[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 66 (Friday, April 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17116-17117]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6412]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. /807B]


Endangered Species; File No. 1607

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Grants Pass Irrigation District 
(GPID), 200 Fruitvale Drive, Grants Pass, Oregon, has applied in due 
form for an incidental take permit for Southern Oregon/Northern 
California coho salmon for purposes of the continued operation and 
maintenance of Savage Rapids Dam. Unlisted covered species include 
Klamath Mountains Province (KMP) steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and 
Southern Oregon/Northern California Coastal (SONCC) Chinook salmon (O. 
tshawytscha).

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before May 7, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review upon written request or by appointment in the following 
office(s):
    Northwest Region, Oregon State Habitat Office, Habitat Conservation 
Division, NMFS, 1201 NE Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 
97232-1274; phone (503) 231-2202; fax (503) 231-6893; and Roseburg 
Field Office, NMFS, 2900 NW Stewart Parkway, Roseburg, OR 97470, phone 
(541) 957-3385; fax (541) 957-3386
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this 
application should be mailed to the above address. Those individuals 
requesting a hearing should set forth the specific reasons why a 
hearing on this particular request would be appropriate.
    Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (503) 231-6893, 
provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and 
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period.
    Comments may also be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for 
providing e-mail comments is [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: 
File No. 1607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Phippen, (541)957-3385.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the 
authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and the regulations governing the taking, 
importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR 
parts 222-226).
    The Permit application is related to the continued operation and 
maintenance of Savage Rapids Dam in Josephine and Jackson Counties, in 
the State of Oregon. The dam is owned and operated by the GPID for the 
sole purpose of providing irrigation water to its customers. The GPID 
Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) utilizes a combination of conservation 
measures that are expected to minimize and mitigate, to the maximum 
extent practicable, the impacts of take of ESA-listed coho salmon, and 
unlisted Chinook salmon and steelhead during irrigation operations in 
the period 2007-2009. A 1-year extension is considered in the 
assessments of this HCP. The HCP also requires GPID to take certain 
steps during the time the permit is effective to work to secure 
authorization and funding for dam removal and to install off-site 
electrical pumping stations along the Rogue River near Grants Pass, 
Oregon, by November 1, 2009, to provide for the long-term conservation 
of listed and unlisted covered species. The Bureau of Reclamation has 
awarded a contract for constructing the irrigation pumps and 
dismantling the dam. Pump construction was initiated in October 2006 
and is expected to be completed along with dam dismantling prior to 
this ITP's expiration. To ensure that the mitigation and minimization 
strategies are effective, the HCP incorporates a variety of monitoring 
components, and if needed, adaptive management changes in the 
conservation measures set forth. It is expected that incidental take of 
the listed and unlisted species will occur from the normal operations 
and maintenance of the dam.
    Adult and juvenile SONC coho salmon from the Upper Rogue River 
population will be exposed to the SRD facilities that pose a physical 
threat to these individuals. Some adults from the Middle Rogue and 
Applegate rivers population may also venture above SRD or within the 
area downstream that is affected by the flow modifications of the dam. 
Adults must navigate the river and the altered flows from SRD in order 
to locate the fish ladders. The adults' upstream migration is likely to 
be delayed while flow conditions reach levels that allow the fish to 
navigate the fish ladders. Total mortality of juveniles caused by SRD 
is estimated to be 10 to 15 percent by Oregon Department of Fish and 
Wildlife. This may be decreased by ongoing conservation

[[Page 17117]]

measures, such as forebay lighting. However, this may be off-set by 
low-water years and a greater percentage of fish exposed to the 
turbines. Therefore, based on estimates of juvenile coho salmon 
population sizes and the effects described above, the annual injury and 
mortality of salmonid juveniles each year during the interim period is 
estimated to be between 1,400 and 2,500 fish. Total mortality of adult 
coho salmon is estimated to be between 200 and 1,200 fish annually. On 
an annual basis for the four years of potential operation (three years 
approved and one potential extension), fish salvage operations in the 
fall and spring will result in additional levels of harm for juvenile 
salmon and rarely for adults. In the fall there is potential for one 
adult coho salmon to be encountered during the shutdown operations of 
SRD. Both spring and fall situations will result in approximately 130 
juvenile SONC coho salmon captured and released during the salvage 
operations. It is expected that up to 10 of these may die.

    Dated: March 30, 2007.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-6412 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S