Draft 563Rd Rescue Group Personnel Recovery Supplemental Environmental Assessment Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona March 2015
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DRAFT 563RD RESCUE GROUP PERSONNEL RECOVERY SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA MARCH 2015 DRAFT 563RD RESCUE GROUP PERSONNEL RECOVERY SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA March 2015 1 DRAFT 2 FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT 3 4 1.0 NAME OF PROPOSED ACTION 5 6 The use of 20 Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ) and Drop Zone (DZ) sites for the 563rd Rescue 7 Group (563 RQG) Personnel Recovery Training Mission at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base 8 (AFB), Arizona 9 10 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES 11 12 In 2002, an Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) were 13 completed by the United States (U.S.) Department of the Air Force (Air Force), Headquarters Air 14 Combat Command (ACC) for the West Coast Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) Beddown at 15 Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Implementation of the Proposed Action resulted in the 16 establishment of a Personnel Recovery organization composed of collocated HH-60 helicopters, 17 HC-130 cargo aircraft, and Combat Rescue Officer (CRO)-led squadrons. The Beddown added 18 a total of 12 HH-60 helicopters, 10 HC-130 fixed-wing cargo aircraft, and 1,059 personnel to 19 Davis-Monthan AFB. Ground and parachute training for CSAR personnel within previously 20 approved ranges, DZs, and LZs were also part of the Proposed Action for the CSAR Beddown 21 EA. Since the completion of the CSAR Beddown, the 563 RQG has identified a need to 22 increase the number of HLZs and DZs to be used for training in order to provide a more robust 23 and realistic training scenario. This would ensure that an adequate number of HLZ/DZs are 24 available in a variety of ecological conditions and elevations to simulate various rescue and 25 recovery operations worldwide. This Supplemental EA (SEA) is tiered to the 2002 CSAR 26 Beddown EA. 27 28 Two alternatives - the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative - were analyzed in detail in 29 the SEA. The Proposed Action and any alternatives were evaluated based on their potential to 30 satisfy the purpose and need, specifically to provide realistic personnel search and rescue 31 training for Air Force and other Department of Defense (DoD) units, ensure that an adequate 32 number of HLZ/DZs are available during training events, and ensure that a wide variety of 33 terrain types are available to provide realistic training. 34 35 Under the Proposed Action, the Air Force proposes to use an additional 20 identified sites in 36 Arizona as HLZ/DZs during routine training events conducted by the 563 RQG. The HLZ/DZs 37 are located throughout southern and central Arizona in a variety of settings and on state or 38 Federal lands that have been previously disturbed. Not all HLZ/DZs will necessarily be used 39 during each training event. A special-use permit would be required for use of the sites. The 40 special-use permit would last for 2 years. Potential future sites, based on mission training 41 requirements, could also be used through a special-use permit or lease. The 563 RQG is 42 responsible for ensuring that the quantity of HLZ/DZ sites necessary is properly monitored. The 43 number of potential future sites should be kept to a minimum, but should be sufficient to meet 44 training requirements. The Air Force will perform appropriate environmental analyses on these 45 future sites when, or if, they are identified. The currently identified and potential future sites 46 would range from 0.3 to 2.7 acres. No construction or ground disturbance would be expected to 47 occur at the identified or potential future sites. Some minor trimming of vegetation could occur 48 along the perimeter of sites located within forested or scrub areas; this would be required for 49 safety purposes to avoid contact with vegetation by helicopter blades. Approximately 23.5 50 acres were analyzed in the SEA for natural and cultural resources. Davis-Monthan AFB Personnel Recovery SEA FONSI-1 Draft 1 Each site would potentially be used between 24 and 250 times annually; however, training 2 requirements would dictate the frequency of use for each site. The training events would 3 include the use of the HC-130 cargo aircraft and HH-60 helicopters. During the training event, 4 one to three helicopters would land and deploy search and rescue units or rescue participants 5 who have been brought to the site. There would be no increase in sorties as analyzed in the 6 2002 CSAR EA. No live fire would occur during these training events outside of established 7 DoD ranges, such as the Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR). Training missions would include 8 nighttime flights; however, all activities