[env-trinity] Notice of Preparation for Canyon Creek Suite of Rehab Sites: Trinity River Mile 73 to 78 EIR/EA

[Brandt Gutermuth]

Dear Trinity River enthusiasts- 

The North Coast Region Water Quality Control Board, the Project's
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Lead  Agency, has just
announced availability of a Notice of Preparation (NOP) for an
Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental Assessment (EA) for the
Canyon Creek Suite of Rehabilitation Sites: Trinity River Mile 73 to 78.
 The Project is scheduled for summer 2006 implementation by the Trinity
River Restoration Program, the Project's National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) lead.  

A public scoping meeting is scheduled for Oct. 20 at 6:30 pm at the
Community Center in Junction City, CA.

The actual NOP is pasted below or available at: 
http://www.trrp.net/documents/canyon_ck_NOP_EIR.pdf 
 
or please call me for more information.

Best Regards, 
Brandt

Brandt Gutermuth, Environmental Specialist
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300 (mailing) 
1313 Main Street (physical address)
Weaverville, CA  96093
(530) 623-1806 voice; (530) 623-5944 fax
Bgutermuth at mp.usbr.gov 



NOP -  ―-----

State of California

Regional Water Quality Control Board
North Coast Region

Notice of Preparation
For An Environmental Impact Report
Canyon Creek Suite of Rehabilitation Sites:  Trinity River Mile 73 to
78


TO:	Responsible and Trustee Agencies, and Interested Parties 

FROM: 	State of California, Regional Water Quality Control Board, North
Coast Region

SUBJECT:	Notice of Preparation for a Joint Draft Environmental
Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Bureau of
Reclamation, Trinity River Restoration Program: Canyon Creek Suite of
Rehabilitation Sites:  Trinity River Mile 73 to 78.  The Draft EIR/EA
will be a joint document, which meets both California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
requirements. 

CEQA LEAD AGENCY:	North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
(NCRWQCB), 
State of California 

NEPA LEAD AGENCY:	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)

PROJECT TITLE:	Canyon Creek Suite of Rehabilitation Sites:  Trinity
River Mile 73 to 78

PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING:  A public scoping meeting will be held on
October 20, 2005 at 6:30 pm. at the Junction City Community Hall, 71
Dutch Creek RD. (just south of HWY 299), Junction City, CA.  Information
on the project will be presented and comments on the scope of the joint
EIR/EA accepted.  Announcement of the meeting will be made in
Weaverville's local newspaper, the Trinity Journal, and by letter to
local landowners.

NOTICE OF PREPARATION COMMENT PERIOD:  A public review period for the
Notice of Preparation has been established from October 7 through
November 7, 2005.  The purpose of this comment period is to provide
involved agencies and the public with an opportunity to learn about the
project and to solicit comments to assist the Lead Agencies in
identifying the range of actions, alternatives, mitigation measures, and
significant effects to be analyzed in the joint EIR/EA.  The Bureau of
Reclamation (Reclamation) will be the federal NEPA lead agency and both
the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service
will act as cooperating agencies under NEPA.  The public and agencies
will use this joint EIR/EA when considering proposed actions, permits,
and/or other approvals for the project.    

Public and agency comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on
November 7, 2005.  Please address comments, questions, and responses
to:
North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board c/o
Trinity River Restoration Program 
Attn: Brandt Gutermuth
P.O.  Box 1300
1313 Main Street 
Weaverville, CA  96093
Voice (530) 623-1806, Fax (530) 623-5944, or email
bgutermuth at mp.usbr.gov 

At some time following the close of the public review period for the
scoping process, the Lead Agencies will issue the draft EIR/EA and will
provide members of the public and other interested parties an
opportunity to review and provide comments on the
project.		

APPLICANT:						
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Northern California Area Office
Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP)
P.O.  Box 1300
1313 Main Street 
Weaverville, CA  96093				

BACKGROUND:  The Central Valley Project Improvement Act (1992) and the
Trinity River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Act (1984) provide the
legal authority for projects that restore the fishery resources of the
Trinity River.  Specifically, these acts include language intended to
protect, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and associated habitats
within the Trinity River Basin.

