[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 140 (Wednesday, July 22, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43456-43459]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17991]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-R-2015-N087; FXRS282108E8PD0-156-F2013227943]


South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, Phase 2; Don Edwards San 
Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge; Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Report

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments; 
announcement of meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 43457]]

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in 
coordination with the California State Coastal Conservancy, announce 
the availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/EIR) for Phase 2 of the South Bay 
Salt Pond (SBSP) Restoration Project at the Don Edwards San Francisco 
Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San 
Mateo Counties, California. The DEIS/EIR, which we prepared in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 
describes and analyzes the alternatives identified for Phase 2 of the 
South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project.

DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before 
September 22, 2015. A public meeting will be held on August 4, 2015 
between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. (see ADDRESSES).
    Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and 
participate in the public meeting should contact Ariel Ambruster, by 
email at [email protected] or by phone at 510-528-5006, at least 1 
week in advance of the meeting to allow time to process the request.

ADDRESSES: Document Availability: You may obtain copies of the document 
in the following places:
     Internet: http://www.southbayrestoration.org/planning/phase2/.
     In-Person:
    [cir] San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex 
Headquarters, 1 Marshlands Road, Fremont, CA 94555.
    [cir] The following libraries:
    [ssquf] Alviso Branch Library, 5050 N. First St., San Jose, CA 
95002.
    [ssquf] Biblioteca Latino America, 921 South First St., San Jose, 
CA 95110.
    [ssquf] California State University Library, 25800 Carlos Bee 
Blvd., Hayward, CA 94542.
    [ssquf] Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont, CA 
94538.
    [ssquf] Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park, CA 94025.
    [ssquf] Mountain View Library, 585 Franklin St., Mountain View, CA 
94041.
    [ssquf] Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303.
    [ssquf] King Library, 150 E San Fernando St., San Jose, CA 95112.
    [ssquf] Redwood City Main Library, 1044 Middlefield Road, Redwood 
City, CA 94063.
    [ssquf] San Mateo County East Palo Alto Library, 2415 University 
Ave., East Palo Alto, CA 94303.
    [ssquf] Santa Clara County Milpitas Library, 160 N Main St., 
Milpitas, CA 95035.
    [ssquf] Santa Clara Public Library, 2635 Homestead Rd., Santa 
Clara, CA 95051.
    [ssquf] Sunnyvale Public Library, 665 W Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 
94086.
    [ssquf] Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the Interior, 
1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20240-0001.
    For how to view comments on the draft EIS from the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), or for information on EPA's role in the EIS 
process, see EPA's Role in the EIS Process under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.
    Submitting Comments: You may submit written comments by one of the 
following methods:
     Electronically: Send comments via email to 
[email protected]. Your correspondence should 
indicate which pond complex, alternative, or issue your comments 
pertain to.
     By Hard Copy: Send written comments to Anne Morkill, 
Project Leader, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, 
1 Marshlands Road, Fremont, CA 94555, or to Brenda Buxton, Project 
Manager, State Coastal Conservancy, 1330 Broadway, 13th Floor, Oakland, 
CA 94612.
     By Fax: You may also send comments by facsimile to 510-
792-5828.
    To have your name added to our mailing list, contact Ariel 
Ambruster (see DATES).
    Public Meeting: A public meeting will be held on August 4, 2015, 
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Mountain View Community Center, located 
at 201 S. Rengstorff Avenue, Mountain View, California 94040-1706. 
Staff will be available to take comments and answer questions during 
this time. The details of the public meeting will be posted on the SBSP 
Restoration Project's Web site at http://www.southbayrestoration.org/events/. Meeting details will also be emailed to the Project's 
Stakeholder Forum and to those interested parties who request to be 
notified. Notification requests can be made by contacting the SBSP 
Restoration Project's public outreach coordinator Ariel Ambruster (see 
DATES).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Morkill, Project Leader, USFWS, 
510-792-0222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In coordination with the California State 
Coastal Conservancy, we publish this notice to announce the 
availability of a DEIS/EIR for Phase 2 of the SBSP Restoration Project 
at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay Refuge in Alameda, Santa Clara, 
and San Mateo Counties, California. Phase 2 involves Ponds R3, R4, R5, 
S5, A1, A2W, A8, A8S, A19, A20, and A21. The DEIS/EIR, which we 
prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), describes and analyzes the alternatives identified for 
Phase 2 of the SBSP Restoration Project. In addition to our publication 
of this notice, EPA is publishing a notice announcing the draft CCP and 
EIS, as required under section 309 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 
et seq.) The publication date of EPA's notice of availability is the 
start of the public comment period for the draft EIS. Under the CAA, 
EPA also must subsequently announce the final EIS via the Federal 
Register.