would comply with the restrictions established by Davis- 9 Monthan AFB. Detailed descriptions of how the training would be conducted are provided in the 10 2002 CSAR EA. 11 12 The No Action Alternative typically describes the baseline of current operations that will be 13 compared against the Proposed Action. The No Action Alternative would not increase the 14 number of sites available for training. Consequently, this alternative would not satisfy the 15 purpose and need; however, it will be carried forward for analysis, as required by the Council on 16 Environmental Quality (CEQ), and will form the basis for analysis of the other alternatives. For 17 purposes of the SEA, the level of training missions to be assessed under the No Action 18 Alternative would be that described as the Proposed Action in the 2002 CSAR EA. 19 20 3.0 SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 21 22 The SEA provides an analysis of potential environmental impacts of the Proposed Action and 23 No Action Alternative within the region of influence (ROI), which includes Davis-Monthan AFB 24 and Cochise, Gila, Graham, Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz counties. It was determined that, due 25 to potential impacts, four HLZ/DZ sites including the Grapevine, Stronghold, Paige, and Pedro 26 sites will be removed from the list of proposed HLZ/DZ sites and will not be used during routine 27 training events conducted by the 563 RQG. Negligible or no impacts on airspace, geology, 28 water resources, and environmental justice were identified. Minor, insignificant impacts would 29 occur on land use, air quality, socioeconomics, biological resources, soils, hazardous materials 30 and wastes, safety and occupational health, and cultural resources, as identified below. 31 Moderate, insignificant impacts would occur on the noise environment. These impacts are 32 identified below. The No Action Alternative would result in no change to existing conditions. 33 34 Airspace: There would be no significant impacts on airspace operations, airspace, or civilian 35 aviation. 36 37 Land Use Resources: The use of the Grapevine and Stronghold HLZ/DZ sites would impact 38 the land use and visual resources of the surrounding area due to noise and visual impacts. Due 39 to these impacts, the Grapevine and Stronghold sites will be removed from the list of proposed 40 HLZ/DZ sites and will not be used during routine training events conducted by the 563 RQG. 41 The land use and visual resources impacts would be considered minor, and implementation of 42 the Proposed Action would not have a significant impact. 43 44 Air Quality: Overall, the maximum net increases in air emissions would be minor and well 45 below the de minimis thresholds; therefore, the direct and indirect impacts on air quality would 46 not be significant. 47 48 Noise: The training activities would potentially create Sound Exposure Levels (SELs) in excess 49 of 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA) on the Coronado National Forest near Jenna HLZ/DZ, 50 residential receptors (campsites) near Grapevine HLZ/DZ, and residential receptors and 51 Coronado National Forest adjacent to the Stronghold HLZ/DZ. Due to these impacts, the Davis-Monthan AFB Personnel Recovery SEA FONSI-2 Draft 1 Grapevine and Stronghold sites will be removed from the list of proposed HLZ/DZ sites and will 2 not be used during routine training events conducted by the 563 RQG. During training use, low- 3 flying flight patterns over the Coronado National Forest north of the Jenna HLZ/DZ will be 4 avoided so that the 85 dBA threshold is not exceeded over the USFS lands. The training 5 personnel will be advised of this requirement prior to each training mission using the Jenna 6 HLZ/DZ. With these implementations, the noise impacts would be considered minor to 7 moderate, and no significant impacts would occur. 8 9 Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice: Use of the Stronghold HLZ/DZ would have 10 noise impacts on the residences in the area when flights occur. The increased noise levels may 11 impact the ability of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to rent the “Rooms with a View” cabins 12 located nearby, impacting use and revenues. 13 14 The Grapevine Group Campground would be impacted by noise when there are flights 15 associated with the Personnel Recovery training. Substantial and frequent use of the site could 16 cause campers to seek other locations instead of the Grapevine Campground, thereby 17 impacting use and revenues. 18 19 Due to these impacts, the Grapevine and Stronghold sites will be removed from the list of 20 proposed HLZ/DZ sites and will not be used during routine training events conducted by the 563 21 RQG. There are no socioeconomic impacts associated with the remaining HLZ/DZ sites and no 22 significant impacts would occur. 23 24 There would be no disproportionately high or adverse impacts on minority or low-income 25 populations or children.