In December 2000, the Secretary of Interior signed a Record of Decision
(ROD) for the Trinity River Fishery Restoration Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS).  This decision recognized that restoration and
perpetual maintenance of the Trinity River's fishery resources
requires rehabilitating the river itself, and restoring the attributes
that produce a healthy, functioning alluvial river system. 
Consequently, the ROD included five components to ensure long-term
restoration and maintenance of the Trinity River:  a) Variable annual
instream flows ranging from 369,000 acre-feet (af) in critically dry
years to 815,000 af in extremely wet years; b) Physical channel
rehabilitation, including the removal of riparian berms and the
establishment of side channel habitat; c) Sediment management, including
the supplementation of spawning gravels below Lewiston dam and reduction
in fine sediments which degrade fish habitats; d) Watershed restoration
efforts, addressing negative impacts which have resulted from land use
practices in the Basin; and e) Infrastructure improvements or
modifications, including rebuilding or fortifying bridges and addressing
other structures affected by peak instream flows provided by the ROD. 
The Trinity River Restoration Program office in Weaverville, California
was opened in September 2002 for the purpose of implementing the ROD.  

The ROD's channel rehabilitation component focused attention on the
need to physically manipulate the bank and floodplain features of the
Trinity River between River Mile 112.0 (Lewiston Dam) and River Mile
72.4 (North Fork Trinity River).  The channel reconstruction is intended
to restore the Trinity River's historic alternate point bar morphology
and habitat complexity to improve fishery resources.  The Canyon Creek
Suite of Rehabilitation Sites:  Trinity River Mile 73 to 78 (Project) is
the second project scheduled to implement the ROD's mechanical
rehabilitation component and rework the Trinity River floodplain based
on pre-dam channel morphology characteristics.  

The NCRWQCB, which issued Clean Water Act 401 Water Quality
Certification for the Trinity River Restoration Program's Hocker Flat
Channel Rehabilitation pilot project and has permitting authority for
this project, will serve as the state California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) Lead Agency and will prepare an Environmental Impact Report
(EIR) for the project as described below.  The NCRWQCB requests your
views concerning the scope and content of the environmental information
germane to your interests or agency's statutory responsibilities in
connection with the proposed project.  The public and reviewing agencies
will need to use this joint EIR/EA, prepared by the NCRWQCB and
Reclamation, when considering proposed actions, permits, or other
project approvals.  

A project description, location maps, and a summary of the potential
environmental effects are included in this Notice of Preparation.  

PROJECT LOCATION: The proposed project sites are located along an
approximately 6.3-mile stretch of mainstem Trinity River between the
communities of Junction City and Helena, Trinity County, California. 
The vicinity of the project is shown in Figure 1.  Each channel
rehabilitation site is referred to by name; while collectively all four
sites are referred to as the Canyon Creek Suite of Rehabilitation Sites
(Project).  The Environmental Study Limits (ESLs) for each site are
illustrated in the Project Location Map, Figure 2.  Collectively, the
four site ESLs comprise the project ESL.  

Canyon Creek Suite of Rehabilitation Sites:  Trinity River Mile 73 to
78 includes: 

	Conner Creek
	The Conner Creek channel rehabilitation site begins at River
Mile 77.4 and extends 0.3 miles downstream along the Trinity River.  It
is found on the Dedrick, California 7.5-minute United States Geological
Survey (USGS) quadrangle map, Township 34 North, Range 11 West, Sections
1, 35 and 36, MDBM, 040° 45' 15" North latitude by 123° 04' 00" West
longitude.  
	Valdor Gulch
	The Valdor Gulch channel rehabilitation site begins at River
Mile 75.4 and extends 1.10 miles downstream along the Trinity River.  It
is found on the Dedrick, California 7.5-minute USGS quadrangle map,
Township 34 North, Range 11 West, Sections 27 and 35, MDBM, 040° 45' 53"
North latitude by 123° 05' 35" West longitude.  
	Elkhorn 
	The Elkhorn channel rehabilitation site begins at River Mile
73.6 and extends 0.8 mile downstream along the Trinity River.  It is
found on the Dedrick, California 7.5-minute USGS quadrangle map,
Township 34 North, Range 11 West, Sections 27 and 28, MDBM, 040° 45' 53"
North latitude by 123° 06' 08" West longitude.  	
	Pear Tree
	The Pear Tree site begins at River Mile 73.1 and extends 0.3
mile downstream along the Trinity River.  It is found on the Dedrick,
California 7.5-minute USGS quadrangle map, Township 34 North, Range 11
West, Section 28, MDBM, 040° 45' 57" North latitude by 123° 06' 57" West
longitude. 
 
