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3.1 Geology, Soils, Biological Soil Crusts, and Erosion

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3.1 Geology, Soils, Biological Soil Crusts, and Erosion SECTION 3 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES, AND MITIGATION 3.1 GEOLOGY, SOILS, BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS, AND EROSION This section presents information on the existing environment and potential environmental effects from the Project, and proposes mitigation of Project effects to geology, soils, and biological soil crusts in the Project Area. Potential effects from the Project include erosion and seismic hazards. The Proposed Action (including the two options of the Proposed Action), the Alternatives and the No Action Alternative were evaluated as part of this analysis. 3.1.1 Methodology The evaluation was conducted using digital data sources and previously conducted studies. Sources reviewed included the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (ODOGMI) digital geological map and seismicity maps and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) fault zone maps. A geological report (Smith 2008) and geotechnical report (Shannon and Wilson 2009) completed for the Echanis Wind Energy Project (Echanis Project) were also reviewed. Soil characteristics discussed herein were obtained from the Harney County Soil Survey digital soils maps (NRCS 1997). Locations of biological soil crust monitoring stations were supplied by the BLM. The analysis incorporated comments from the public scoping process which was conducted from July to September, 2009. In general, comments related to this resource area from local organizations and private citizens were limited to the following key issues: • Effects to fragile soils and geological features; • Increased erosion; and • Presence of and effects to biotic soil crusts. The Proposed Action and Alternative Actions and procedures that were evaluated are based on information provided in the Plan of Development for the transmission lines (Columbia Energy Partners [CEP] 2009) and the Application for Conditional Use Permit for the wind farm (CEP 2007), along with supplemental information provided through personal communications (M. Kane, personal communication, November 5, 2009). 3.1.2 Affected Environment This section presents a summary of the geology and soils for the entire Project Area. The affected environments for each of the Project Alternatives are presented together due to their proximity and shared characteristics. 3.1.2.1 Geology The Project is located primarily in the northernmost edge of the Basin and Range Province which extends from southern Oregon to northern Mexico. This region was shaped 20 million years ago by the east-west extension of the continental crust and upper mantle (USGS 2004). The resultant faulting created a series of alternating linear mountain ranges and down-dropped valleys trending north-south, also known as horst and graben topography. These mountains or horst tend to be steep and are subject to erosion which fills the low valleys or graben with thick deposits of rock debris. This extension is still occurring at a rate of 1 centimeter per year; faults in the region are active and mountains continue to uplift as sediment fills the valleys (USGS 2004). Basalt flows also play a large role in the current geological conditions in eastern Oregon. The 3.1-1 NORTH STEENS TRANSMISSION LINE EIS ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT JUNE 2010 Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) inundated an extensive area of the Columbia River Basin with multiple flows from 17 to 6 million years ago (Ma). The Steens Basalt flowed onto the surface relatively rapidly from 16.6 to 15.3 Ma as part of the CRBG (Hooper et al. 2002). Later lava flows (younger than 15.3 Ma) were smaller in volume and erupted from fissures associated with Basin and Range extension, such as the Devine Canyon tuff (ca. 9.7 Ma) and the Drinkwater basalt (ca. 6.9 Ma) (Camp et al. 2003). The proposed site for the Project is located on Steens Mountain, which is an uplifted fault block between the Alvord Basin and the Catlow Basin. The Echanis Project Area is mapped as Steens Basalt of the Columbia River Basalt Terrane with a small portion mapped on Devine Canyon Welded Ashflow Tuffs of the Harney Basin Volcanic Field Terrane. The proposed transmission line route Alternatives and access roads are in an area primarily composed of basalt flows and other volcanics, along with more recent surficial sediments. The Project crosses a number of geological units, as described in Table 3.1-1 and presented in Figure 3.1-1. Table 3.1-1 Geological Units Crossed by Proposed Project and Alternatives Map Unit Symbol Geological Formation Terrane Age (Ma) and Period Qal Alluvium Quaternary Surficial Deposits 12,000 yrs -1.8 Ma Qal/Qs Alluvium and Holocene sedimentary Quaternary Surficial Deposits 12,000 yrs -1.8 Ma deposits, undifferentiated Qaf Alluvial fan deposits Quaternary Surficial Deposits Present – 1.8 Ma Qb1 Basalt/ Diamond