Draft Environmental Assessment for the Draft Amendment to Add
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DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE DRAFT AMENDMENT TO ADD NORTHERN MEXICAN GARTERSNAKE TO THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER M ULT I-SPECIES CONSERVATION PROGRAM AS A COVERED SPECIES Prepared by: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 9828 North 31st Avenue #C3 Phoenix, Arizona 85051 and Bureau of Reclamation 500 Fir Street Boulder City, NV 89005 September, 2017 Draft Environmental Assessment for the Draft Amendment to Add Northern Mexican Gartersnake to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program as a Covered Species Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION, PURPOSE, AND NEED ..........................................................................1 1.1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 1.2 PURPOSE OF THIS EA ................................................................................................1 1.3 FEDERAL ACTIONS/DECISIONS TO BE MADE ......................................................2 1.4 LCR MSCP BACKGROUND .......................................................................................2 1.5 TIERING AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE ...............................................4 1.6 PURPOSE AND NEED ................................................................................................6 1.6.1 Purpose for the Proposed Action......................................................................6 1.6.2 Need for the Proposed Action...........................................................................7 2.0 ALTERNATIVES ...................................................................................................................7 2.1 NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE .....................................................................................8 2.2 PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE/ACTION .......................................................................8 2.3 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT NOT EVALUATED FURTHER ...................9 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................10 3.1 AESTHETICS .............................................................................................................10 3.2 AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES ...............................................................................10 3.3 AIR QUALITY............................................................................................................11 3.4 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES .....................................................................................11 3.5 CULTURAL RESOURCES .......................................................................................11 3.6 ENERGY AND DEPLETABLE RESOURCES..........................................................12 3.7 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ..................................................................................12 3.8 HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ........................................................12 3.9 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY.................................................................13 3.10 INDIAN TRUST ASSETS..........................................................................................13 3.11 LAND USE ................................................................................................................13 3.12 NOISE ........................................................................................................................14 3.13 POPULATION AND HOUSING ...............................................................................14 3.14 PUBLIC UTILITIES AND SERVICES ......................................................................14 3.15 RECREATION ...........................................................................................................14 3.16 SOCIOECONOMICS .................................................................................................14 3.17 TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, SOILS, AND MINERAL RESOURCES ....................15 3.18 TRANSBOUNDARY IMPACTS ...............................................................................15 3.19 TRANSPORTATION .................................................................................................15 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES.............................................................................15 4.1 AESTHETICS ............................................................................................................16 i Draft Environmental Assessment for the Draft Amendment to Add Northern Mexican Gartersnake to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program as a Covered Species 4.2 AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES ..............................................................................16 4.3 AIR QUALITY...........................................................................................................17 4.4 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES.....................................................................................17 4.5 CULTURAL RESOURCES .......................................................................................18 4.6 ENERGY AND DEPLETABLE RESOURCES..........................................................19 4.7 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ..................................................................................19 4.8 HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ........................................................19 4.9 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY.................................................................20 4.10 INDIAN TRUST ASSETS..........................................................................................20 4.11 LAND USE ................................................................................................................20 4.12 NOISE ........................................................................................................................20 4.13 POPULATION AND HOUSING ...............................................................................21 4.14 PUBLIC UTILITIES AND SERVICES ......................................................................21 4.15 RECREATION ...........................................................................................................21 4.16 SOCIOECONOMICS .................................................................................................21 4.17 TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, SOILS, AND MINERAL RESOURCES ....................22 4.18 TRANSBOUNDARY IMPACTS ...............................................................................22 4.19 TRANSPORTATION .................................................................................................22 5.0 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS...................................................................................................23 6.0 IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENT OF RESOURCES ................24 7.0 SHORT-TERM USE OF THE ENVIRONMENT VERSUS LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVITY .................................................................................................................24 8.0 LIST OF PREPARERS .........................................................................................................25 9.0 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION ........................................................................25 10.0 REFERENCES......................................................................................................................27 11.0 PROPOSED LCR MSCP HCP AMENDMENT ...................................................................28 Figure 1- LCR MSCP Planning Area and Off-Site Conservation Areas........................................................ 5 2014-00944 : 00059718 ii Draft Environmental Assessment for the Draft Amendment to Add Northern Mexican Gartersnake to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program as a Covered Species 1.0 INTRODUCTION, PURPOSE, AND NEED 1.1 INTRODUCTION The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) have prepared this Environmental Assessment (EA) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 United States Code [USC] 4321 et seq.), and its implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR §§ 1500, and Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended (16 USC § 1532). Reclamation participated as a cooperating agency in preparation of this EA. 1.2 PURPOSE OF THIS EA This EA evaluates the impacts of, and alternatives to, the Service amending the ESA Section 10(a)(1)(B) permit (Permit No. TE086834-0) (Permit) for the Lower Colorado River Multi- Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP) to add the northern Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops) to the LCR MSCP Permit as a covered species and the impacts of implementation of the amended LCR MSCP HCP by Reclamation, the federal implementing agency for the LCR MSCP. Amendment of the LCR MSCP Permit would be based on the Services’ review of a draft amendment to the 2004 LCR MSCP Final Habitat Conservation Plan (LCR MSCP HCP). The draft amendment to the LCR MSCP HCP, currently titled “LCR MSCP - Draft Habitat Conservation Plan Amendment, Addition of New Covered Species - Northern Mexican Gartersnake” (LCR MSCP HCP Amendment) is included in Section 11 of this EA. The Service will also use this EA as supporting information for their intra-Service consultation (required under Section 7 of the ESA) for their amendment of the LCR MSCP Permit 1. The 1 The LCR MSCP is a combined ESA Section 7 and Section 10 (a)(1)(B) approach to ESA compliance for implementation