Morenci Final Restoration Plan with FONSI
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Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for Natural Resource Damages Settlement, Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Mine September 1, 2017 Prepared by: Arizona Game and Fish Department Arizona Department of Environmental Quality on behalf of the State of Arizona and The United States Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................1 1.1 Trustee Responsibilities under CERCLA and the National Environmental Policy Act ........1 1.2 Summary of Settlement ..........................................................................................................2 1.3 Public Involvement ................................................................................................................2 1.4 Responsible Party Involvement ..............................................................................................3 1.5 Administrative Record ..........................................................................................................3 1.6 Document Organization ........................................................................................................3 2.0 Purpose and Need for Restoration .........................................................................................3 2.1 Site Description ..................................................................................................................3 2.2 Summary of Natural Resource Injuries .............................................................................4 2.2.1 Sources of Hazardous Substances and Pathways to Natural Resources ....................4 2.2.2 Injuries to Migratory Birds ........................................................................................9 2.2.3 Injuries to Terrestrial Resources ..............................................................................10 2.3 Need for Restoration under CERCLA .............................................................................10 3.0 Restoration Project Evaluation and Alternatives ...............................................................11 3.1 Criteria for Identifying and Selecting the Restoration Projects .......................................11 3.2 Development of a Preferred Restoration Alternative and Priority Tiers for Funding .....12 3.3 No-Action/Natural Recovery Alternative ........................................................................13 3.4 Summary of Preferred Restoration Alternative ...............................................................13 3.5 Tier 1 Restoration Projects ...............................................................................................15 3.5.1 Wetland Restoration at Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area .................................................15 3.5.2 Wetland Restoration at Chevelon Creek Wildlife Area ...........................................20 3.5.3 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Population Enhancements ...................................23 3.5.4 Wetland Restoration at Rabbit Farm ........................................................................26 4.0 Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences ...............................................29 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................29 4.2 Water Resources ...............................................................................................................30 4.2.1 Wetland Restoration at Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area ..................................................30 4.2.2 Wetland Restoration at Chevelon Creek Wildlife Area ...........................................31 4.2.3 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Population Enhancements ...................................32 ii 4.2.4 Wetland Restoration at Rabbit Farm ........................................................................32 4.2.5 Cumulative Impacts of Proposed Actions to Water Resources ...............................33 4.3 Biological Resources ..............................................................................................................34 4.3.1 Wetland Restoration at Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area ..................................................34 4.3.2 Wetland Restoration at Chevelon Creek Wildlife Area ...........................................36 4.3.3 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Population Enhancements ...................................39 4.3.4 Wetland Restoration at Rabbit Farm ........................................................................43 4.3.5 Cumulative Impacts of Proposed Actions to Biological Resources ........................46 4.4 Cultural Resources ..................................................................................................................47 4.4.1 Wetland Restoration at Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area ..................................................47 4.4.2 Wetland Restoration at Chevelon Creek Wildlife Area ...........................................48 4.4.3 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Population Enhancements ...................................49 4.4.4 Wetland Restoration at Rabbit Farm ........................................................................49 4.4.5 Cumulative Impacts of Proposed Actions to Cultural Resources ............................50 4.5 Land Ownership and Use ........................................................................................................51 4.5.1 Wetland Restoration at Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area ..................................................51 4.5.2 Wetland Restoration at Chevelon Creek Wildlife Area ...........................................51 4.5.3 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Population Enhancements ...................................52 4.5.4 Wetland Restoration at Rabbit Farm ........................................................................53 4.5.5 Cumulative Impacts of Proposed Actions to Land Ownership and Use ..................54 4.6 Socioeconomics ......................................................................................................................54 4.6.1 Wetland Restoration at Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area and Rabbit Farm ......................54 4.6.2 Wetland Restoration at Chevelon Creek Wildlife Area ...........................................56 4.6.3 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Population Enhancements ...................................58 4.6.4 Cumulative Impacts of Proposed Actions to Land Ownership and Use ..................60 5.0 Summary of Impacts by Alternative ...................................................................................61 6.0 Conclusions and Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact on the Quality of the Quality of the Human Environment………………………………….…………………. 63 7.0 Public Participation…….. 7.1 Public Comment Period ....................................................................................................63 7.1 Administrative Record......................................................................................................63 iii 8.0 List of Preparers ...................................................................................................................64 9.0 References ...............................................................................................................................64 iv 1. 0 Introduction In 2012, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the State of Arizona, acting as natural resource trustees on behalf of the public (collectively the “Trustees”), and Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc. (FMI) entered into a voluntary settlement of the Trustees’ claim for alleged injuries to natural resources incurred at the Morenci Mine Site (the “Site”) owned and operated by FMI in southeastern Arizona. Authority to pursue a claim for natural resource damages is found in the following federal statutes: the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) [42 USC § 9601 et seq.] and the Clean Water Act (CWA) [33 USC § 1251 et seq.]. Under these authorities, the Trustees are responsible for assessing natural resource damages, and identifying and implementing actions to restore, replace, or acquire natural resources equivalent to those injured or destroyed as means of compensating the public. In accordance with Natural Resource Damage and Restoration [NRDAR] regulations, 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 11, the Trustees have prepared this Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA). The Environmental Assessment [EA] describes the restoration alternatives selected by the Trustees. The Restoration Plan [RP] describes how the settlement will be used to fund restoration actions designed to restore, replace, or acquire the equivalent of injured natural resources, particularly migratory birds, which resulted from hazardous substance releases from the Site. The natural resource trustee agencies involved in developing this RP/EA are the DOI represented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the State of Arizona represented by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD). Under CERCLA, the Trustees are responsible for selecting and implementing appropriate restoration projects to compensate the public for natural resource injuries identified during the NRDAR process. The restoration actions presented in this RP/EA by the Trustees were identified through public