[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 160 (Friday, August 19, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51124-51126]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17235]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R8-NWRS-2022-N003; FXRS12610800000-223-FF08RSDC00]


Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report 
for the Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program II Phase I

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of a joint draft environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (DEIS/EIR) for the Tijuana Estuary Tidal 
Restoration Program II Phase I (TETRP II Phase I). The Service, in 
partnership with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, is 
proposing coastal wetland restoration within the Tijuana River National 
Estuarine Research Reserve on portions of both the Tijuana Slough 
National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park, in San Diego 
County, California. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is participating 
in the National Environmental Policy Act process as a cooperating 
agency. This notice advises the public that the DEIS/EIR, which 
describes the coastal wetland restoration alternatives identified for 
TETRP II Phase I, is available for public review and comment.

DATES: 
    Submitting Comments: We will accept comments received or postmarked 
on or before October 3, 2022.
    Virtual Public Meetings: The Service will hold two virtual public 
meetings during the public comment period to describe the alternatives 
and answer questions regarding the proposal and the review process. 
Details regarding the meeting dates and times, as well as a link to 
participate in the public meetings, are provided at https://trnerr.org/about/public-notices (scroll down to ``TETRP II Phase I '').

ADDRESSES: 
    Document Availability: You may view or download the DEIS/EIR at:
     Internet: https://trnerr.org/about/public-notices/.
     In Person: Subject to restrictions imposed in response to 
COVID-19, you may view the available documents at the following 
locations (call for office hours before traveling to one of these 
locations).
    [cir] Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center, 301 Caspian Way, Imperial 
Beach, CA 91932 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays); telephone 619-575-3613.
    [cir] California Department of Parks and Recreation, San Diego 
Coast District Office, 4477 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92110; 
telephone 619-688-3260.
    [cir] California Department of Parks and Recreation, Southern 
Service Center, NTC at Liberty Station, Barracks 26, 2797 Truxtun Road, 
San Diego, CA 92106; telephone 619-221-7060.
    [cir] Imperial Beach Branch Library, 810 Imperial Beach Blvd., 
Imperial Beach, CA 91932; telephone 619-424-6981.
    [cir] San Ysidro Branch Library, 4235 Beyer Blvd., San Diego, CA 
92173; telephone 619-424-0475.
    Submitting Comments: You may submit written comments by one of the 
following methods:
     U.S. Mail: Brian Collins, USFWS, San Diego NWR Complex, 
1080 Gunpowder Point Drive, Chula Vista, CA 91910.
     Email: [email protected]; please include ``TETRP 
DEIS/EIR'' in the email subject line.
     In-Person Drop-off: You may drop off comments at the 
Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center (see Document Availability, above), 
Wednesday through Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
    We request that you submit comments by only the methods described 
above. For additional information about submitting comments, see Public 
Availability of Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Virtual Public Meetings: The dates and times for the virtual 
meetings, along with a link and access instructions, are posted at 
https://trnerr.org/about/public-notices/.
    Reviewing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) comments on 
the DEIS/EIR: See EPA's Role in the EIS Process under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Collins, Refuge Manager, at 
[email protected] or 760-431-9440, extension 273. Individuals in 
the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a 
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), announce the availability of a joint draft environmental 
impact statement/environmental impact report (DEIS/EIR) for the Tijuana 
Estuary Tidal Restoration Program II Phase I (TETRP II Phase I). The 
Service, in partnership with the California Department of Parks and 
Recreation (CDPR), is proposing coastal wetland restoration within the 
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve on portions of both 
the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge (TSNWR) and Border Field 
State Park, in San Diego County, California. The U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers is participating in the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) process as a cooperating agency. This notice advises the public 
that the DEIS/EIR, which describes the coastal wetland restoration 
alternatives

[[Page 51125]]

identified for TETRP II Phase I, is available for public review and 
comment.
    The Service and CDPR have jointly prepared the DEIS/EIR to evaluate 
the impacts of implementing TETRP II Phase I on the human environment, 
consistent with the purpose and goals of NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) 
and pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality's implementing 
NEPA regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. The DEIS/EIR will also be 
used by CDPR to satisfy the requirements of the California 
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as provided in Public Resources Code 
21000 et seq and the CEQA Guidelines (Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3 
of the California Code of Regulations). A notice of intent to prepare a 
DEIS/EIR for TETRP II Phase I was published in the Federal Register on 
May 27, 2021 (86 FR 28638). We have considered the comments we received 
during the scoping process, and have addressed them as applicable in 
the DEIS/EIR.

