Cachuma Lake
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CACHUMA LAKE Final Resource Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement May 2010 Prepared by United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Mid Pacific Region South Central California Office CACHUMA LAKE Final Resource Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement Prepared by United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Mid Pacific Region Sacramento, California South-Central California Area Office 1243 “N” Street Fresno, California 93721-1813 (559) 487-5116 May 2010 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT CACHUMA LAKE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN Lead Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), Mid-Pacific Region, South-Central California Area Office, Fresno, California This Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) has been developed for the new Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area (Plan Area) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended. The RMP is a long-term plan that will guide future actions in the Plan Area and is based on a comprehensive inventory of environmental resources and facilities and input from local, state, and federal agencies, and the general public. The Final EIS is a program-level analysis of the potential environmental impacts associated with adoption of the RMP. The development of the RMP is based upon authorities provided by Congress through the Reclamation Act, Federal Water Project Recreation Act, Reclamation Recreation Management Act, and applicable federal agency and United States Department of the Interior policies. The RMP will have a planning horizon of 20 years. The purposes and objectives of the proposed RMP are: • Ensuring timely delivery of high-quality water to water users while enhancing natural resources and recreational opportunities • Providing recreational opportunities to meet the demands of a growing, diverse population • Ensuring recreational diversity and the quality of the recreational experience • Protection of natural and cultural resources, while educating the public to their value and good stewardship • Providing the framework for establishing a new management agreement with a managing partner The purpose of the RMP is to provide a program and set of policy guidelines necessary to encourage orderly use, development, and management of the reservoir and the surrounding lands. The plan will identify outdoor recreational opportunities, enhanced by Cachuma Lake and its shoreline, compatible with the surrounding scenic, environmental, and cultural resources. In addition, this RMP will propose uses that will be compatible with operation of the reservoir for water delivery. Reclamation has considered comments on the Draft EIS during the public review period that concluded on October 31, 2008, and included public hearings on August 26 and October 8, 2008. The Final EIS includes editorial and technical changes, factual corrections, and clarifications made in response to public comments. Reclamation will not make a decision on the proposed action until 30 days after the release of the Final EIS and notice in the Federal Register, and will then complete a Record of Decision (ROD). The ROD will state the action to be implemented and will discuss factors leading to the decision. For further information regarding this Final EIS, contact Mr. Jack Collins, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, South- Central California Area Office, 1243 “N” Street, Fresno, California 93721-1813, (559) 349-4544 (TDD 559-487- 5933) or [email protected]. Executive Summary The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) developed the Cachuma Lake Resource Management Plan (RMP) to establish management objectives, guidelines, and actions for the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area (Plan Area). The Plan Area encompasses approximately 9,250 acres, including Cachuma Lake (3,043 acres at full level) and the surrounding shores and rugged hillsides. Santa Barbara County Parks Department manages the Plan Area pursuant to a contract between Reclamation and the County. Most of the recreational facilities at the lake are located in a 375-acre County Park on the south side of the lake. Facilities include day use facilities, large group camping facilities, campsites, Live Oak Camp and Camp Whittier, a general store, a scenic overlook for Bradbury Dam, a marina and launch ramp, bait and tackle shop, amphitheater, trailer storage yard, recreational vehicle campsites, Nature Center, County Park Ranger Station, family center, swimming pools, snack shop, and maintenance and infrastructure facilities. The north side of the lake consists of open space that is leased for grazing and permitted equestrian use. The remaining open space area is closed to general public access. The RMP is a long-term plan that will guide future actions in the Plan Area and is based on a comprehensive inventory of environmental resources and facilities and input from local, state, and federal agencies, Santa Barbara County, and the general public. The primary emphasis of the RMP is to protect water quality, water supply, and natural resources, while enhancing recreational uses in the Plan Area. The recreational uses must be compatible with the primary obligation to operate the reservoir for storage and delivery of high-quality water. The development of the RMP is based upon authorities provided by Congress through the Reclamation Act, Federal Water Project Recreation Act, Reclamation Recreation Management Act, and applicable federal agency and United States Department of the Interior policies. The purpose of the RMP is to provide a program and set of policy guidelines necessary to encourage orderly use, development, and management of the Plan Area. The RMP will provide outdoor recreational opportunities, enhanced by Cachuma Lake and its shoreline, compatible with the surrounding scenic, environmental, and cultural resources. The planning process for the Cachuma Lake RMP involves the integration of issues, opportunities and constraints, management actions, and management zones. It follows the guidance of federal planning mandates and proposed actions that balance recreation opportunities with natural and cultural resource stewardship. The following are the basic elements of the planning process: • Define the overall goals and objectives. • Describe the resource categories that group the issues. • Identify the issues, opportunities, and constraints. • Determine management actions to address the issues. • Define the management zones for Cachuma Lake. The environmental impacts of the RMP are assessed in a programmatic Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that has been included as part of this joint RMP/EIS document. The environmental review focuses on the potential for management actions to cause adverse or beneficial environmental impacts to natural and cultural resources such as water quality, endangered species, and historic resources. X:\X_ENV\_PERMIT\BUREC\CACHUMA RMP\_FINAL\TEXT_051010.DOC ES-1 Executive Summary The Final RMP/EIS is the result of several planning and document preparation steps described above and in Sections 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4. This process includes: • Identification of goals, objectives, issues, opportunities, and constraints • Public and agency scoping • Formulation of alternatives, management zones, and management actions associated with each alternative • Preparation and issuance of public Draft RMP/EIS • Public comment period • Preparation of responses to comments • Issuance of Final RMP/EIS This Final RMP/EIS includes responses to all public comments received (Appendix B) and changes to the text of the Draft RMP/EIS as a result of public comments. This Final RMP/EIS also identifies the Preferred Alternative and the environmentally preferable alternative (both Alternative 2). Prior to the issuance of the Draft RMP/EIS, three planning alternatives were formulated to address the issues, opportunities, and constraints in the Plan Area. The No Action and two action alternatives are as follows: • No Action (Alternative 1)—This alternative manages land and activities with the continuation of current management practice. • Enhanced Recreation (Alternative 2)—This alternative balances natural resource protection and recreation opportunities. • Expanded Recreation (Alternative 3)—This alternative emphasizes expanded recreation opportunities. Under the No Action Alternative, current resource and recreation management direction and practices for the Plan Area would continue unchanged. However, some infrastructure improvements would be implemented that are common to all the alternatives. The No Action Alternative provides the benchmark for making comparisons in the EIS between possible future changes under Alternatives 2 and 3. The objective of Alternative 2 is to enhance current recreational uses and public access in the Plan Area to attract more visitors and increase recreational opportunities, while protecting natural resources with new or modified land and recreation management practices. These activities propose upgrades and improvements for many of the Plan Area’s existing facilities and utilities. Alternative 3 would expand recreational uses and public access by implementing new or modified land and recreation management practices. This alternative is included to demonstrate a scenario in which recreational uses in the Plan Area are substantially expanded while meeting the RMP goals for protection of natural resources to the extent feasible. Alternative 3 includes all of the management actions proposed for