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: In joint action with Reclamation and BLM, the
NCRWQCB is evaluating the Project at each of these identified locations
along the Trinity River.  The Hocker Flat Project represented the
initial TRRP effort to implement the mechanical channel rehabilitation
component of the 2000 ROD.  Together this Project (encompassing four
sites) and the Hocker Flat project (implemented in 2005), will not only
work to enhance river processes at their discrete locations, but are
also expected to synergistically work together for enhancement of river
processes and ultimately to increase fisheries habitat throughout the
reach downstream of Canyon Creek.  

Within the project ESL, discrete activity areas have been identified. 
Within these activity areas, a variety of specific actions may be
conducted that are intended to enhance or reestablish the Trinity
River's alternate point bar morphology and channel complexity, and
to subsequently provide an increase in useable fish habitat.  In
addition, these actions are intended to enhance the riparian and
terrestrial habitat adjacent to the Trinity River.  The following
actions may be conducted in one or more activity areas as part of this
project. 

§	Removal of Vegetation, including Mature Riparian Vegetation
§	Earthwork in the Trinity River Floodplain
§	Material Transportation
§	Material Disposal
§	Revegetation

POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS:
The joint EIR/EA is being prepared to evaluate potentially significant
impacts to the environment.  The following section provides a brief
discussion of the environmental factors that will be addressed in the
joint EIR/EA.  

Air Quality.  The EIR/EA will address regional air quality conditions
in Trinity County and the air quality impacts resulting from the actions
incorporated into this project.  Air quality will be examined to
determine if the proposed Project would result in a conflict with the
North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District regional air quality
plan.  The nearby Weaverville Basin is in moderate "non-attainment"
of state PM10 standards.  Vehicle exhaust and fugitive dust from
construction activities on and adjacent to the site will be considered.


Noise.  Potential noise impacts associated with construction will be
assessed in the EIR/EA.  Noise levels will be evaluated for consistency
with the Junction City Community Plan, the Trinity County General Plan
and Zoning Ordinance, and State and federal standards and guidelines
regulating noise on public and private lands.

Geology and Soils.  Geological and seismic safety, and soils stability
will be addressed in the EIR/EA.  Mineral resources will also be
addressed, particularly as they relate to activities authorized under
the federal 1872 Mining Law.  

Hydrology, Water Quality, and Floodplains.  The EIR/EA will address any
hydrology, water quality, and floodplain impacts that may occur as a
result of the proposed project.

The construction phase of the project may have the potential to
increase erosion, turbidity, and sedimentation levels downstream of the
project sites.  Activities within the active channel of the Trinity
River would be subject to water quality limitations imposed by the
California North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in
conjunction with the issuance of a 401 Certification pursuant to the
federal Clean Water Act.  

The Trinity River has been listed under Section 303(d) of the Clean
Water Act as a waterbody impaired by sediment.  A Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL) for the Trinity River was completed by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency in December 2001.  It is anticipated
that the project will improve the beneficial uses of the Trinity River
(cold water fisheries) that are impaired by sediment.

Per federal Executive Order 11988 (pertaining to floodplain
involvement), public notice is hereby given that the project includes
construction within the 100-year floodplain.  Portions of the project
are within Zone A on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA)
Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM), on public and private lands.  Areas
within Zone A have approximate delineations for the 100-year floodplain,
but do not have defined base flood elevations.  If it is determined that
project activities would result in a change to the 100-year floodplain
delineation, a floodplain risk assessment will be performed to determine
what impacts, if any, would occur to adjacent structures and the public.
 However, it is anticipated that completion of the proposed project will
reduce flooding risks and will not adversely affect the 100-year
floodplain delineation.  Project activities in designated floodplains on
private lands will require issuance of a Floodplain Development Permit
from Trinity County.

Biological Resources.  Existing biological conditions within the
Trinity River and the area surrounding the project sites will be
described, and potential impacts of the proposed Project on vegetation
and wildlife will be assessed.  The EIR/EA will evaluate the likelihood
for any significant biological impacts, including effects on endangered,
threatened, rare, or other special status plant and animal species, and
wetland/special aquatic resources.

The proposed Project ESL has the potential to support a variety of
special-status species (listed and non-listed).  Spring and fall chinook
salmon, coho salmon, Pacific Lamprey and summer and winter steelhead are
known to spawn within the Trinity River, and suitable spawning habitat
is available for the species within the study limits of the project.  In
addition, the Trinity River is designated as critical habitat for coho
salmon by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Fisheries
Section (NOAA Fisheries).  Other special-status and listed species
within the project area could potentially include the willow flycatcher,
green sturgeon, silky cryptantha, northwestern pond turtle, yellow
warbler, yellow-breasted chat, bald eagle, and osprey.  A comprehensive
plant and wildlife inventory to determine species presence/absence and
potential project-related effects to species that may be present.

