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Rio Costilla Habitat Improvement Project

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Rio Costilla Habitat Improvement Project Decision Memo Rio Costilla Habitat Improvement Project USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region Questa Ranger District, Carson National Forest Taos County, New Mexico (Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 14, and 15 of Township 30 North, Range 15 East) Background An interdisciplinary analysis on this project was conducted and is documented in a project record. Source documents from the project record are incorporated by reference throughout this decision memo by showing the document number in brackets [PR #]. Please refer to Appendix A for the project record index. The Questa Ranger District of the Carson National Forest, in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, proposes to improve in- stream habitat conditions within the Rio Costilla [PR #77, 128]. The Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest attracts hundreds of anglers annually. The Rio Costilla is the largest stream in the Valle Vidal and a favorite among anglers. Anglers travel to this area in large part to pursue the native Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Long-term operations of the Costilla Reservoir and Dam have channelized the Rio Costilla, which has become inadequate for holding fish during low-flow conditions and through the winter. The Rio Costilla has become shallow and wide in many spots, and future efforts to re-establish self-sustaining populations of Rio Grande cutthroat trout may not be successful without active management. Since 2001, Rio Grande cutthroat trout and other native fish population restoration efforts have been ongoing within the upper Rio Costilla watershed. Restoration efforts in this section of the Rio Costilla have included the construction of the Rio Costilla terminal fish barrier in October 2016. The construction of the barrier was the penultimate step to completing an entire restoration project for the watershed and is to be followed by non-native removal treatments, removal of temporary barriers, and stocking of Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The effects of the Rio Costilla terminal fish barrier were analyzed in an environmental assessment with a Finding of No Significant Impact Statement signed on May 19, 2016. While this habitat improvement project is not a part of the larger restoration effort, it is being done to provide optimal habitat to restore Rio Grande cutthroat trout in the river downstream of the Costilla reservoir and dam. In September 2016, the NMDGF met with personnel from the Carson National Forest to request authorization to proceed with planning for this project. This request was accepted and the final plans and design of the project are presented below and in the project record found in Appendix A [PR #98]. The project is located along the Rio Costilla in the Valle Vidal Unit, Questa Ranger District. The project will improve stream habitat along approximately 4.5 miles of the Rio Costilla in Taos County, New Mexico, in Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 14, and 15 of Township 30 North, Range 15 East, New Mexico Principal Meridian. A map of the approved project is included as Figure 1 below. Project Description The project will improve in-stream habitat conditions within the Rio Costilla. Project designs have been developed by Riverbend Engineering, LLC (2016, 2017) [PR #77, 101, and 128]. Approved actions may include: Rio Costilla Habitat Improvement Project 1 . Removing aging and non-functioning habitat structures from the project area. Installing in-stream fish habitat structures including logs, root wads, and boulders; excavating new pools; and improving existing pools to create deeper holding water. Re-aligning sections of the Rio Costilla using gravel-deflector bars and rock deflectors, and by using woody debris and soil fill to relocate flow to historical channels. Installing stream bank stabilization structures and habitat features including rocks, logs, and root wads. Revegetating access points and staging areas. Revegetating the streambank with native riparian plant species. Installing small (<1 acre) temporary enclosure fences as needed to aid in the establishment of vegetation. To implement these activities, heavy equipment will be used within the stream channel and surrounding upland areas. Forest System Road 1900 will be utilized and maintained, as needed, to access the project area with equipment. Additionally, seven areas along the project corridor will be used for staging equipment and materials. Best management practices (BMPs) will be utilized to reduce the potential for sediment to enter the river and other impacts associated with equipment use. Disturbed areas will be stabilized and replanted with native grasses or other suitable vegetation. The project will encompass approximately 4.5 miles along the Rio Costilla. Based on design, the project could disturb approximately 9.0 acres. The estimated acreage of disturbance per project component is listed in Table 1 [PR #128]. Table 1. Estimated area of disturbance by project component. Total Area Number of in Rio Costilla