[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 1, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18218-18219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06812]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the Sacramento Weir 
Component (Yolo County, California) of the American River Watershed 
Common Features Project, as Authorized Under the Water Resources 
Development Act of 2016

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Sacramento District, 
and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board is preparing a Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report 
(Draft Supplemental EIS/EIR) for the Sacramento Weir widening component 
of the American River Watershed Common Features (ARCF) Levee 
Improvement Project authorized by the Water Resources Development Act 
of 2016. This Draft Supplemental EIS/EIR supplements the ARCF General 
Reevaluation Report (GRR) Final EIS/EIR. The Proposed Action includes 
constructing a 1,500-foot-long passive weir, with associated levee, 
roadway, rail bridge, and fish passage improvements adjacent to the 
existing Sacramento Weir at the junction of the Sacramento River and 
Sacramento Bypass. Conceptual components of the Proposed Action were 
analyzed in the ARCF GRR Final EIS/EIR but some elements of the 
Proposed Action (passive weir design and fish passage structure) were 
not analyzed in the ARCF GRR Final EIS/EIR because final designs are 
still in progress. USACE has now developed two alternative project 
designs in sufficient detail to analyze their environmental effects: A 
passive weir structure with a crest elevation at 26 feet on the North 
American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) (the Proposed Action), and a 
passive weir structure with a crest elevation at 26 feet NAVD88, with 
stop logs to raise the crest elevation to 29.8 feet NAVD88 (the Higher 
Weir Elevation Alternative). Both design alternatives would reduce the 
flood risk in and around the cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento 
by conveying additional Sacramento River flow during flood events into 
the Sacramento and Yolo Bypasses.

DATES: Written comments regarding the scope of the environmental 
analysis should be received by April 20, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments concerning the Draft 
Supplemental EIS/EIR to Mr. Robert Chase, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
Sacramento District, Attn: Planning Division (CESPK-PDR), 1325 J 
Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Requests to be added to the mailing list 
should also be sent to this address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the Proposed Action 
and EIS/EIR should be addressed to Robert Chase at (916) 557-7630, 
[email protected], or by mail (1325 J Street, Sacramento, 
CA 95814).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    a. Proposed Action: USACE is preparing a Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (SEIS)/Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) 
to analyze environmental impacts of the authorized Sacramento Weir 
Widening component of the larger ARCF 2016 levee improvement project. 
The Proposed Action includes a passive weir with a sill elevation of 26 
feet above the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88).
    b. Alternatives. In addition to the Proposed Action, the 
supplemental EIS will address two alternatives. One alternative would 
affix horizontal stop logs to the top of the passive weir sill, with a 
top elevation of 29.2 feet NAVD88, similar to the elevation of the top 
of the gates of the existing Sacramento Weir. The other alternative is 
the required No Action Alternative.
    c. Scoping Process.
    1. USACE will seek comments on the draft SEIS/SEIR from concerned 
individuals and local, State, and Federal agencies. A public scoping 
meeting will be held in the form of a teleconference and/or webinar in 
April 2020. Exact date, time, registration details, additional 
information, and any schedule changes will be announced online at: 
http://www.sacleveeupgrades.com.
    2. Significant topics analyzed in the SEIS include anticipated 
project effects on visual resources, air quality, vegetation and 
wildlife, special-status plants and terrestrial wildlife species, 
fisheries, climate change, cultural resources, geological resources, 
hazardous wastes and materials, hydrology and hydraulics, water quality 
and groundwater resources, noise, recreation, transportation and 
circulation, and public utilities and service systems; and cumulative 
effects of related projects in the study area.
    3. USACE is consulting with the State Historic Preservation Officer 
to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act, and the National 
Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to 
comply with the Endangered Species Act.
    4. After publication of the draft SEIS a 45-day public review 
period will be provided for individuals and agencies to review and 
comment on the draft document. Interested parties are encouraged to 
respond to this notice and provide a current address if they wish to be 
notified of the draft SEIS circulation.
    d. Availability. The draft SEIS/SEIR is scheduled to be available 
for public

[[Page 18219]]

review and comment by approximately May 12, 2020.

Kimberly M. Colloton,
Brigadier General, U.S. Army, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 2020-06812 Filed 3-31-20; 8:45 am]
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