[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 225 (Friday, November 24, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55830-55831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25398]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Army Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Detroit Dam Downstream Passage Project

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) 
intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The purpose 
of this EIS is to analyze effects to the human environment associated 
with the Corps efforts to enhance juvenile passage of Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) listed Upper Willamette River (UWR) spring Chinook 
salmon and winter steelhead through Detroit Dam to reaches downstream 
of the dam; and to modify temperatures in the North Santiam and main 
stem Santiam Rivers, below Detroit Dam, with the objective of 
replicating pre-reservoir water temperatures. These actions are part of 
the Corps implementation of the National Marine Fisheries Service 
(NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 2008 Biological 
Opinions (BiOp) for the continued operations and maintenance of the 
Willamette Valley Project. The Corps will serve as the lead federal 
agency for purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

DATES: Written comments for consideration in the development of the 
scope of the NEPA EIS are due to the addresses below no later than 
January 8, 2018. Comments may also be made at the public scoping 
meetings as noted below.

ADDRESSES: Mailed comments may be sent to: U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Portland District, P.O. Box 2946, Attn: CENWP-PM-E, 
Portland, Oregon 97208-2946. Email comments to: 
[email protected]. All comments and materials 
received, including names and addresses, will become part of the 
administrative record and may be released to the public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions regarding the Project, 
the EIS, or special accommodations for scoping process participation, 
please contact Kelly Janes, Environmental Resources Specialist; (503) 
808-4771.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Project Background. The Corps' Detroit and Big Cliff dams and 
reservoirs are located in Linn and Marion Counties in the Oregon 
Cascades, in the North Santiam River sub-basin of the Willamette River 
basin near the city of Detroit, Oregon. The Detroit and Big Cliff dams, 
both completed in 1953, form a complete barrier to upstream fish 
passage. This lack of access for UWR spring Chinook salmon and 
steelhead to the high-quality habitat upstream is a critical limiting 
factor for the recovery and contributes to a high or very high 
extinction risk. Additionally, the dam poses a significant barrier and 
risk for downstream migrating juvenile fish. Finally, construction and 
operation of Detroit Dam has altered the pre-dam seasonal thermal 
regimes in the North Santiam River. Detroit Dam operations have 
resulted in cooler downstream water temperatures in the spring and 
summer then were experienced before the dam was built. Detroit Dam 
operations also result in warmer downstream temperatures in the fall 
and winter compared to pre-dam conditions. The altered temperature 
regime negatively affects the productivity of UWR spring Chinook salmon 
and winter steelhead in the lower North Santiam River, and has been 
identified as one of the most critical limiting factors for species 
recovery.
    Detroit and Big Cliff dams and reservoirs are included in the 13 
multipurpose dams and reservoirs the Corps operates and maintains in 
the Willamette River Basin in Oregon, collectively referred to as the 
Willamette Project. The listing of several species under the ESA 
required the Corps to perform an assessment of the effects of operating 
the Willamette Project on listed species. Based on this assessment, the 
NMFS released a BiOp in 2008, which identified measures that it 
believed would avoid jeopardizing the existence of ESA listed fish in 
the Willamette basin, referred to as measures in the Reasonable and 
Prudent Alternative (RPA). Measure 4.12.3 of the RPA requires 
downstream fish passage at Detroit Dam. Measure 5.2 of the RPA requires 
the minimization of water quality effects associated with operations of 
Detroit and Big Cliff dams by making structural modifications or major 
operational changes. The BiOp acknowledges that, if feasible, there 
might be cost-savings and reduced effects if addressing both RPA 
measures were be achieved through one construction project.
    Proposed Project. The Corps is developing a project to provide 
downstream juvenile fish passage for UWR Chinook and steelhead as well 
as to provide temperature control at Detroit Dam. The purposes of the 
proposed project is to enhance juvenile passage of UWR spring Chinook 
and winter steelhead on the North Santiam to reaches downstream of the 
dams; and to modify temperatures on the North Santiam and main stem 
Santiam Rivers, below Detroit Dam, with the objective of replicating 
pre-reservoir water temperatures for UWR spring Chinook and UWR winter 
steelhead habitat.
    Alternatives. The project will be developed in a manner that is 
consistent with sound engineering practice and meets all applicable 
federal environmental laws. In addition to the No Action Alternative, 
in which case dam operations will continue in the absence of the 
Project, structural and operational alternatives considered will 
include, but are not limited to: Optimizing operations, upgrading 
current structures, and constructing new structures adjacent to the 
Detroit Dam in Detroit Reservoir. Additional alternatives could be 
developed during the scoping and evaluation process.
    Scoping Process/Public Involvement. The Corps invites all affected 
federal, state, and local agencies, affected Native American Tribes, 
other interested parties, and the general public to participate in the 
NEPA process during development of the EIS. The purpose of the public 
scoping process is to provide information to the public, narrow the 
scope of analysis to significant environmental issues, serve as a 
mechanism to solicit agency and public input on alternatives and issues 
of concern, and ensure full and open participation in scoping of the 
Draft EIS. Two public scoping meetings are scheduled for December 2017. 
The specific dates, times, and locations of the meetings are provided 
below.
    Upon completion of the scoping process, the Draft EIS will be 
circulated for public review and comment. The Corps expects to release 
the Draft EIS for public review and comment in 2019. The Corps will 
issue a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register announcing the 
release of the Draft EIS for public comment through the local news 
media. Documents and other important information related to the EIS 
will be available for review on the Corps' project Web site.

[[Page 55831]]

    Public Scoping Meetings:
     Thursday, December 14, 2017, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the 
South Salem High School Library located at 1910 Church Street SE., 
Salem, OR 97302.
     Tuesday, December 19, 2017, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the 
Gates Fire Hall located at 140 East Sorbin Street, Gates, Oregon 97346.
    Additional information related to the public scoping process will 
be provided through advertisements placed in regional newspapers of 
general circulation, Public Notice, and on the project Web site at 
https://nwp.usace.army.mil/Willamette/Detroit/fish-passage/.

Aaron L. Dorf,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Commander.
[FR Doc. 2017-25398 Filed 11-22-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3720-58-P