EPA's Role in the EIS Process

    The EPA is charged under section 309 of the CAA (42 U.S.C. 7401 et 
seq.) to review all Federal agencies' environmental impact statements 
(EISs) and to comment on the adequacy and the acceptability of the 
environmental impacts of proposed actions in the EISs.
    EPA also serves as the repository (EIS database) for EISs prepared 
by Federal agencies and provides notice of their availability in the 
Federal Register. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Database 
provides information about EISs prepared by Federal agencies, as well 
as EPA's comments concerning the EISs. All EISs are filed with EPA, 
which publishes a notice of availability on Fridays in the Federal 
Register.
    The notice of availability is the start of the public comment 
period for draft EISs, and the start of the 30-day ``wait period'' for 
final EISs, during which agencies are generally required to wait 30 
days before making a decision on a proposed action. For more 
information, see http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/eisdata.html. You 
may search for EPA comments on EISs, along with EISs themselves, at 
https://cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-public/action/eis/search.

Background

    In December 2007, the USFWS and the California Department of Fish 
and Wildlife (CDFW) published a Final EIS/EIR for the SBSP Restoration 
Project at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay Refuge and the CDFW Eden 
Landing Ecological Reserve (December 28, 2007; 72 FR 73799). The 
overall south bay salt pond restoration area includes 15,100 acres that 
the USFWS and the CDFW acquired from Cargill, Inc. in 2003. The lands 
acquired from Cargill are divided into three pond complexes: The 
Ravenswood Pond Complex, in San Mateo County, managed by the USFWS; the 
Alviso Pond complex, also managed

[[Page 43458]]

by the USFWS, which is mostly in Santa Clara County, with five ponds in 
Alameda County; and the Eden Landing Pond Complex, in Alameda County, 
which is owned and managed by the CDFW. The SBSP Restoration Project 
presented in the Final EIS/EIR was both programmatic, covering a 50-
year period, and project-level, addressing the specific components and 
implementation of Phase 1.
    In January 2008, we signed a Record of Decision selecting the Tidal 
Emphasis Alternative (Alternative C) for implementation. This 
alternative will result in 90 percent of the USFWS's ponds on the 
Refuge being restored to tidal wetlands and 10 percent converted to 
managed ponds. Under Phase 1 of Alternative C, we restored ponds E8A, 
E8X, E9, E12, and E13 at the Eden Landing complex; A6, A8, A16, and A17 
at the Alviso complex; and SF2 at the Ravenswood complex. We also added 
several trails, interpretive features, and other recreational access 
points. Construction was completed on the USFWS ponds in 2013.
    We now propose restoration or enhancement of over 2,000 acres of 
former salt ponds in the second phase of the SBSP Restoration Project. 
In Phase 2 DEIS/EIR, we provide project-level analysis of proposed 
restoration or enhancement of portions of the following three 
geographically separate pond clusters: The Ravenswood Pond Complex (R3, 
R4, R5, and S5), the Alviso Pond Complex-Mountain View Ponds (A1 and 
A2W), the Alviso Pond Complex-A8 Ponds (A8 and A8S), and the Alviso 
Pond Complex-Island Ponds (A19, A20, and A21). Some Phase 2 
alternatives also include collaborative restoration and flood 
management activities with non-USFWS landowners of adjacent lands and 
managers of public infrastructures. Other Phase 2 alternatives do not 
include these components. These pond clusters are illustrated in 
Figures 1-5 on the SBSP Restoration Project Web site at http://www.southbayrestoration.org/planning/phase2/.
    Phase 2 of the SBSP Restoration Project is intended to restore and 
enhance tidal wetlands and managed pond habitats in South San Francisco 
Bay while providing for flood management and wildlife-oriented public 
access and recreation. In this Phase 2 document, we would continue 
habitat restoration activities in both USFWS pond complexes, while also 
providing recreation and public access opportunities and maintaining or 
improving current levels of flood protection in the surrounding 
communities. Phase 2 actions are also being planned for implementation 
at the Eden Landing Pond Complex, which is owned and managed by the 
CDFW as part of the Eden Landing Wildlife Sanctuary, but these actions 
will be addressed under a separate process under the NEPA and 
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). We will address activities 
at other ponds in subsequent phases.

Alternatives

    We consider a range of alternatives and their impacts in the DEIS/
EIR, including No Action Alternatives for each group of ponds. The 
range of alternatives includes varying approaches to restoring tidal 
marshes (including number and location of breaches and other levee 
modifications), habitat enhancements (islands, transition zones, and 
channels), modifications to existing levees and berms to maintain or 
improve flood protection, and recreation and public access components 
(including trails, boardwalks, and viewing platforms) which correspond 
to the project objectives.
    The alternatives for each group of ponds (``pond cluster'') are 
described below. The No Action Alternatives are described together, 
followed by the Action Alternatives that are under consideration for 
each pond cluster. In each group of ponds, each subsequently lettered 
alternative usually has successively more components and greater 
amounts of construction. Thus, at a given pond cluster, Alternative C 
would involve more components that Alternative B, which has more than 
Alternative A (No Action). One exception to this arrangement is at 
Ravenswood, where there are three Action Alternatives and where the 
defining feature of each alternative is not ``more components versus 
fewer components'' but rather a different restoration goal for some of 
the small ponds there.