Because there are no known listed riparian and terrestrial species
under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within the
project ESL, a Biological Assessment is not expected to be required
pursuant to Section 7 of the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).  A
Biological Opinion (BO) was issued by NOAA Fisheries on October 12, 2000
for the Trinity River Fisheries Restoration Program.  This BO is
considered adequate to address listed fish species that may be affected
by this project.  Though they will provide biological guidance and will
act as a trustee agency, the California Department of Fish and Game has
determined that they are not authorized to permit federally funded
Trinity River Restoration Projects, like Hocker Flat and Canyon Creek
Rehabilitation Projects.  Consequently, neither a "2081 Incidental
Take Permit" (California Endangered Species Act) nor a "1602
Streambed Alteration Agreement" will be required.

The project will be assessed for consistency with the state and federal
Wild and Scenic Rivers Acts.  Completion of the proposed Project is
expected to enhance anadromous salmon and steelhead fisheries; both
identified as outstandingly remarkable values of the Trinity River.

The proposed Project includes a variety of riparian and wetland habitat
elements.  These elements are considered sensitive, and ecologically
important to a variety of human and natural resources.  Activities
associated with the project could result in the loss of an undetermined
acreage of riparian habitat.

Per federal Executive Orders 11990 (pertaining to wetlands), public
notice is hereby given that the project may encroach upon wetlands. 
Construction activities associated with the proposed Project could
result in temporary and permanent impacts to wetland features within the
ESL that are subject to U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's (ACOE)
jurisdiction, pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.  Within
the ESL, a delineation of jurisdictional waters of the United States has
been conducted and a delineation report reviewed and verified by the
ACOE.

Cultural Resources.  A cultural resources survey and evaluation will be
conducted, in compliance with the cultural resource programmatic
agreement (PA) prepared for the Trinity River Restoration Program in
cooperation with federal agencies, The Hoopa Valley Tribe, the
California State Historic Preservation officer, and the advisory council
on historic preservation.  This evaluation will assess the area within
the project ESL to determine the presence and significance of cultural
and archaeological resources identified.  The project site does not
contain any known prehistoric cultural resources; however, there may be
cultural resources that are currently hidden within the project study
limits that could be unearthed and discovered during the construction
phase of the proposed Project.  If cultural resources are encountered
during the survey, a determination will be made in compliance with the
PA.  

Hazards.  The actions associated with the proposed Project are not
expected to involve the use of hazardous materials and, therefore, will
not expose the public to significant hazard.  Historic Mercury deposits
from past mining efforts may exist on site.  However, based on findings
at the Hocker Flat site, chemical binding of Mercury to the soils keeps
release of Mercury below levels of concern.  Hazards related to movement
of earth and its effects on Mercury availability will be addressed.  

Land Use.  The proposed Project is consistent with Trinity County's
General Plan and related policies.  No buildings or permanent structures
are located within the ESL.  Mineral extraction activities occur within
the ESL, and will be incorporated into the project design. 
Growth-inducing impacts are not expected to occur as a result of the
project, but will be examined.

Socioeconomic/Displacements/Environmental Justice.  Right-of-way
acquisition, residential/business displacements, relocation assistance,
business impacts, and neighborhood cohesion will be analyzed pursuant to
both CEQA and NEPA.  In addition, environmental justice concerns will be
addressed pursuant to NEPA. 

Public Services/Utilities.  An analysis of public services and
utilities associated with the proposed Project will be included in the
EIR/EA.   

Visual Resources.  A Visual Impact Analysis will be included in the
EIR/EA describing the existing visual characteristics of the project
area and analyzing any potential visual impacts.

Transportation and Circulation.  Transportation and circulation impacts
associated with the proposed Project will be analyzed, including access
during construction, and any impacts to public roads, including State
Highway 299 West.  A principal objective of the proposed Project is to
ensure implementation in a manner that provides safe transit in and
adjacent to the project area.  Activities within existing Right-of-Ways
for public roads may require issuance of an encroachment permit from the
responsible agency. 

Construction Impacts.  The document will identify and analyze any
further short-term construction impacts associated with air quality,
noise, water quality, traffic congestion and detours, safety, visual,
business access, community facilities, etc.