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Final Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment for the Tittabawassee

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Final Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment for the Tittabawassee Final Restoration Plan / Environmental Assessment For the Tittabawassee River System Natural Resource Damage Assessment Prepared by: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Michigan Department of Natural Resources Michigan Department of Attorney General Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan March 3, 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. i List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. v Appendices ..................................................................................................................................... vi List of Acronyms .......................................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1: Introduction and Summary ........................................................................................... 2 1.1 Purpose and Need for Restoration .................................................................................... 2 1.2 Trustee Authority and Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration ............. 2 1.3 Summary of Proposed Settlement .................................................................................... 4 1.4 Dow Plant History ............................................................................................................ 5 1.5 Remediation ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.5.1 Midland Area Soils Corrective Action ..................................................................... 8 1.5.2 Superfund Alternative Site Remediation .................................................................. 9 1.6 NRDAR Relationship to Remedial Activities ................................................................ 13 1.7 Compliance with National Environmental Policy Act and Other Authorities ............... 13 1.8 Public Participation ........................................................................................................ 14 1.9 Administrative Record ................................................................................................... 15 1.10 Organization of the Final RP/EA ................................................................................ 15 Chapter 2: Affected Environment – Natural Resources / Watersheds ........................................ 17 2.1 Physical Environment .................................................................................................... 20 2.1.1 Tittabawassee River location, geomorphology, hydrology, and anthropogenic influences .............................................................................................................................. 20 2.1.2 Saginaw River location, geomorphology, hydrology, and anthropogenic influences 22 2.1.3 Saginaw Bay ........................................................................................................... 23 2.1.4 Climate in the Saginaw Bay region ........................................................................ 23 2.2 Biological Environment ................................................................................................. 24 2.2.1 Aquatic Habitat ....................................................................................................... 24 2.2.2 Floodplain Habitat .................................................................................................. 25 i 2.2.3 Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands and Other Wetlands ............................................... 26 2.2.4 Upland Habitat ........................................................................................................ 27 2.2.5 Migratory Birds ....................................................................................................... 27 2.3 Threatened and Endangered Species .............................................................................. 28 2.4 Cultural and Historic Resources ..................................................................................... 37 2.5 Human Use of Natural Resources .................................................................................. 38 2.6 Saginaw River and Bay Area of Concern – Restoration Progress ................................. 40 Chapter 3: Injury Assessment ...................................................................................................... 41 3.1 Contaminants of Concern ............................................................................................... 41 3.2 Pathways......................................................................................................................... 42 3.3 Injury Assessment Strategy ............................................................................................ 42 3.3.1 Geographic Scope ................................................................................................... 45 3.3.2 Temporal Scope ...................................................................................................... 45 3.4 Injury Evaluation / Resource and Service Losses .......................................................... 46 3.4.1 Habitat Equivalency Analysis ................................................................................. 47 3.4.2 Tittabawassee River Floodplain .............................................................................. 48 3.4.3 Saginaw River Floodplain....................................................................................... 55 3.4.4 Aquatic .................................................................................................................... 55 3.4.5 Banks....................................................................................................................... 58 3.4.6 Upland ..................................................................................................................... 59 3.4.7 Other Potential Ecological Losses .......................................................................... 60 3.4.8 Recreational Fishing ............................................................................................... 61 3.4.9 Park Use .................................................................................................................. 62 3.4.10 Hunting ................................................................................................................... 62 3.4.11 Other Potential Human Service Losses ................................................................... 63 3.5 Restoration Criteria and Scoping ................................................................................... 64 Chapter 4: Proposed Restoration Alternatives ............................................................................. 65 4.1 Restoration Objectives ................................................................................................... 66 4.2 Alternative A: No Action Alternative (Natural Recovery) ........................................... 67 4.3 Alternative B: Projects and Flexible Funding for Stewardship and Proposals (Selected) 67 4.3.1 Tittabawassee River Floodplain Restoration and Bike Trail Project ...................... 69 4.3.2 Thomas Township Nature Preserve ........................................................................ 71 ii 4.3.3 Tittabawassee River Green Corridor ...................................................................... 72 4.3.4 Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge Restoration ................................................. 73 4.3.5 Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge Expansion ................................................... 76 4.3.6 Saginaw Riverfront Park ......................................................................................... 77 4.3.7 Bay City Ecological Restoration Project ................................................................ 78 4.3.8 Saginaw River Mouth Boating Access Site Expansion .......................................... 79 4.3.9 Greater Midland Nature Preserve ........................................................................... 81 4.3.10 Eagle Ridge Nature Area ........................................................................................ 82 4.3.11 Saginaw Chippewa Tribe Restoration .................................................................... 84 4.3.12 Midland Fish Passage ............................................................................................. 84 4.3.13 Saginaw Bay Spawning Reefs ................................................................................ 86 4.3.14 Flexible Funding for Project Stewardship and Future Project Proposals ............... 87 4.3.15 Funding for Trustee Oversight and Management of Projects and Funds ............... 88 4.4 Alternative C: Projects and Fixed Funding for Stewardship and Proposals .................. 89 4.4.1 Fixed Funding for Project Stewardship and Future Project Proposals ................... 89 4.5 Non-Preferred Projects Discussion ...............................................................................
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