Chapter 4 Environmental Consequences
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CHAPTER 4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES NE XT HOME Table of Contents CHAPTER 4 – Environmental Consequences ............................. 4-1 4.1 Introduction ............................................................ 4-1 4.1.1 Definitions of Existing and Baseline Conditions ....................... 4-2 4.1.2 Use of Supportive Information ..................................... 4-3 4.2 Physical Environment – Study Area ........................................ 4-4 4.2.1 Water Supply ................................................... 4-4 4.2.1.1 Water Quantity .......................................... 4-4 4.2.1.2 Water Quality ........................................... 4-6 4.2.2 Newlands Project Operations and Infrastructure .................... 4-10 4.2.2.1 Newlands Project Irrigated Acreage Base ................... 4-10 4.2.2.2 Newlands Project Headgate Demand and Deliveries ........... 4-11 4.2.2.3 Newlands Project Efficiency .............................. 4-13 4.2.2.4 Lahontan Reservoir Operations ........................... 4-14 4.2.2.5 Hydropower Resources .................................. 4-17 4.2.2.6 Newlands Project Canal Capacities and their Operation ....... 4-19 4.2.2.7 Derby Dam and Truckee Canal ............................ 4-23 4.2.3 Lower Truckee River and Pyramid Lake ........................... 4-24 4.2.4 Air Quality .................................................... 4-25 4.3 Physical Environment – Refuge Lands and Waters .......................... 4-27 4.3.1 Acreage Base ................................................... 4-27 4.3.1.1 Stillwater NWR, Stillwater WMA, and Fallon NWR .......... 4-27 4.3.1.2 Anaho Island NWR ...................................... 4-28 4.3.2 Topography and Soils ........................................... 4-29 4.3.3 Refuge Wetlands ............................................... 4-29 4.3.3.1 Wetland-habitat Acreage ................................. 4-32 4.3.3.2 Wetland Delivery and Incidental Inflow .................... 4-37 4.3.3.3 Seasonal Wetland-habitat Acreage And Water-level Fluctuations 4-41 4.3.3.4 Flushing Action and Wetland Water Chemistry .............. 4-44 4.3.3.5 Environmental Contaminants in Wetlands .................. 4-48 4.4 Biological Communities ................................................. 4-53 4.4.1 Vegetation ..................................................... 4-53 4.4.1.1 Basin-Wetland Plant Communities ......................... 4-54 4.4.1.1.1 Submergent Vegetation ........................... 4-61 4.4.1.1.2 Deep Emergent Vegetation ........................ 4-63 4.4.1.1.3 Shallow Emergent Vegetation ...................... 4-65 4.4.1.1.4 Moist-Soil Vegetation ............................. 4-66 4.4.1.1.5 Wet Meadow Vegetation .......................... 4-68 4.4.1.1.6 Wetland Shrub Vegetation ........................ 4-70 4.4.1.1.7 Unvegetated Alkali Mudflat Habitat ................ 4-71 4.4.1.1.8 Deep, Open-Water Habitat ........................ 4-72 4.4.1.1.9 Playa Habitats .................................. 4-73 NEXT HOME BACK 4.4.1.2 Riverine Riparian Plant Communities ...................... 4-74 4.4.1.3 Desert Shrub Plant Communities .......................... 4-77 4.4.1.4 Agricultural Vegetation .................................. 4-80 4.4.1.5 Native Community Abundance ............................ 4-81 4.4.1.6 Invasive Plant Species .................................... 4-83 4.4.1.7 Human Activity Impacts on Vegetation ...................... 4-85 4.4.2 Wildlife ....................................................... 4-88 4.4.2.1 Birds .................................................. 4-89 4.4.2.1.1 Waterfowl ...................................... 4-90 4.4.2.1.2 Shorebirds ...................................... 4-99 4.4.2.1.3 Wading Birds .................................. 4-103 4.4.2.1.4 Colonial Nesting Waterbirds on Anaho Island ....... 4-106 4.4.2.1.5 Other Waterbirds ............................... 4-107 4.4.2.1.6 Passerines ..................................... 4-109 4.4.2.1.7 Raptors ....................................... 4-113 4.4.2.1.8 Other Bird Species .............................. 4-115 4.4.2.1.9 Avian Diseases ................................. 4-115 4.4.2.2 Mammals ............................................. 4-117 4.4.2.3 Reptiles ............................................... 4-120 4.4.2.4 Amphibians ........................................... 4-120 4.4.2.5 Fish .................................................. 4-122 4.4.2.6 Invertebrates .......................................... 4-124 4.4.2.7 Endangered, Threatened, and Species of Special Concern ..... 4-130 4.4.2.8 Fish and Wildlife Toxicity ............................... 4-135 4.4.3 Biotic Processes ............................................... 