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Biological Assessment Wells Hydroelectric Project Tract 4 Shoreline Stabilization Project Okanogan County, Washington USFWS Consultation Code: 01EWFW00-2017-SLI-0165 BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Prepared For: Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County East Wenatchee, Washington Prepared by: January 26, 2016 Tract 4 Shoreline Stabilization Project Biological Assessment Tract 4 Shoreline Stabilization Project Document Title: Tract 4 Shoreline Stabilization Project Biological Assessment Date: 1/26/17 Client Name: Douglas County PUD Author: Craig Broadhead, Senior Biologist Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. 123 East Yakima Ave, Ste. 250 Yakima, Washington 98901 www.jacobs.com 0 Tract 4 Shoreline Stabilization Project Biological Assessment Executive Summary Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County (Douglas PUD) needs to repair an eroding bank on the Columbia River south of Pateros, Washington. The erosion repair project (Project) will restore shoreline protection and enhance both terrestrial and aquatic habitat. The work supports Douglas PUD’s obligations under its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license to operate the Wells Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 2149. The design incorporates biotic and abiotic elements to reduce erosion and increase shoreline stabilization and habitat values. These elements include placing a cobble and gravel berm below the Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) to dissipate wave energy, constructing a layered coir fabric revetment to protect the shoreline and promote vegetation establishment, flattening steep eroded slopes, and replanting with native vegetation. All work below the OHWM will be completed in the dry during a reservoir drawdown period. Jacobs produced this Biological Assessment (BA) for the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) on behalf of Douglas PUD. The Project is proposed for construction in September 2017, and if possible will be completed concurrently with the Cassimer Bar Dike Breaching project located upstream. The Cassimer Bar project requires drawdown of the Columbia River (Lake Pateros / Wells Reservoir), and completing the Project concurrently allows work to be completed in the dry. The Project is located approximately 4 miles south of Pateros in Okanogan County, Washington (Township 29N, Range 24E, Section 19, Willamette Meridian; Appendix A, Map 1). A species list was acquired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) IPaC system and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) website (Appendix C). Based on a review of the action area (defined in Section 3 below), Project actions and timing, impact minimization measures, and federally listed species and critical habitat that could occur in the action area, the following determinations in Table S1 are proposed: Table S1: Project Effects Summary Common Name Listing Status Determination USFWS Gray wolf Endangered No effect Yellow-billed cuckoo Threatened No effect Ute ladies’-tresses Threatened No effect North American wolverine Proposed Threatened No effect Bull trout – Columbia River DPS Threatened May affect, not likely to adversely affect Bull trout –Critical Habitat Designated May affect, not likely to adversely affect NMFS Chinook – Upper Columbia River Endangered May affect, not likely to adversely affect Spring-run ESU Chinook – Critical Habitat Designated May affect, not likely to adversely affect Steelhead – Upper Columbia Threatened May affect, not likely to adversely affect River Summer-run DPS Steelhead – Critical Habitat Designated May affect, not likely to adversely affect With this submittal, Douglas PUD is requesting informal consultation on the may affect, not likely to adversely affect determinations above. 1 Tract 4 Shoreline Stabilization Project Biological Assessment Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1. Project Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Federal Nexus ............................................................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Project Description ...................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Project Details ........................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Construction ................................................................................................................................................ 6 2.1.1 Project Timeline and Sequencing ............................................................................................................... 6 2.1.2 Equipment ................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1.3 Construction Access and Staging ............................................................................................................... 6 2.1.4 Construction of Cobble and Gravel Berm and Revetment ......................................................................... 6 2.1.5 Post-Project Planting and Site Restoration ................................................................................................. 7 3. Project Action Area ................................................................................................................................... 8 3.1 Terrestrial Zone of Impact ........................................................................................................................... 8 3.2 Aquatic Zone of Impact ............................................................................................................................... 9 4. Impact Avoidance and Minimization Measures ................................................................................... 10 5. Federally Proposed and Listed Species and Designated Critical Habitat ........................................ 11 5.1 Species Excluded from Further Assessment ............................................................................................ 11 5.2 Columbia River DPS Bull Trout ................................................................................................................ 12 5.2.1 Status/Presence in the Action Area .......................................................................................................... 12 5.3 Bull Trout Designated Critical Habitat ....................................................................................................... 12 5.3.1 Status/Presence in the Action Area .......................................................................................................... 13 5.4 Upper Columbia River spring-run ESU Chinook Salmon ......................................................................... 14 5.4.1 Status/Presence in the Action Area .......................................................................................................... 14 5.5 Chinook Salmon Designated Critical Habitat ............................................................................................ 14 5.6 Upper Columbia River summer-run DPS Steelhead ................................................................................ 15 5.6.1 Status/Presence in the Action Area .......................................................................................................... 15 5.7 Steelhead Designated Critical Habitat ...................................................................................................... 16 6. Environmental Baseline ......................................................................................................................... 17 6.1 Aquatic Resources .................................................................................................................................... 17 6.1.1 Wells Hydroelectric Project ....................................................................................................................... 17 6.2 Uplands Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 18 7. Effects Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 19 7.1 Direct Effects ............................................................................................................................................. 19 7.1.1 Terrestrial Noise ........................................................................................................................................ 19 7.1.2 Water Quality ............................................................................................................................................ 19 7.1.3 Habitat Alteration ...................................................................................................................................... 19 7.2 Indirect Effects .......................................................................................................................................... 20 7.2.1 Altered Predator-Prey Relationships ........................................................................................................ 20 2 Tract 4 Shoreline Stabilization Project Biological Assessment
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