long bridge with a low road); 
Alternative BR3 (150-foot-long bridge with raised road); and 
Alternative BR4 (266- to 300-foot-long bridge with highest road).
    Scoping and Public Involvement: Between December 2002 and December 
2004, 17 public meetings were held, as well as a variety of site visits 
and meetings with representatives of various agencies. On December 3, 
2002, a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement was published in the Federal Register, beginning the formal 
scoping process for the project. The NOI identified goals for the 
project, and public scoping meetings were held on October 22, October 
29, and November 2, 2002, with a site visit for the public held on 
November 9, 2002, to solicit input on the project and its potential 
impacts. Following these meetings, a Big Lagoon Working Group 
consisting of interested individuals, agencies, and organizations was 
formed to help develop project alternatives. The working group convened 
regularly in meetings that were open to the public. In addition, two 
alternatives workshops were held for the public on September 30 and 
October 4, 2003. The results of those workshops, as well as a more 
detailed summary of the scoping process, are presented in the 
Alternatives Public Workshops Report (NPS 2004). Finally, Marin County 
circulated a Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report on 
April 27, 2004, soliciting comments on the specific issues to be 
included in the scope of CEQA environmental review. All of these 
activities informed the alternatives formulation process.
    Comments: Copies of the Draft EIS/EIR will be sent to affected 
Federal, Tribal, State and local government agencies, to interested 
parties, and those requesting copies. Paper and digital copies (compact 
disc) of the document will also be available at park headquarters and 
at local libraries. The complete document will be posted on the GGNRA's 
Web site (http://www.nps.gov/goga) and on NPS's Planning, Environment 
and Public Comment Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/goga). All 
written comments must be postmarked or transmitted no later than 75 
days from the date of EPA's notice of filing published in the Federal 
Register (as soon as this occurs, the confirmed close of the comment 
period will be posted on the Web sites noted above, and listed in all 
notification announcements sent from GGNRA). Written comments will be 
accepted online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/goga (click on the 
project title and follow instructions), or by sending a letter 
addressed as follows: Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation 
Area, Fort Mason, Building 201, San Francisco, CA 94123 (Attn: Muir 
Beach Creek and Wetland Restoration). Two public meetings will be 
scheduled to hear comments on the Draft EIS/EIR, approximately 30 days 
after publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Please visit 
the project Web site (noted above) to learn more about the project, 
planning process, and the confirmed dates and time for the public 
meetings. Questions regarding this project may also be directed at any 
time to Steve Ortega (415) 561-4841 or via e-mail at [email protected].
    All comments are maintained in the administrative record and will 
be available for public review at GGNRA headquarters. Please note our 
practice is to make comments, including names, home addresses, home 
phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents, available for 
public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold 
their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider 
withholding this information you must state this prominently at the 
beginning of your comments. In addition, you must present a rationale 
for withholding this information. This rationale must demonstrate that 
disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. 
Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of 
exceptional, documentable circumstances, this information will be 
released. We will always make submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives of or officials of organizations or businesses, 
available for public inspection in their entirety.
    Decision Process: Following the analysis of all comments received 
concerning the Draft EIS/EIR, at this time it is anticipated that the 
Final EIS/EIR would be completed in spring 2007. The availability of 
the final documents will be announced in the Federal Register, and also 
publicized via local and regional press media, direct mailings, and Web 
site postings. Not sooner than thirty days after the distribution of 
the Final EIS/EIR, a Record of Decision may be executed (at this time 
it is anticipated a recommended decision would be developed in summer 
2007). As a delegated EIS the approving official responsible for the 
final decision is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region. 
Subsequently, the official responsible for implementing the approved 
wetland and restoration plan will be the General Superintendent, Golden 
Gate National Recreation Area.

    Dated: October 3, 2006.
Patricia L. Neubacher,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 06-9748 Filed 12-15-06; 8:45 am]
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