NEPA--Environmental Assessment
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United States Environmental Department of Agriculture Forest Assessment Service February 2015 Mill Creek Dam Removal and Restoration Project Salt Lake Ranger District, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Salt Lake County, Utah Lead Agency: USDA-Forest Service Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Salt Lake Ranger District 6944 South 3000 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84121 Responsible Official: Catherine Kahlow, Salt Lake District Ranger (801) 733-2660 Contact Information: Paul Cowley, Project Leader (801) 999-2177 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 – PURPOSE AND NEED ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 DOCUMENT STRUCTURE ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Planning Record.............................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION ........................................................................................................................................ 3 1.4 PROPOSED ACTION ............................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.5 FOREST PLAN DIRECTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 1.6 INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE AND USE OF SCIENCE ..................................................................................................... 7 1.7 DECISION FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.8 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.9 ISSUES ................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 1.9.1 Issues considered but eliminated from detailed analysis ............................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 2: ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION ..................................................................... 10 2.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1.1 Multi-Phase Restoration Project for Mill Creek Canyon ............................................................................................... 11 2.2 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED IN DETAIL .......................................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Alternative 1: No Action ............................................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Alternative 2: The Proposed Action .............................................................................................................................. 13 2.3 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATED FROM DETAIL STUDY .................................................................................................... 15 2.4 PROJECT DESIGN FEATURES AND MITIGATION FOR RESOURCE PROTECTION ................................................................. 15 2.5 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES ........................................................................................................................................ 16 3.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1.1 Cumulative Effects ........................................................................................................................................................ 18 3.2 CULTURAL RESOURCES ...................................................................................................................................................... 20 3.3 FISHERIES AND AQUATIC RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 24 3.4 RECREATION........................................................................................................................................................................ 29 3.5 SOILS ................................................................................................................................................................................... 31 3.6 SCENIC RESOURCES ........................................................................................................................................................... 33 3.7 VEGETATION ........................................................................................................................................................................ 35 3.8 WATER AND RIPARIAN RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 38 4. REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................................. 41 5. CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION ..................................................................................................................... 44 6. APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................................................................... 45 APPENDIX 1: RESPONSE TO COMMENTS .................................................................................................................................. 45 i CHAPTER 1 – PURPOSE AND NEED 1.1 Document Structure The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (UWCNF) has prepared this Environmental Assessment (EA) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other relevant Federal and State laws and regulations. This EA discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts that would result from the proposed action and alternatives. The document is organized into six parts: • Chapter 1 - Purpose and Need: The section includes information on the history of the project proposal, the purpose of and need for the project, and the agency’s proposal for achieving that purpose and need. This section also details how the Forest Service informed the public of the proposal and how the public responded. • Chapter 2 - Comparison of Alternatives, including the Proposed Action: This section provides a more detailed description of the agency’s proposed action as well as alternative methods for achieving the stated purpose. These alternatives were developed based on significant issues raised by the public and other agencies. This discussion also includes possible mitigation measures and design features. Finally, this section provides a summary table of the environmental consequences associated with each alternative. • Chapter 3 - Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences: This section describes the environmental effects of implementing the proposed action and other alternatives. Within each section, the affected environment is described first, followed by the effects of the No Action Alternative that provides a baseline for evaluation and comparison of the other alternatives that follow. • References Cited: This section lists all of the references consulted in the writing of this report. • Agencies and Persons Consulted: This section provides a list of preparers and agencies consulted during the development of the EA. • Appendices: The appendices provide more detailed information to support the analyses presented in the EA. 1.1.1 Planning Record Additional documentation, including more detailed analyses of project-area resources, may be found in the project planning record located at the Salt Lake Ranger District Office in Salt Lake