Project Component1 Structures or Floodplain (acres) Excavate new pool 183 0.8 Fill to narrow channel 138 2.1 Woody debris structure 47 0.1 Rock deflectors 49 0.1 Rock and riprap convergence structure 18 0.1 Depressional wetland 20 0.3 Shape point bar 31 0.3 Soil plug 28 0.2 Temporary access route and staging areas 7 5.0 Total 9.0 1Size of each feature is variable. Sizes per structure were estimated in geographic information system using the measure tool, or taken directly from construction plans in CAD in the case of shaping, wetland creation, and fill areas. Rio Costilla Habitat Improvement Project 2 Project construction will take place at low water between October 2017 and March 2018, and would last about 13 weeks. Project Design Features and Best Management Practices The following project design features were developed for the habitat improvement project. Pre-construction notification will be given to the District Ranger prior to the onset of construction activities. The project will be implemented between October 2017 and March 2018, when historical streamflow and precipitation are lowest and there is no irrigation requirement. Impacts to riparian vegetation will be minimized, except where removal is necessary for completion of the work. Only the staging areas and designated access routes will be cleared of vegetation, including trees and shrubs. No access to the river will be permitted outside of these designated access routes. There will be no dumping of waste materials in or near the Rio Costilla. All construction waste (form material, leftover construction supplies, litter, and debris) will be removed from the work area and disposed of in an approved manner. Spoil piles will not be placed or stored within the stream channel. As part of the NMDGF contract, the selected contractor will be responsible for developing a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and obtaining a Construction General Permit with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. All construction activities will be restricted to the ordinary high water mark (OHWM) of the Rio Costilla, and the designated access routes and staging areas. Temporary erosion and sediment control measures will be constructed to control erosion and sedimentation into the Rio Costilla during construction. Erosion and sediment BMPs may include, but are not limited to, temporary berms, sediment basins, ditches, straw bales, straw mulch, and erosion-control matting. No BMPs will be installed within the Rio Costilla OHWM. All construction equipment will be decontaminated by cleaning with high-pressure water before mobilization to the site. All wheels, tracks, undercarriages, fenders, blades, buckets, and the exterior body will be cleaned prior to entering the site. This BMP is in place to prevent the spread of noxious weeds and aquatic hitchhikers. Any leaking equipment will not be allowed to continue operating until the leak is fixed. Refueling will occur a minimum 100 feet from the floodplain. Fuel, oil, hydraulic fluid, lubricants, and other petrochemicals will be stored outside the floodplain and will have a secondary containment system capable of containing twice the volume of the product. Appropriate spill clean-up materials such as booms and absorbent pads will be on site at all times during construction. Heavy equipment not in use will not be parked within the stream channel. Once construction is complete, the staging areas will be returned to original conditions. This may include leveling, raking, dispersing debris, mulching, seeding for permanent groundcover with Forest Service-approved seed mix, and planting of Forest Service-approved trees and shrubs. Seeding is expected to be limited to access points and staging areas. Rio Costilla Habitat Improvement Project 3 . All staging areas will be reclaimed post-construction. Revegetation will include approved seed mixes. A reclamation plan will be prepared. The project-specific BMPs are derived from Forest Service publication FS-990a National Best Management Practices for Water Quality Management on National Forest System Lands, Volume 1: National Core BMP Technical Guide [PR #57]. When properly implemented and monitored, BMPs provide the most cost-effective, practicable means to avoid or minimize detrimental impacts to soil health and protect water quality. Forest Service BMPs will be utilized before, during, and after construction activities. Copies of the following sections are included in the project record [PR #57]. Aquatic Ecosystems Management Activities AqEco-2. Operations in Aquatic Ecosystems (pp. 21-23) AqEco-3. Ponds and Wetlands (pp. 23-25) AqEco-4. Stream Channels and Shorelines (pp. 26-28) . Facilities and Nonrecreation Special Uses Management Activities Fac-2. Facility Construction and Stormwater Control (pp. 41-42) . Water Uses Management Activities WatUses-4. Water Diversions and Conveyances (pp. 147-149) The construction contractor, when selected, will be responsible for completing the SWPPP and applying for the CWA permit. The permit will be available before construction begins. Public Involvement This project was first published in the quarterly schedule of proposed actions (SOPA) on October 1, 2016 [PR #84].
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