Alviso-Island Ponds, Alviso-Mountain View Ponds, Alviso-A8 Ponds, and 
Ravenswood Ponds--Alternatives A (No Action)

    Under Alternatives Island A, Mountain View A, A8 A, and Ravenswood 
A (the No Action Alternative at each of these pond clusters), no new 
activities would be implemented as part of Phase 2. The pond clusters 
would continue to be monitored and managed through the activities 
described in the Adaptive Management Plan (AMP) and in accordance with 
current USFWS practices.

Alviso Island Ponds

Alternative Island B

    Alternative Island B would breach Pond A19's northern levee and 
remove or lower levees between Ponds A19 and A20 to increase 
connectivity and improve the ecological function of both ponds.

Alternative Island C

    Alternative Island C would include the components of Alternative 
Island B with the addition of levee breaches on the north sides of 
Ponds A20 and A21, lowering of portions of levees around Pond A20, 
pilot channels in Pond A19, and widening the existing breaches on the 
southern levee of Pond A19.

Alviso-Mountain View Ponds

Alternative Mountain View B

    Under Alternative Mountain View B, Ponds A1 and A2W levees would be 
breached at several points to introduce tidal flow in the ponds. 
Portions of Pond A1's western levee would be built up to maintain 
current levels of flood protection provided by the pond itself. Habitat 
transition zones and habitat islands would be constructed in the ponds 
to increase habitat complexity and quality for special-status species. 
A new trail and viewing platform would be installed to improve 
recreation and public access at these ponds.

Alternative Mountain View C

    Under Alternative Mountain View C, levees would be breached and 
lowered to increase tidal flows in Pond A1, Pond A2W, and Charleston 
Slough. The inclusion of Charleston Slough (by breaching and lowering 
much of Pond A1's western levee) is the primary distinguishing feature 
between Alternative Mountain View B and Alternative Mountain View C. 
Several additional new trails and viewing platforms would be installed 
or replaced to improve recreation and public access at the pond 
cluster. To continue providing water to the City of Mountain View's 
Shoreline Park sailing lake, a new water intake would be constructed at 
the proposed breach between Pond A1 and Charleston Slough.

Alviso--A8 Ponds

Alternative A8 B

    Alternative A8 B proposes the construction of habitat transition 
zones in Pond A8S's southwest corner, southeast corner, or both, 
depending on the amount of material available.

[[Page 43459]]

Ravenswood Ponds

Alternative Ravenswood B

    Alternative Ravenswood B would open Pond R4 to tidal flows, improve 
levees to provide additional flood protection, create habitat 
transition zone along the western edge of Pond R4, establish managed 
ponds to improve habitat for diving and dabbling birds, increase pond 
connectivity, and add a viewing platform to improve recreation and 
public access.

Alternative Ravenswood C

    Alternative Ravenswood C would be similar to Alternative Ravenswood 
B, with the following exceptions: Ponds R5 and S5 would be converted to 
a particular type of managed pond that is operated to maintain 
intertidal mudflat elevation; water control structures would be 
installed on Pond R3 to allow for improvement to the habitat for 
western snowy plover; an additional habitat transition zone would be 
constructed; and two public access and recreational trails and 
additional viewing platforms would be constructed.

Alternative Ravenswood D

    Alternative Ravenswood D would open Pond R4 to tidal flows, improve 
levees to provide additional flood protection, create two habitat 
transition zones in Pond R4, establish enhanced managed ponds in Ponds 
R5 and S5, increase pond connectivity, enhance Pond R3 for western 
snowy plover habitat, remove the levees within and between Ponds R5 and 
S5, and improve recreation and public access. Alternative Ravenswood D 
would also allow temporary stormwater detention into Ponds R5 and S5 
via connections with the City of Redwood City's Bayfront Canal and 
Atherton Channel Project. This would treat a residual salinity problem 
in Ponds R5 and S5.

NEPA Compliance

    We are conducting environmental review in accordance with the 
requirements of NEPA, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), its 
implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other applicable 
regulations, and our procedures for compliance with those regulations. 
The DEIS/EIR discusses the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of 
the alternatives on biological resources, cultural resources, water 
quality, and other environmental resources. Measures to minimize 
adverse environmental effects are identified and discussed in the DEIS/
EIR.

Public Comments

    We request that you send comments only by one of the methods 
described in ADDRESSES. If you submit a comment that includes personal 
identifying information, you may request at the top of your document 
that we withhold this information from public review. However, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    In addition to providing written comments, the public is encouraged 
to attend a public meeting on August 4, 2015, to solicit comments on 
the DEIS/EIR. The location of the public meeting is provided in the 
ADDRESSES section. We will accept both oral and written comments at the 
public meeting.

Ren Lohoefener,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-17991 Filed 7-21-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P