[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 144 (Friday, July 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60654-60656]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16423]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_OR_FRN_MO_4500179756]


Notice of Availability of the Final Hult Reservoir and Dam Safety 
Environmental Impact Statement, Oregon

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
announces the availability of the Final Hult Reservoir and Dam Safety 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

DATES: The BLM will not issue a decision on the proposal for a minimum

[[Page 60655]]

of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal 
Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.

ADDRESSES: The Final EIS and documents pertinent to this proposal are 
available for review on the BLM ePlanning project website at https://bit.ly/4365A9m. They are also available for in-person examination at 
the BLM's Siuslaw Field Office at 3106 Pierce Parkway, Springfield, OR 
97477.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Bickford, (541) 683-6767; 3106 
Pierce Parkway, Springfield, OR 97477; [email protected]. 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 for contacting Ms. Bickford. 
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:

Background

    The Hult Reservoir and Hult Pond Dam are located near the community 
of Horton, Oregon. The reservoir is fed by Lake Creek and smaller 
tributaries. The earthen embankment dam was built in the 1930s or 1940s 
to create a log holding pond for the Hult Lumber Company sawmill. 
Today, the 54-acre reservoir and surrounding area are primarily used as 
a recreation destination. The dam serves no other water retention 
purposes and provides no flood protection. The average lifespan for an 
earthen embankment dam is 50 years, which the Hult Dam has exceeded by 
over 3 decades. The BLM believes that the dam is at the end of its 
lifespan.
    When the BLM took ownership of the reservoir and dam in a 1994 land 
exchange, the dam had been poorly maintained, but a 1990 Bureau of 
Reclamation inspection found there was no immediate danger of failing. 
Since then, the BLM has made improvements to the dam, including 
repairs, reinforcement, and installation of monitoring equipment. BLM 
staff continuously monitor the reservoir level and adjust the dam 
outlet during winter weather events to avoid overtopping.
    In 2017, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) inspected the dam 
and found multiple failure points due to its age and condition. The 
2018 USACE report based on this inspection described that flooding 
resulting from dam failure could impact 70 to 130 people downstream and 
cause damage to Oregon Highway 36, as well as potential loss of life.

Purpose and Need

    The project's purpose and need is to decommission the current Hult 
Dam structure to reduce the potential for failure of the aging 
structure and associated loss of life and critical services, and to be 
fiscally responsible to the public in managing the costs associated 
with the dam.

Alternatives

    The Draft EIS analyzed three action alternatives and a No Action 
alternative. It also considered eight alternatives that were not 
presented in detail; the Final EIS adds four more alternatives not 
presented in detail that came from public comments on the Draft EIS.
    Alternative 1 (Continue Current Management) would leave the dam in 
place and continue current operations. The analysis assumes that, 
because of the dam's condition and age, within approximately 8 years 
either the dam will fail catastrophically (Alternative 1.1), or the BLM 
would have to drain the reservoir because a catastrophic dam failure 
was imminent (Alternative 1.2). Alternative 2 (Remove the Existing Dam 
and Build a New Dam to Maintain Hult Reservoir) would remove the 
current Hult Pond Dam, build a new dam in its place, and refill the 
reservoir. Alternative 3 (Remove Hult Reservoir; Add Little Log Pond) 
would remove the dam and build a smaller dam downstream on Lake Creek 
to create a 5-acre pond (Little Log Pond) that would be used for 
recreation. Alternative 4 (Remove Hult Reservoir) would permanently 
remove the existing dam infrastructure; Hult Reservoir would be 
drained, and a natural stream channel would be reestablished through 
the former reservoir footprint.

Preferred Alternative

    The BLM's preferred alternative is Alternative 4 (Remove Hult 
Reservoir). In addition to removing the dam and allowing Lake Creek to 
flow freely, this alternative would also remove the existing poorly 
functioning fish ladder near the dam. Excavated dam material would fill 
in the current spillway. A new bridge would be built to span the stream 
channel near the current dam location, replacing the existing bridge 
and road across the dam. This work would take place during summer 
months when water levels would be lowest.
    Project design features include:
     Riparian and wetland restoration in the former reservoir 
area, with the creation of habitat for fish, western pond turtles, and 
beavers.
     Improved recreation amenities, including a new day-use 
area, a developed camp host site and a group campsite, and a multi-use 
trail adjacent to the restoration area.
     Cultural design features including signage with 
information about the area's original indigenous inhabitants and the 
lumber mill previously located at the site.
    In addition, proposed mitigation measures would reduce impacts to 
wetlands, western pond turtles, native fish, rare aquatic plants, and 
recreationists.

Public Involvement

    The public scoping period for the project was held in January 2022. 
Issues identified by the public included changes to recreation access 
and opportunities such as fishing, swimming, and boating; effects to 
wildlife, plants, ecosystems, fish, and fish passage; effects to the 
local economy and community; availability of water for fire 
suppression; impacts on water quality, availability, and rights; and 
impacts on local Tribes. The BLM solicited additional public input 
during the EIS process by holding an open house in May 2022 and 
releasing a draft of EIS chapters 1 and 2 for a five-week public 
comment period.
    The release of the complete Draft EIS in October 2023 was 
accompanied by two public meetings (one virtual, one in-person). The 
BLM received 35 comment letters during the 45-day comment period. 
Commenters asked the BLM to add or clarify information in the EIS and 
proposed additional alternatives.
    Comments on the Draft EIS received from the public and internal BLM 
review were considered and incorporated as appropriate into the Final 
EIS. Public comments resulted in the addition of clarifying text but 
did not significantly change proposed actions.

Changes Made Between the Draft and Final EIS

    The BLM addressed 48 substantive comments in the Final EIS. The 
BLM's responses to comments include additional information about 
permits required for the project, impacts to environmental justice 
populations, and impairment of waterbodies in the project area, along 
with corrections to facts and data and discussion of other 
alternatives.

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    The Final EIS includes new proposed mitigation measures that would:
     Reduce adverse impacts to environmental justice 
populations under Alternative 4.
     Reduce adverse impacts to special status aquatic plants 
under Alternative 2.
     Reduce adverse impacts to western pond turtles under 
Alternatives 3 and 4.
    Changes include updated cost estimates for each alternative; 
changes to the Comparison of the Alternatives section and tables; and 
issues related to environmental justice, special status plants, and 
western pond turtles.
    Other new information includes findings of recent surveys for 
archeological sites and artifacts, rare plants, and invasive plants 
within the project area, and a new, more accurate calculation of 
wetlands acres. Several EIS sections have been updated to reflect this 
new data.

Cooperators

    Formal cooperating agencies on this EIS include:

 Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians 
of Oregon
 Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
 Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
 Oregon Department of Forestry--Lane County
 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Regulatory Branch

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)

Dennis Teitzel,
District Manager, Northwest Oregon District, Oregon/Washington.
[FR Doc. 2024-16423 Filed 7-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-24-P