[env-trinity] Douglas City and Lorenz Gulch Project Env. Document Available. March 20 Public Meeting

Tue Mar 12 10:28:30 PDT 2013

Dear Interested parties, Trinity River enthusiasts, Agency reviewers, and
more -

The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP), with federal co-leads of the
U.S Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and
California Lead of the North Coast Region Water Quality Control Board
(Regional Water Board), has just released
our Environmental Assessment/Initial Study that analyzes the potential
environmental impacts of implementation of the Proposed Douglas City and
Lorenz Gulch Project in 2013 and/or 2014. The document is available
at: http://www.trrp.net/?p=4153
(several hard copies are also available at the TRRP office in Weaverville)
for a 30 day comment period. Please mail or email (to bgutermuth at usbr.gov)
your comments to me by April 12, 2013.

The TRRP will host an open house at 6:30 pm on March 20th at the Douglas
City school (in Douglas City, CA) to discuss proposed work at these two
locations and to receive public input.  Mark your calendars.  I hope to see
you there.

I include a full formal announcement of the document's release and the
March 20th meeting below.  Please call with any questions.

Best Regards,
Brandt

Brandt Gutermuth
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main ST.
Weaverville CA 96093
530.623.1806 Voice
http://www.trrp.net/

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT:
____________________________________________________________________________________________

*Douglas City and Lorenz Gulch Project *

*Draft Environmental Document Available for 30 Day Review*

*Public Meeting March 20, 2013 at Douglas City School

*

The Draft Environmental Assessment/Initial Study (EA/IS) for the Douglas
City (River Mile 93.6 - 94.6) and Lorenz Gulch (River Mile 89.4 - 90.2)
Trinity River Channel Rehabilitation sites is now available. The Trinity
River Restoration Program (TRRP), with federal co-lead agencies, the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and with the
California State lead agency, the North Coast Regional Water Quality
Control Board, is working together to inform the public about this proposed
Trinity River restoration project. The Project EA/IS, which is required by
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), is available for public review and
comment through April 12, 2013. After that time the lead agencies will make
a final decision on the project to be implemented. An open house will be
held on Wednesday, March 20, at 6:30 pm at the Douglas City School, to
describe the Proposed Project and to receive public input.

The Douglas City site is located on the mainstem Trinity River in Douglas
City surrounding the Highway 299 Bridge. The Lorenz Gulch site is located
approximately 2 miles downstream of Douglas City on Steiner Flat Road just
past the Steiner Flat primitive campground. Together these sites comprise
the Proposed Project which the TRRP proposes to construct in 2013/2014 to
increase salmon and steelhead habitat downstream of Lewiston Dam, as
described in the December 19, 2000, Record of Decision for the Trinity
River Mainstem Fishery Restoration Environmental Impact Statement. The
Proposed Project is planned to enhance aquatic habitat quality and
complexity via construction of slow water fish nursery habitats,
reconnection of the floodplain with the river, revegetation with native
plants, and placement of in-river structures to react with flow and to
create/maintain habitat.

The Douglas City and Lorenz Gulch EA/IS, and the Master Environmental
Impact Report – the Programmatic Environmental Review document for TRRP
proposed channel rehabilitation and sediment management actions, together
explain and analyze environmental impacts of the project. These documents
are available on the TRRP website: http://www.trrp.net/  The Douglas City
and Lorenz Gulch EA/IS is available on the Bureau of Reclamation’s
Mid-Pacific website at:
http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=12570. In
Weaverville, the EA/IS may be reviewed at: 1.) the Trinity County Library
at 211 Main Street; 2.) the TRRP office at 1313 S. Main Street (next to
Top’s Grocery); or 3.) the Trinity County Resource Conservation District at
1 Horseshoe Lane (off HWY 3). In Redding the EA/IS may be reviewed at the
Bureau of Land Management office at 355 Hemsted Lane.

In 2009, the Regional Water Board acted as lead agency for a Master
Environmental Impact Report (MEIR) and site specific Environmental
Assessment/Environmental Impact Report (EA/EIR) (State Clearinghouse number
2008032110) for channel rehabilitation and sediment management activities
for the remaining Phase 1 and Phase 2 sites in order to comply with the
CEQA. The Regional Water Board certified the environmental documents on
August 25, 2009 (WDID No. 1A09062WNTR). Under California Code of
Regulations, title 14, section 15177, after a Master EIR has been prepared
and certified, subsequent projects which the lead agency determines as
being within the scope of the Master EIR will be subject to only limited
environmental review.  The preparation of a new environmental document and
new written findings will not be required if, based on a review of the
initial study (IS) prepared for the subsequent project (e.g., the Douglas
City and Lorenz Gulch EA/IS), the lead agency determines, on the basis of
written findings, that no additional significant environmental effect will
result from the proposal, no new additional mitigation measures or
alternatives may be required, and that the project is within the scope of
the Master EIR.

The Douglas City and Lorenz Gulch EA/IS contains project specific
information required to apply for enrollment under the General Permit
R1-2010-0028 for Trinity River Channel Rehabilitation activities which the
Regional Water Board will consider in making its determination and approval
decision.

If you would like to receive a copy of the EA/IS, please contact Mr. Brandt
Gutermuth, Bureau of Reclamation, at
623-1806. Comments may be sent to: Mr. Gutermuth, Trinity River Restoration
Program, P.O. Box 1300, Weaverville, CA  96093, or e-mail
bgutermuth at usbr.gov.
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