[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 250 (Thursday, December 31, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69361-69362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-31050]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Development of Experimental Protocol for High-Flow 
Releases from Glen Canyon Dam under the Authority of the Secretary of 
the Interior (Secretary), Development of Environmental Assessment, and 
Notice of Public Meeting.

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SUMMARY: On December 10, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 
announced that the Department of the Interior (Department) would 
initiate development of a High-Flow Experimental Protocol (Protocol) 
for releases from Glen Canyon Dam as part of the ongoing implementation 
of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (AMP). High-flow 
experimental releases have been undertaken in the past and will be 
further analyzed and implemented pursuant to the direction of the 
Secretary to assess the ability of such releases to protect, mitigate 
adverse impacts to, and improve the values for which Grand Canyon 
National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area were 
established. As part of the AMP, the Department's effort to develop the 
Protocol is a component of its efforts to comply with the requirements 
and obligations established by the Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992 
(Pub. L. 102-575) (GCPA).
    The AMP was established by, and has been implemented pursuant to 
the Secretary of the Interior's 1996 Record of Decision on the 
Operation of Glen

[[Page 69362]]

Canyon Dam, in order to comply with monitoring and consultation 
requirements of the GCPA. The AMP includes a Federal advisory committee 
known as the Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG), a technical work 
group, a scientific monitoring and research center, and independent 
review panels. The AMWG makes recommendations to the Secretary of the 
Interior concerning Glen Canyon Dam operations and other management 
actions to protect resources downstream of Glen Canyon Dam consistent 
with the GCPA.
    This Federal Register notice provides the public with initial 
information regarding the anticipated development and purpose of the 
High-Flow Experimental Protocol, notice of the Department's commitment 
to analyze the Protocol pursuant to the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA), as well as information regarding an upcoming AMWG public 
meeting that will address, in part, the development of the Protocol. 
Additional information regarding the dates and times for the upcoming 
AMWG public meeting and the development of the Protocol will be 
provided in a future Federal Register notice, as well as through other 
methods of public involvement as the NEPA process is undertaken and the 
Protocol is developed and analyzed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tom Ryan, Bureau of Reclamation, 
telephone (801) 524-3732; facsimile (801) 524-5499; e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 10, 2009, Secretary of the 
Interior Ken Salazar directed the development of a protocol for 
conducting additional high-flow experiments from Glen Canyon Dam as 
part of the ongoing implementation of the Glen Canyon Dam AMP. The text 
of the Secretary's statement and further information on his direction 
can be found at http://www.doi.gov.

High-Flow Experimental Protocol and Sediment Resources

    Sandbars are a primary component of the Colorado River ecosystem, 
and determining how sand conservation can be achieved in areas within 
Grand Canyon National Park downstream of Glen Canyon Dam is a high 
priority of the AMP and the Department of the Interior. Previous high-
flow experiments from Glen Canyon Dam were conducted in 1996, 2004, and 
2008. Experimental high flows mobilize sand stored in the main channel 
of the Colorado River to rebuild sandbars, beaches, and associated 
backwater habitats along shorelines. Sandbars provide key wildlife 
habitat, protect archeological sites and vegetation structure, and 
provide camping opportunities in Grand Canyon.
    Each experimental release has added to the understanding of the 
river ecosystem below the dam and the impacts of high-flow releases. 
Following the initial test in 1996, experimental approaches linking 
high-flow releases from Glen Canyon Dam to downstream tributary sand 
inputs to Grand Canyon were developed by scientists working in 
collaboration with the AMP. See e.g., 66 FR 7772, 7778 (January 25, 
2001) (Riverflow Issues). One of the best tools available for 
rebuilding sandbars using dam operations is to release short-duration 
high flows after tributary floods deposit new sand into the main 
channel of the Colorado River. Development and implementation of the 
Protocol builds on information developed in the previous three high-
flow experiments, and will be designed to further evaluate the 
hypothesis that repeated high-flow releases conducted under conditions 
of sand enrichment in Grand Canyon may result in cumulative increases 
in sandbar area and volume. The Protocol constitutes the next logical 
step in adaptive management with respect to high flow testing.

Anticipated Approach Regarding Development of High-Flow Experimental 
Protocol

    The Department intends to develop the High-Flow Experimental 
Protocol through a public process pursuant to NEPA, through the 
development of an Environmental Assessment (EA). The Protocol is 
anticipated to be a multi-year, multi-experiment approach and will be 
based on the best available scientific information developed through 
the AMP as well as other sources of relevant information. For example, 
in early 2010, it is anticipated that the U.S. Geological Survey will 
publish detailed information that provides a full and thorough analysis 
of the results of the most recent high-flow experimental release 
conducted in March 2008. It is anticipated that the Protocol will 
address such factors as the appropriate number of experiments, the 
appropriate sand input ``triggering'' for conducting future 
experiments, the timing and duration of high-flow releases to optimize 
sand conservation, the appropriate interval between high-flow releases, 
as well as the anticipated approach to monitoring the results and 
effectiveness of the experimental actions, among other resource issues.
    The Department is currently developing a tribal consultation policy 
for matters related to the Glen Canyon Dam AMP. The Department will 
continue to consult with local affected tribes, including through the 
tribal consultation policy, to ensure the AMP and the Protocol take 
into account the United States' trust responsibility to the tribes and 
their natural resources. There will be a consistent and ongoing effort 
to consult with the tribes in development of the Protocol, and in 
implementation of any subsequent related decisions.
    Consistent with the provisions of 43 CFR 46.305 (public involvement 
in the environmental assessment process), the Department ``must, to the 
extent practicable, provide for public notification and public 
involvement when an environmental assessment is being prepared.'' This 
Federal Register notice is the first of many steps that the Department 
intends to take to ensure public input in the development of the 
Protocol and the NEPA process. The Department will next provide 
additional information on the Protocol and the EA process at a public 
AMWG meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 3-4, 2010. Additional 
information regarding this upcoming AMWG meeting (including times, 
location, and agenda items) will be provided to the public in an 
upcoming Federal Register notice. The AMWG meeting is intended to 
provide scoping information for the EA process. Although scoping is not 
required for the preparation of an EA (CEQ regulations at 40 CFR 1501.7 
specifically reference the preparation of an environmental impact 
statement), the Department recognizes and encourages the use of scoping 
where appropriate as it does represent a form of public involvement. 
See 43 CFR 46.305(a)(2), 73 FR 61292, 61306 (Oct. 15, 2008).
    Further information regarding the development of the High-Flow 
Experimental Protocol, the EA process, and other relevant information 
will also be made available to the public through the AMP's Web site 
which may be accessed at http://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/amp/.

    Dated: December 22, 2009.
Anne Castle,
Assistant Secretary--Water & Science.
[FR Doc. E9-31050 Filed 12-30-09; 8:45 am]
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