Project Location

    The project site, which encompasses approximately 90 acres (ac), is 
located within the southern arm of the Tijuana Estuary, just to the 
east of the Pacific Ocean, in southwestern San Diego County, 
California. The site includes portions of both the TSNWR and Border 
Field State Park. The project site is located entirely within the 
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Background

    Tijuana Estuary is located at the southwest corner of the United 
States in San Diego County, California, where the Tijuana River drains 
an approximately 1,700-square-mile watershed, a large portion of which 
is located within Mexico. Despite recent changes to the upstream 
watershed, including an increase in the flow of contaminated freshwater 
inputs and sedimentation, the Tijuana Estuary remains the largest, most 
intact coastal wetland in the region, supporting habitat for resident 
and migratory wildlife and native plants, including many sensitive, 
threatened, and endangered species.
    It is estimated that in the 1800s, Tijuana Estuary included over 
2,500 ac of estuarine wetlands. Since then, the estuary has experienced 
an approximately 50 percent decrease in subtidal and mudflat habitat 
and a 42 percent decrease in salt marsh. In addition, extensive loss of 
tidal prism (i.e., the volume of water coming and going with the tides) 
has occurred. This degradation in the southern arm of Tijuana Estuary 
served as the primary motivation for the initiation of Tijuana Estuary 
Tidal Restoration Program (TETRP), an extensive restoration proposal 
developed in the early 1990s.
    The TETRP proposal included a multi-phased 495-ac restoration 
project in the estuary's southern arm, along with a proposed Model 
Marsh and Oneonta Tidal Linkage project (both of which have been 
implemented). The final EIR/EIS for the original TETRP proposal was 
completed in 1991. Based on updated research and analysis, the TETRP 
restoration proposals were refined in 2008 as part of the Tijuana 
Estuary Friendship Marsh Restoration Feasibility and Design Study. 
TETRP II Phase I is the first phase of this 2008 multi-phased 
restoration project.

National Environmental Policy Act

    In compliance with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Service has 
prepared this DEIS/EIR that describes the project setting and 
restoration planning history for the Tijuana Estuary and analyzes the 
environmental consequences of each alternative, including the effects 
of those alternatives when combined with reasonably foreseeable future 
actions and environmental trends, to determine if significant impacts 
to the human environment would occur. Three alternatives are analyzed 
in detail in the DEIS/EIR: two action alternatives and a no action/no 
project alternative. All alternatives are analyzed in the DEIS/EIR at 
an equal level of detail. The primary differences between the two 
action alternatives are the total acres of restored intertidal mudflat 
habitat versus restored intertidal salt marsh habitat, the total volume 
of excavated material generated, and the number of tidal channels 
constructed to facilitate tidal flows into the restored wetlands from 
the South Beach Slough.
    Common features include restoration of predominantly disturbed 
portions of the southern arm of Tijuana Estuary to tidal wetlands, 
tidal channel enhancements, and new intertidal channel connections to 
restored habitat areas and the existing Model Marsh, incorporation of 
wetland-to-upland transitional habitat areas into the restoration 
design, and river mouth excavation, as needed, to ensure continued 
tidal exchange within the estuary. Additionally, both action 
alternatives propose the beneficial reuse of suitable excavated 
material for beach nourishment, development and maintenance of adjacent 
coastal barrier dunes, and reclamation of the Nelson Sloan Quarry. 
Excavated material not suitable for these purposes would be transported 
off site to the Otay Landfill or another suitable disposal site.
    Alternative 1--Alternative 1, which includes 86.8 ac, was designed 
to maximize deeper intertidal habitats, such as mudflat, and to 
increase tidal prism in the southern arm of the estuary. A network of 
intertidal channels would connect with existing tidal channels and the 
mouth of the Tijuana River. The primary tidal connection would be the 
existing South Beach Slough, which would be made deeper. A smaller 
tidal connection would be provided to the existing Old River Slough, 
where the adjacent vegetated marsh habitat would be preserved. 
Excavation to restore wetland habitats would generate approximately 
585,000 cubic yards (cy) of sediment, with approximately 5,000 cy to be 
used to establish higher elevation transitional areas within the 
restoration footprint.
    Alternative 2 (Proposed Action)--Alternative 2, identified in the 
DEIS/EIR as the proposed action, includes a restoration footprint of 
approximately 83.6 ac and proposes to restore approximately 82.5 ac of 
wetland habitats from primarily disturbed upland habitat, while 
preserving 1.1 ac of transitional and upland habitat within the 
northern portion of the project site. The restored habitats would 
generally be located in and around the Model Marsh. A system of tidal 
channels would be established, with connections to existing tidal 
channels at three points, including two along South Beach Slough and 
one at Old River Slough. South Beach Slough would be deepened to 
increase tidal flows into the proposed restoration area, and transition 
zone habitat would be restored along the southern portion of the 
restoration area and intermittently around the perimeter of Model 
Marsh. Excavation would generate approximately 521,000 cy of material, 
with approximately 7,000 cy to be used on site to establish higher 
elevation transitional areas. As described above, the remainder of the 
excavated material, depending upon its suitability, would be 
beneficially reused for beach nourishment, transported off site for 
beneficial reuse at other project sites, and/or disposed of in a 
landfill.
    No Action Alternative--Under the No Action Alternative, restoration 
of the estuary would not be implemented. No removal of soil or 
vegetation would occur to restore or establish habitat within the 
project site. New or widened channel connections would not be 
implemented. Periodic removal of sand from the estuary's river mouth 
could continue to occur under separate approvals, but activities would 
be