4-137 4.5 Recreational Opportunities ............................................. 4-138 4.5.1 Hunting ...................................................... 4-140 4.5.2 Environmental Education and Interpretation ...................... 4-145 4.5.3 Wildlife Observation and Photography ............................ 4-147 4.5.4 Fishing ....................................................... 4-149 4.5.5 Camping and Boating .......................................... 4-150 4.5.6 Other Uses .................................................... 4-151 4.6 Cultural Resources and Indian Trust Assets ............................... 4-152 4.6.1 Cultural Resources ............................................. 4-152 4.6.2 Indian Trust Assets ............................................ 4-160 4.6.2.1 Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Indian Reservation ................ 4-160 4.6.2.2 Pyramid Lake ......................................... 4-160 4.7 Commercial Harvest of Natural Resources ................................ 4-161 4.7.1 Livestock Grazing ............................................. 4-161 4.7.2 Muskrat Trapping ............................................. 4-162 4.7.3 Commercial Fishery ............................................ 4-163 NEXT HOME BACK 4.8 Socioeconomic Resources ............................................... 4-163 4.8.1 Economics and Employment ..................................... 4-164 4.8.2 Population .................................................... 4-165 4.8.3 Land Use ..................................................... 4-165 4.8.4 Commercial Uses on Stillwater NWR Complex ..................... 4-166 4.8.5 Wetlands and Related Outdoor Recreation Economics ............... 4-168 4.8.6 Potential Changes to the Local and Regional Economy ............... 4-170 4.8.7 Employment and Population .................................... 4-170 4.8.8 Geothermal Leasing ............................................ 4-171 4.8.9 Other Potential Effects ......................................... 4-172 4.9 Naval Air Station-Fallon Operations ..................................... 4-173 4.10 Effects on Refuge Management ......................................... 4-173 4.10.1 Habitat Management Techniques ............................... 4-173 4.10.2 Effects on the Ability of the Service to Meet Legal Mandates ......... 4-175 4.11 Cumulative Effects ................................................... 4-180 4.11.1 Primary Wetland-habitat Acreage ............................... 4-181 4.11.2 Condition of Wetland-habitat ................................... 4-183 4.11.3 Migratory Bird Populations .................................... 4-184 4.11.4 Lower Truckee River and Pyramid Lake Resources ................ 4-185 4.11.4.1 Pyramid Lake ........................................ 4-185 4.11.4.2 Fish Populations ....................................... 4-186 4.11.5 Other Wildlife Issues .......................................... 4-187 4.11.5.1 Mosquito Populations .................................. 4-187 4.11.6 Opportunities for Wildlife-Dependent Public Uses ................. 4-188 4.11.6.1 Waterfowl Hunting .................................... 4-188 4.11.6.2 Wildlife Observation and Photography .................... 4-189 4.11.6.3 Environmental Education and Interpretation .............. 4-189 4.11.6.4 Fishing ............................................... 4-189 4.11.7 Other Uses and Resources ...................................... 4-190 4.11.7.1 Newlands Project Operations ........................... 4-190 4.11.7.2 Air Quality ........................................... 4-191 4.11.7.3 Local Economy ....................................... 4-191 4.11.7.4 Indian Trust Assets and Cultural Resources ............... 4-192 4.12 Possible Conflicts with Agency, Tribal, County, or State Plans or Policies ..... 4-193 4.13 Unavoidable Adverse Effects ........................................... 4-193 4.14 Irreversible and Irretrievable Resource Commitments ..................... 4-194 4.15 Relationship Between Short-term Uses of the Env. and long-term Productivity ....................................................... 4-195 NEXT HOME BACK List of Figures Figure 4.1 Average number of ducks counted on Stillwater NWR, Carson Lake, and both areas combined during NDOW waterfowl surveys, 1970-1998 .................................................... 4-90 Figure 4.2 Comparison of wetland-habitat acres and waterfowl numbers on Stillwater NWR, 1986-1996 ...................................... 4-93 List of Tables Table 4.1 Regulatory water quality standards applicable to designated waters in Nevada ........................................................ 4-7 Table 4.2 Baseline Newlands Project irrigation acreage for purposes of this EIS. 4-11 Table 4.3 Potential effects of