Craters Volcanics Quaternary Volcanics Present – 1.8 Ma QTls Landslide debris Quaternary Surficial Deposits Present – 1.8 Ma Qmv Mafic vent complexes Neogene Volcanic Rocks Present – 1.8 Ma Qtb Diamond Craters Volcanics Quaternary Volcanics 1.8-5.2 Ma Tmtr Rattlesnake Ashflow Tuff Harney Basin Volcanic Field 4 -10 Ma Tts Tuffaceous sedimentary rocks Neogene Sedimentary Rocks 4-10 Ma Tmst2 Tmst3 Tmtd Devine Canyon Welded Ashflow Tuff Harney Basin Volcanic Field 4-10 Ma Td Tdv Tst2 Steens Mountain is cut by northwest trending extensional faults and northeast trending range front faults on both flanks. The mountain is very steep on the eastern flank, which is up-faulted, and has a relatively gentle slope on the west side, which is down-faulted (Shannon and Wilson 2009). A number of northwest trending faults cut through the rest of the Project Area, particularly in the southern half. Weldon et al. (2002) mapped several faults in the Project Area that have been active during the Quaternary period (1.6 Ma). As summarized in Geologic Report in the Echanis Wind Project by Smith (2008), three minor faults were inferred in the Echanis project area using remote sensing and topographic maps. No field investigations were conducted as part of that investigation to confirm the locations or quantify the movement rates of these faults. In addition, no geological study was conducted for the transmission line route Alternatives. Nonetheless, the fault map of the area shows approximately seven faults crossing the Alternative B – West Route and approximately nine faults crossing the Alternative C-North Route (Figure 3.1-2). 3.1-2 SECTION 3 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES, AND MITIGATION Figure 3.1-1 Geological Units 3.1-3 NORTH STEENS TRANSMISSION LINE EIS ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT JUNE 2010 This region is prone to earthquakes as movement on faults releases energy. The amount of energy released is measured on the Richter scale as the magnitude of the largest seismic vibration or wave. Earthquakes of magnitude 2 or less are usually not felt, while earthquakes of magnitude 3 and 4 can be felt, but generally do not cause damage. Magnitude 5 or 6 earthquakes may cause damage and earthquakes of magnitude 7 and greater would likely cause major damage. Based on earthquake data from 1841 to 2002 as complied by the ODOGAMI (Niewendorp and Neuhaus 2003), major historical earthquakes occurred in south-central Oregon around Klamath Falls, Klamath County in 1993 (magnitude 5.9 to 6.0) and near Adel, Lake County in 1968 (magnitude 5.1). They were likely caused by movement along extensional faults. Four earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 to 4.9 and four earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 to 3.9 have also been recorded in Harney County during this time period. Although unlikely, landslides on unstable slopes could be triggered by precipitation, snowmelt, earthquakes, or anthropogenic changes to slopes and subsurface water saturation. While slope stability was not mentioned as a concern in the geologic or geotechnical reports reviewed, historical Quaternary landslide deposits are shown on the geologic map within and near the Project Area. 3.1.2.2 Soils The Alternative B – West Route is located completely within the Donner Und Blitzen watershed and the Alternate C-North Route is located in the Donner Und Blitzen, Harney-Malheur Lakes and Upper Malheur watersheds. The wind turbine sites on the Echanis Site are on the ridge between the Donner und Blitzen and Alvord Lake watersheds. The soil types generally present in the Project Area are cobbly loams, clay stony loams, silty clay loams, and rock outcrops. Hackwood soils of the Baconcamp-Rock outcrop-Hackwood complex with 30 to 80 percent slopes have a very high rating for erosion potential by water. This unit accounts for 5.7 percent of the ROW for Alternative B – West route and 3.6 percent of the ROW for Alternative C-North Route. Of the soils crossed by Alternative B, 69 percent have moderate erosion potential by water and 26 percent have low erosion potential. Wind erosion is moderate in 1.2 percent of the soil units; the rest are rated as low. Of the soils crossed by Alternative C, 33 percent have moderate erosion potential by water and 64 percent have low erosion potential. Wind erosion is moderate in 1.3 percent of the soil units; the rest are rated as low. The soil units mapped within the ROW for the access roads have a moderate potential in 62.6 percent of the units for water erosion and 0.1 percent for wind erosion. All other soil units within the access roads ROW have low potential for erosion. The soil units mapped within a 150-foot ROW are presented in Tables 3.1-2 and 3.1-3 and Figure 3.1-3. Resource concerns related to soils in these subbasins include wind erosion in sandy soils where forage cover is lacking; and rill and sheet erosion (NRCS 2005; 2006a; 2006b). Soil erosion potential by water and wind are presented in Figure 3.1-4 and 3.1-5, respectively.
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