[[Page 51126]]

restricted to the river mouth and would not extend into the estuary.

EPA's Role in the EIS Process

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged with 
reviewing all Federal agencies' EISs and commenting on the adequacy and 
acceptability of the environmental impacts of proposed actions. 
Therefore, in addition to our publication of this notice, the EPA is 
publishing a notice in the Federal Register announcing the DEIS, as 
required under section 309 of the Clean Air Act (CAA; 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 DEIS/EIR. Under the CAA, EPA 
also must subsequently announce the final EIS via the Federal Register. 
EPA also serves as the repository (EIS database) for EISs prepared by 
Federal agencies. The EIS database provides information about EISs 
prepared by Federal agencies, as well as EPA's comments concerning the 
EISs. You may search for EPA comments on EISs, along with EISs 
themselves, at https://cdxapps.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-II/public/action/eis/search.

Public Comments

    You may submit your written comments and materials by one of the 
methods presented in ADDRESSES.
    No opportunity will be provided for verbal comments during the 
virtual public meetings described under DATES.

Reasonable Accommodations

    Persons needing reasonable accommodations to participate in the 
virtual public meetings should contact the Service as soon as possible, 
using one of the methods listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 
To allow sufficient time to process requests, please make contact no 
later than one week before the scheduled public meetings.
    Information regarding this proposed action is available in 
alternative formats upon request.

Public Availability of Comments

    You may submit your comments by one of the methods listed in 
ADDRESSES. Before including your address, phone number, email address, 
or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should 
be aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

Next Steps and Decision To Be Made

    After public comment, we will evaluate any comments received and 
prepare written responses, which will be included with the final EIS. 
The Service expects to announce the availability of the final EIS in 
the Federal Register in early 2023. After consideration of the analysis 
and information provided in the final EIS, as well as the comments 
received throughout the review process, the Regional Director will 
select the alternative that best achieves the purpose and need for the 
intended action. The decision, which will be documented in the record 
of decision, will also consider the consistency of the action with 
agency policies, regulations, and applicable laws, and the contribution 
it will make towards achieving the purposes for which the TSNWR was 
established. At least 30 days after the final EIS is available, we 
expect the record of decision will be completed, in accordance with 
applicable timeframes established in 40 CFR 1506.11.

Authority

    We provide this notice in accordance with the requirements of NEPA 
and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1503.1 and 1506.6).

Jill Russi,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-17235 Filed 8-18-22; 8:45 am]
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