Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report for the San Dieguito Wetlands Restoration Project, San Diego County, California

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement/

Environmental Impact Report for the San Dieguito Wetlands Restoration

Project, San Diego County, California

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Service, San Dieguito River Valley Regional Open Space

Park Joint Powers Authority (JPA), and Southern California Edison (SCE)

propose to participate in the restoration of the San Dieguito Wetlands,

as well as process a Park Master Plan for the area that would address

upland restoration and public access. The tidal wetland restoration

portion of the project would involve the excavation of approximately

130 acres of land located both east and west of I-5 and would generate

approximately 2.07 million cubic yards of dredged material. Upland

restoration would involve converting old agricultural fields to various

native habitats. A system of public trails is also proposed for

development within the study area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions regarding the scoping process or preparation of the EIS/EIR

may be directed to Mr. Jack Fancher, Fish and Wildlife Service, 2730

Loker Ave., West, Carlsbad, California 92008, (760) 431-9440 or Ms.

Victoria Touchstone, Principal Planner, San Dieguito River Park JPA,

1500 State Street, Suite 280, San Diego, California 92101, (619) 235-

5440 ex. 13.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Project Location

The project is located in the western San Dieguito River Valley

both within the northwestern most portions of the City of San Diego and

the City of Del Mar. The project boundaries are generally located from

El Camino Real west to the ocean and for the most part include the

public properties located south of Via de la Valle and north of the

Carmel Valley planning area.

Proposed Action

The purpose of the project is to implement a tidal wetland

restoration project at the San Dieguito Lagoon that would both restore

the aquatic functions of the lagoon through permanent inlet maintenance

and expansion of the tidal basin and create approximately 120 acres of

subtidal and intertidal habitats. Other secondary purposes include

development of a Park Master Plan for the area that would address

upland and non-tidal wetland habitat restoration and public access.

It is anticipated that tidal restoration work at San Dieguito

Lagoon would be accomplished primarily with funds provided by Southern

California Edison and partners (SCE). SCE would fund restoration at San

Dieguito, provided the restoration satisfies the conditions of the

California Coastal Commission (CCC) permit for the construction and

operation of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The

Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), National Marine

Fisheries Service, CCC, California Department of Fish and Game, and

several local agencies have participated in the development of a

conceptual proposal for restoring wetland and aquatic functions at San

Dieguito Lagoon that would, among other things, satisfy the CCC permit

condition for SONGS. Although this proposal will be assessed in the

EIS/EIR review process as one of an appropriate range of restoration

alternatives, the agencies have not yet determined whether this

conceptual proposal is the preferred approach for restoring the optimal

mix of wetland and aquatic functions at San Dieguito Lagoon.

The project goal is to preserve, improve, and create a variety of

habitats within the project site to increase and maintain fish and

wildlife and ensure the protection of endangered species. Project

objectives state that the wetland project design should ensure adequate

tidal and fluvial flushing and circulation to support a diversity of

biological resources while maintaining the appearance of a natural

wetland ecosystem. Proposals for upland restoration should complement

the adjoining coastal wetland areas and provide habitats that have

historically occurred in the area. Proposed public access and use areas

should be sited in a manner that would not interfere with the naturally

functioning ecosystem or the open space character of the western San

Dieguito River Valley.

The proposed project would consist of the following elements: (1)

Tidal inlet maintenance to maintain the regular tidal exchange in

perpetuity through excavation of approximately 5 acres of the river

channel and periodic maintenance dredging to -3 to -3.5 National

Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD); (2) excavate tidal and upland areas to

create approximately 120 acres of subtital and intertidal habitat; (3)

create approximately 10 acres of seasonal salt marsh; set aside

approximately 19 acres within the

[[Page 30016]]

project area for the creation of nesting habitat for the California

least tern; (5) construct levees within the river's effective flow area

in order to maintain the existing sediment flows within the river and

to the beach; (6) identify appropriate sites for dredge disposal; (7)

restore native habitat to non-tidal areas surrounding the wetland

restoration project; and (8) create public access trails and

opportunities for interpretation.

Alternatives

Over the past several years various informal meetings have been

held involving local, state, and federal agencies, as well as members

of the public, to discuss various alternatives for achieving the

overall project goal of restoring the coastal wetlands at the San

Dieguioto Lagoon. As a result of that effort, a number of alternatives

have been developed which include ``No Action,'' Reduced Levee, Mixed

Habitat, Maximum Tidal Basin, and Maximum Salt Marsh. The Mixed Habitat

Alternative is the SCE proposed alternative. As a result of the scoping

process, it is possible that these preliminary project alternatives

will be further refined and/or additional alternatives considered. Once

identified, the final alternatives will be carried forward into

detailed analysis pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 432 et seq.) and the California

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) of 1970, as amended (Public Resources

Code, Section 21000-21177).

Scoping Process

The Service and the JPA are preparing a joint Environmental Impact

Statement/Report (EIS/R) to address potential impacts associated with

implementing their respective discretionary actions for the proposed

project. The Service is the Lead Federal Agency for compliance with

NEPA for the Federal aspects of the project, and the JPA is the Lead

State Agency for compliance with CEQA for the non-Federal aspects of

the project. The Draft EIS/R (DEIS/R) document will incorporate public

concerns in the analysis of impacts associated with the Proposed Action

and associated project alternatives. The DEIS/R will be sent out for a

minimum 45-day public review period, during which time both written and

verbal comments will be solicited on the adequacy of the document. The

Final EIS/R (FEIS/R) will address the comments received on the DEIS/R

during public review, and will be furnished to all who commented on the

DEIS/R, and made available to anyone that requests a copy during a

minimum 30-day period following publication of the FEIS/R. The final

step involves, for the Federal EIS, preparing a Record of Decision

(ROD) and, for the State EIR, certifying the EIR and adopting a

Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan. The ROD is a concise summary

of the decisions made by the Service (in cooperation with the Corps)

from among the alternatives presented in the FEIS/R. A certified EIR

indicates that the environmental document has been completed in

compliance with CEQA, that the decision-making body of the lead agency

reviewed and considered the FEIR prior to approving the project; and

that the FEIR reflects the lead agency's independent judgment and

analysis.

A public scoping meeting to solicit public comment on the proposed

action and alternatives will be held on Monday, June 15, 1998 at 7:00

pm, in the Solana Beach City Council Chambers, 635 South Highway 101,

Solana Beach, California.

Dated: May 28, 1998.

Thomas Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 98-14661 Filed 6-1-98; 8:45 am]

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