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Revised Essential Fish Habitat (Pdf) Appendix B: Revised Essential Fish Habitat Assessment Page intentionally left blank. Revised Essential Fish Habitat Assessment City and Borough of Sitka Sitka Seaplane Base Project Sitka Channel, Sitka, Alaska April 2021 Prepared for: City and Borough of Sitka 6100 Lincoln St. Sitka, AK 99835 Prepared by: 2607 Fairbanks Street, Suite B Anchorage, Alaska 99503 Submitted to: National Marine Fisheries Service Revised EFH Assessment; City and Borough of Sitka; Sitka Seaplane Base April 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 2 Project Purpose ...................................................................................................................... 1 3 Proposed Action ..................................................................................................................... 2 3.1 Project Location ................................................................................................................ 2 3.2 Definition of Action Area .................................................................................................. 4 3.3 Construction Details ......................................................................................................... 6 3.3.1 Pile Installation Equipment ................................................................................. 11 3.3.2 Pile Installation Methods..................................................................................... 11 3.3.3 Construction Vessels ........................................................................................... 12 3.3.4 Other In-water Construction and Heavy Machinery Activities ........................... 12 3.3.5 Project Operation Activities ................................................................................ 12 4 Essential Fish Habitat in the Action Area ............................................................................. 13 4.1 Essential Fish Habitat Species Descriptions .................................................................... 15 4.1.1 Salmonid Species Descriptions ............................................................................ 15 4.1.2 Ground Fish Species Descriptions ....................................................................... 16 4.1.3 Non-EFH Protected Species ................................................................................. 21 4.2 Existing Conditions in the Action Area ........................................................................... 22 4.2.1 Sitka Channel and Channel Rock Breakwaters .................................................... 22 4.2.2 Anadromous Waterways ..................................................................................... 23 5 Effects Assessment .............................................................................................................. 24 5.1 Discharge of Fill Material and Uplands Development .................................................... 24 5.1.1 Short-Term Impacts ............................................................................................. 24 5.1.2 Long-term Impacts .............................................................................................. 25 5.1.3 Indirect Impacts ................................................................................................... 25 5.1.4 Cumulative Effects ............................................................................................... 26 5.1.5 Conservation and Mitigation Measures .............................................................. 26 5.2 Vessel Traffic ................................................................................................................... 26 5.2.1 Short-Term Impacts ............................................................................................. 26 5.2.2 Long-term Impacts .............................................................................................. 26 5.2.3 Indirect Impacts ................................................................................................... 27 5.2.4 Conservation and Mitigation Measures ............................................................. 27 5.3 Pile Installation and Removal ......................................................................................... 27 5.3.1 Short-Term Impacts ............................................................................................. 27 5.3.2 Long-term Impacts .............................................................................................. 29 5.3.3 Indirect Impacts ................................................................................................... 29 5.3.4 Conservation and Mitigation Measures ............................................................. 29 5.4 Overwater Structures ..................................................................................................... 29 5.4.1 Short Term Impacts ............................................................................................. 29 5.4.2 Long-term Impacts .............................................................................................. 29 5.4.3 Indirect Impacts ................................................................................................... 31 5.4.4 Overwater Structures Conservation and Mitigation Measures .......................... 31 6 Conclusions and Determination of Effects .......................................................................... 31 7 References ........................................................................................................................... 32 i Revised EFH Assessment; City and Borough of Sitka; Sitka Seaplane Base April 2021 TABLES Table 1. New Sitka SPB Construction Components ........................................................................ 7 Table 2. New Sitka SPB Pile Installation and Removal Summary ................................................... 8 Table 3. Essential Fish Habitat Salmon Species in Action Area .................................................... 14 Table 4. Essential Fish Habitat Groundfish Species in Action Area .............................................. 14 Table 5. Potential Adverse Impacts to Essential Fish Habitat and EFH-listed Species for Activities Associated with the Proposed Project .......................................................................................... 24 FIGURES Figure 1. New Sitka SPB Location .................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Location of New Sitka SPB in Sitka Channel ..................................................................... 3 Figure 3. New Sitka SPB Action Area and Pile Driving Location ..................................................... 5 Figure 4. Location of Peterson Creek .............................................................................................. 6 Figure 5. Proposed Action ............................................................................................................... 9 Figure 6. Side Profile of Proposed Action ..................................................................................... 10 Figure 7. Steel Pipe Pile Frame ..................................................................................................... 11 Figure 8. Eelgrass Bed Extent ........................................................................................................ 23 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ADEC Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation ADF&G Alaska Department of Fish and Game AWC Anadromous Waters Catalog BMP best management practices CBS City and Borough of Sitka dB decibels EFH Essential Fish Habitat FAA Federal Aviation Administration FMP Fisheries Management Plan ft feet GOA Gulf of Alaska Magnuson-Stevens Act Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act MLLW mean lower low water µPa micropascal NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NPFMC National Pacific Fisheries Management Council SEL sound exposure level SPB Seaplane Base ii Revised EFH Assessment; City and Borough of Sitka; Sitka Seaplane Base April 2021 USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers iii Revised EFH Assessment; City and Borough of Sitka; Sitka Seaplane Base April 2021 1 INTRODUCTION The City and Borough of Sitka (CBS) is proposing to construct a new seaplane base (SPB) in Sitka Channel on the northern shore of Japonski Island in Sitka, Alaska. The new SPB will replace the existing SPB (Federal Airline Administration [FAA] identifier A29) currently located on the eastern shore of Sitka Channel, near Eliason Harbor and downtown Sitka. The new SPB will address existing capacity, safety, and condition deficiencies for critical seaplane operations, and allow seaplanes to more safely transit Sitka Channel. Construction, which includes the installation of piles to support a floating ramp dock, floating transient dock, landing gangway, wave attenuators, and a shore-access transfer span and trestle, is anticipated to begin in January 2023 and be completed in June 2025. Currently, the SPB A29 off Katlian Street is at the end of its useful life and has a number of shortcomings, including limited docking capacity. A29 has only eight spaces, four of which cannot be accessed during low tide. The facility also lacks on-site fueling infrastructure, is expensive to maintain, has wildlife
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