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CLARK FORK PROJECT FERC No ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AMENDMENT OF LICENSE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF AN UPSTREAM FISH PASSAGE FACILITY AT THE CABINET GORGE DAM CLARK FORK PROJECT FERC No. 2058-098 Idaho and Montana Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Office of Energy Projects Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance 888 First Street, N.E. Washington, DC 20426 August 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... i LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ iii LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................ iv 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 APPLICATION ......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PURPOSE OF ACTION ........................................................................................... 1 1.3 STATUTORY AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS...................................... 2 1.3.1 Clean Water Act ................................................................................................. 2 1.3.2 Endangered Species Act ..................................................................................... 2 1.3.3 National Historic Preservation Act ..................................................................... 4 1.4 PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT ..................................................................... 5 1.4.1 Background and Pre-filing Consultation ............................................................ 5 1.4.2 Responses to Public Notice ................................................................................ 8 2.0 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES .......................................................... 8 2.1 NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE ................................................................................ 8 2.1.1 Existing Project Facilities ................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 Existing Project Operation ................................................................................. 9 2.2 PROPOSED ACTION ............................................................................................. 13 2.2.1 Phase 1 – Initial Site Preparation ...................................................................... 17 2.2.2 Phase 2 – Cofferdam Construction ................................................................... 17 2.2.3 Phase 3 – Cabinet Gorge Dam Fishway Construction ..................................... 18 2.2.4 Phase 4 – Construction Site Demobilization .................................................... 19 2.2.5 Proposed Environmental Measures .................................................................. 19 2.3 MODIFICATIONS TO APPLICANT’S PROPOSAL – MANDATORY CONDITIONS ............................................................................................................... 21 2.3.1 Water Quality Certificate Conditions ............................................................... 21 2.3.2 Biological Opinion Terms and Conditions ....................................................... 21 2.4 STAFF ALTERNATIVE ........................................................................................ 22 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS .............................................................................. 22 3.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION ................................................................................... 25 3.2 SCOPE OF CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ANALYSIS ............................................. 29 3.3 PROPOSED ACTION ............................................................................................. 29 3.3.1 Geologic and Soil Resources ............................................................................ 29 3.3.2 Water Resources ............................................................................................... 31 3.3.3 Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ...................................................................... 39 3.3.4 Terrestrial and Botanical Resources ................................................................. 58 3.3.5 Threatened and Endangered Species ................................................................ 59 3.4 NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE .............................................................................. 70 3.5 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ANALYSIS ................................................................ 70 3.5.1 Water Resources ............................................................................................... 70 i 3.5.2 Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ...................................................................... 71 4.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................... 72 4.1 UNAVOIDABLE ADVERSE IMPACTS .............................................................. 74 4.2 CONSISTENCY WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLANS .......................................... 74 5.0 FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ............................................................. 76 6.0 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................ 77 7.0 LIST OF PREPARERS ............................................................................................... 82 APPENDIX A: WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATE ...................................................... 83 APPENDIX B: BIOLOGICAL OPINION TERMS AND CONDITIONS ...................... 88 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Cabinet Gorge Dam and Noxon Rapids Dam, Bonner County, Idaho, and Sanders County, Montana. ........................................................................................ 12 Figure 2. Proposed Cabinet Gorge Dam Fishway – Site Plan, Clark Fork Project, Bonner County, Idaho. ........................................................................................................... 15 Figure 3. Proposed Cabinet Gorge Dam Fishway Entryway – Lower Section, Clark Fork Project, Bonner County, Idaho. ................................................................................. 16 Figure 4. The Clark Fork River and Lake Pend Oreille. .................................................. 27 Figure 5. Lower Clark Fork River and Tributaries. ......................................................... 28 Figure 6. Critical Habitat for Bull Trout, Lower Clark Fork River and Major Tributaries. ................................................................................................................................... 63 Figure 7. Critical Habitat for Bull Trout, Lake Pend Oreille and Major Tributaries. ...... 64 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Determination of Effect for Federally Protected Species in the Vicinity of the Clark Fork Project ....................................................................................................... 3 Table 2. Scope of Analysis for the Proposed Cabinet Gorge Dam Fishway, Clark Fork Project. ....................................................................................................................... 23 Table 3. Mean Annual Discharge, Lower Clark Fork River, Idaho, at USGS Gage #12391950 ................................................................................................................. 32 Table 4. Mean Monthly Discharge, Lower Clark Fork River, Idaho, at USGS Gage #12391950 ................................................................................................................. 32 Table 5. Monthly Water Temperature, Lower Clark Fork River (2016). ........................ 36 Table 6. Monthly Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l) Lower Clark Fork River (2016). ................ 36 Table 7. Designated Critical Habitat for bull trout within the Clark Fork River Basin Critical Habitat Unit .................................................................................................. 62 Table 8. Applicable Comprehensive Management Plans ................................................. 74 iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS µg/l micrograms per liter µS/cm microsiemens per centimeter BE Biological Evaluation BMPs best management practices °C degrees Celsius cfs cubic feet per second CHU Critical Habitat Unit Coalition Clark Fork Coalition CWA Clean Water Act Commission or FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Corps U.S. Army Corps of Engineers DO dissolved oxygen DRT Design Review Team EA Environmental Assessment EFH Essential Fish Habitat EIS Environmental Impact Statement ESA Endangered Species Act °F degrees Fahrenheit Forest Service U.S. Forest Service FPA Federal Power Act fps feet per second FR Federal Register FWG Fisheries Working Group FWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Idaho DEQ Idaho Department of Environmental Quality Idaho DFG Idaho Department of Fish and Game Idaho Water Board Idaho Water Resource Board Interior Department of the Interior mg/l milligrams per liter mm millimeter MOA Memorandum of Agreement Montana FWP Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks MW Megawatt National Register National Register of Historic Places NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NSRP Native Salmonid Restoration Plan NTU nephelometric turbidity units OHW ordinary high water PCEs
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