Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project, Tehama and Shasta Counties, CA

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project, Tehama and

Shasta Counties, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS)/ Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and notice of public scoping

meeting.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and Public Resources Code, Sections 21000-

21178.1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Bureau

of Reclamation (Reclamation), the lead Federal agency, the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a cooperating Federal agency, and

the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), the lead State agency,

propose to prepare a joint EIS/EIR for the proposed Battle Creek Salmon

and Steelhead Restoration Project (Restoration Project).

The proposed Restoration Project is described as modification of

the Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project 1121

(Hydroelectric Project), owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric

Company (PG&E) and licensed by FERC, to restore 42 miles of salmon and

steelhead habitat within and adjacent to reaches of Battle Creek and

its tributaries. Project alternatives range from ``No Action'' (no

change to the Hydroelectric Project) to decommissioning and removal of

all hydropower diversion dams, water conveyance facilities,

powerhouses, transmission lines, and related support installations

within the restoration area. Action alternatives within the range

consist of various combinations of dam decommissioning and removals,

fish screen improvements, fish ladder improvements and increased

streamflows below dams. To ensure biological effectiveness of the

proposed Restoration Project, monitoring and adaptive management are

included in all ``action'' alternatives.

DATES: A scoping meeting will be held to solicit comments from

interested parties to assist in determining the scope of the

environmental analysis and to identify the significant issues related

to the proposed Restoration Project. The meeting will be held on

January 31, 2000 at the Manton Joint Union Elementary School located at

31345 Forward Road in Manton, California. A display session and

informal discussion will occur from 5-6 p.m., and the public scoping

meeting will occur from 6-8 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on the scope of the project to Mary

Marshall, Environmental Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage

Way, Sacramento, California 95825 by February 14, 2000.

Our practice is to make comments, including names and home

addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual

respondents may request that we withhold their home address from public

disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There

also may be circumstances in which we would withhold a respondent's

identity from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish us to

withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at

the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions from

organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying

themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or

businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Mary Marshall, Reclamation

Environmental Specialist at telephone number: (916) 978-5248 or e-mail

address: [email protected]. Additional information regarding the

proposed Restoration Project can also be accessed on the Reclamation

Web Site: http://www.mp.usbr.gov/regional/battlecreek/index.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Battle Creek is a tributary of the

Sacramento River entering at river mile 271, between Red Bluff and

Redding in California. Battle Creek lies on the volcanic slopes of

Mount Lassen in Shasta and Tehama Counties, contains cold, spring-fed

water, maintains relatively high flows throughout the year, and

stretches through remote, deep, shaded canyons and riparian corridors.

Prior to human-influenced alterations to the Battle Creek watershed

beginning around the turn of the 20th century, Battle Creek

historically provided a contiguous stretch of prime habitat for

anadromous fish, specifically the salmon and steelhead species.

In June, 1999, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation entered into a

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) along with the National Marine

Fisheries Service (NMFS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS),

the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) and PG&E which

signaled the intent of these agencies to pursue a restoration effort on

Battle Creek in relation to modification of the Hydroelectric Project.

Consequently, the California-Federal interagency program known as

``CALFED'' provided $28 million in directed funding to Reclamation for

the planning and implementation of the proposed Restoration Project. As

lead Federal agency, Reclamation is responsible for ensuring NEPA

compliance for the proposed Restoration Project.

The Federal Power Act establishes with FERC the exclusive authority

to license nonfederal water power projects on navigable waterways and

Federal lands. PG&E will be required to file an application with FERC

for an amendment to PG&E's existing license to operate the hydropower

facilities on Battle Creek that would be affected by implementation of

the proposed Restoration Project. FERC will ensure that proposed

changes in the Hydroelectric Project comply with NEPA prior to issuing

the license amendment.

All FERC licensing actions in California, including new licenses,

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license amendments, and relicensing, require Clean Water Act Section

401 water quality certification from the SWRCB. SWRCB involvement in

Clean Water Act Section 401 certification requires CEQA compliance, and

the SWRCB will act as the CEQA lead agency.

The proposed Restoration Project supports the restoration

directives of the Central Valley Improvement Act (CVPIA) Anadromous

Fish Restoration Program; the CALFED Restoration Program; the State

Salmon, Steelhead Trout, and Anadromous Fisheries Program Act

(California Senate Bill 2261, 1990); Central Valley Salmon and

Steelhead Restoration and Enhancement Plan; the Upper Sacramento River

Fisheries and Riparian Habitat Management Plan (California Senate Bill

1086, 1989); National Marine Fisheries Service Proposed Recovery Plan

for Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon; Restoring Central

Valley Streams--A Plan for Action and the Steelhead Restoration Plan

and Management Plan for California.

Dated: January 5, 2000.

Frank Michny,

Chief, Division of Environmental Affairs.

[FR Doc. 00-686 Filed 1-11-00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-94-P