Final Environmental Impact Statement for Elwha River Ecosystem Restoration, Olympic National Park, WA

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Final Environmental Impact Statement for Elwha River Ecosystem

Restoration, Olympic National Park, WA

ACTION: Notice of availability on the final environmental impact

statement.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of a final

environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the restoration of the Elwha

River Ecosystem in Olympic National Park, Washington.

LOCATIONS: Public reading copies of the FEIS will be available for

review at the following locations:

Office of Public Affairs, National Park Service, Department of the

Interior, 18th and C Streets NW., Washington, DC 20240, Telephone: 202-

208-6843.

Olympic National Park, National Park Service, 600 E. Park Avenue, Port

Angeles, WA 98362, Telephone: 206-452-4501.

North Olympic Library System, Port Angeles Branch, 207 S. Lincoln

Street, Port Angeles, WA, Telephone: 206-452-9253.

Government Documents, Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Avenue, Seattle,

WA 98104-1193, Telephone: 206-386-4686.

Government Publications, Suzzallo Library, University of Washington,

Seattle, WA 98195, Telephone: 206-543-1937.

Pacific West Field Office, Columbia/Cascades Systems Support Office,

909 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104-1060, Telephone: 206-220-4070.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brian Winter, Elwha River Restoration Coordinator, Olympic National

Park, 600 E. Park Avenue, Port Angeles, WA 98362, Telephone: 206-452-

0302. A limited number of copies of the FEIS are available on request.

All who submitted

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substantive comments on the Draft EIS will receive a copy of the FEIS.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Park Service has prepared a

Final Environmental Impact Statement, Elwha River Ecosystem

Restoration, Olympic National Park, Washington, The FEIS presents the

proposed action and alternatives for restoration of the Elwha River

Ecosystem and its native anadromous fish runs. The proposed action

calls for the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams to accomplish

the Secretary of the Interior's objectives, as directed by Public Law

102-495, the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act of

1992, to restore the river's ecosystem and its native anadromous fish

runs.

The draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for this action was

released for public review in October 1994 Federal Register Vol. 59,

No. 213), and the public comment period closed on December 23, 1994.

Both the DEIS and FEIS analyze the proposed action and four

alternatives for restoring the Elwha River ecosystem. The four

alternatives include no action--continuing to operate the dams without

anadromous fish mitigation; dam retention--operating the dams with

addition of mitigation; remove only Elwha Dam; and remove only Glines

Canyon Dam.

The FEIS contains all letters received during the public comment

period and responses to substantive comments are contained in a

question and answer format. A summary of comments received during

public workshops on the DEIS is also contained in the FEIS.

The no action period on the FEIS will expire 30 days after the

Notice of Availability of this FEIS. This programmatic FEIS is

connected to a second, implementation EIS currently being prepared

which will analyze site-specific alternatives for removal of the dams

and the management of sediment.

The DEIS and FEIS have been completed by the National Park Service

in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of

Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Lower Elwha S'Klallam

Tribe.

Dated: July 26, 1955.

Kenneth Naser,

Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance.

[FR Doc. 95-19451 Filed 8-7-95; 8:45 am]

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