Final Environmental Assessment For Naval Special Operations Training In Western Washington State November 2019 Unclassified ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT For NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS TRAINING IN WESTERN WASHINGTON STATE October 2019 This page intentionally left blank. Abstract Designation: Environmental Assessment Title of Proposed Action: Naval Special Operations Training in Western Washington State Project Location: Western Washington State Lead Agency for the EA: Department of the Navy Cooperating Agency: None Affected Region: Western Washington State Action Proponent: Naval Special Warfare Command Point of Contact: Naval Special Warfare Command 2000 Trident Way, Bldg. 624 San Diego, CA 92155-5599 Attn: Adrianne Saboya, NSO Training in Western Washington State Project Manager 619-537-1857 Date: October 2019 The United States (U.S.) Naval Special Warfare Command (herein after referred to as the NSWC), is the U.S. Navy’s special operations force and maritime component of the U.S. Special Operations Command. The NSWC has prepared this Environmental Assessment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality and Navy regulations. The Proposed Action supports small-unit, intermediate, and advanced cold-water maritime and land-based training activities for naval special operations personnel on selected nearshore lands and in the inland waters of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal, as well as the southwestern Washington coast. Training would start in 2019 and occur into the foreseeable future. This Environmental Assessment evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with the No Action Alternative and three action alternatives (Alternatives 1, 2, and 3) on the following resource areas: socioeconomics, cultural resources, biological resources, public health and safety, and noise. This page intentionally left blank. Naval Special Operations Training in Western Washington State Environmental Assessment October 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ES.1 Proposed Action The United States (U.S.) Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) proposes to conduct small-unit intermediate and advanced land and cold-water maritime training activities for naval special operations personnel. U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command is the U.S. Navy's special operations force and the maritime component of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The proposed training activities consist of training by naval special operations personnel with occasional integration of other USSOCOM components, including United States Army Special Operations Command, Marine Corps Special Operations Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, and Joint Special Operations Command. The occasional integration of other USSOCOM components would occur only with NSWC-led training. The proposed training would occur on selected nearshore lands and in the inland waters of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal, as well as the southwestern Washington coast. ES.2 Purpose of and Need for the Proposed Action The purpose of the Proposed Action is to support intermediate and advanced small-unit activities of naval special operations training, with the progression of training in increasingly complex maritime and land environments, focusing on the training progression in a cold-water environment that is appropriate for training in any season. The training would involve training activities designed to further develop and sustain proficiency in the cold-water maritime and land aspects of naval special operations. The Proposed Action is needed to support meeting the requirements under 10 United States Code Section 167 for the Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, to provide combat-ready forces. ES.3 Alternatives Considered NSWC considered three training area screening factors (training, safety and logistics) when identifying an area that could support cold-water naval special operations training and satisfy the training requirements. NSWC is considering a No Action Alternative and three action alternatives that meet the purpose of and need for the Proposed Action. Training in western Washington State would be conducted in training blocks. A training block is defined as the 2–8 week period of time where up to 84 naval special operations trainees and support personnel (safety observers, medical support, boat drivers, vehicle drivers, evaluators, and equipment repair/maintenance support) arrive in western Washington State to participate in cold-water maritime and land-based training and ends when they leave. A training block consists of single or multiple simultaneous training events on land and in the water. During a training block, trainees and support personnel would disperse throughout the training study area (Figure 1-2); not all 84 personnel would be at one site for a training event. A training event (a component of a training block) may consist of one or multiple training activities (e.g., launch and recovery, diver/swimmer, over the beach). During a typical training event, there would be up to eight trainees and up to 26 support personnel (or up to 34 people in total) at a training site within the training study area. In a few instances, there could be up to 14 trainees; however, total personnel would not exceed 34. Support personnel would be divided up to assist the in-water training activity and the on-land training activity. It is assumed for purposes of analysis that not all 34 personnel would be in the water or on land at any given time because they would be dispersed between the two areas. Training events are progressive in nature and would range between 2 and 72 hours depending on the activity. ES-i Executive Summary Naval Special Operations Training in Western Washington State Environmental Assessment October 2019 Under the No Action Alternative, the baseline of current training activities conducted in Region 1 (Figure ES-1) over the past decades would continue at two training blocks per year in limited areas as approved under the 2015 Northwest Training and Testing Final Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS) (“Personnel Insertion/Extraction – Submersible”) and its ROD was signed October 31, 2016, the Northwest Training Range Complex EIS/OEIS (“Naval Special Warfare Training”) and its ROD signed October 25, 2010, and application of event-based Categorical Exclusions, as applicable. The two EIS/OEIS documents do not cover the full range of naval special operation training activities, locations, and duration needed, or provide the diversity required of naval special operations personnel. This Environmental Assessment (EA) will supersede the “Personnel Insertion/Extraction-Submersible” and “Naval Special Warfare Training” activities as identified in the EIS/OEISs, respectively. Under the No Action Alternative, an individual site would be used no more than 10 times a year and there would be a maximum of 20 trainees and up to 50 support staff, for a total of 70 personnel per training block, times the two training periods, for a grand total of up to 140 personnel per year. Training activities would include launch and recovery of the submersible or small boats, insertion and extraction of these vessels, diver/swimmer training, over-the-beach, special reconnaissance, and the use of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). Small audible recall devices would be used to communicate with diver/swimmers and submersible drivers. Under Alternative 1, proposed training activities and locations would increase in the Region 1 training study area (Figure ES-1), from two training blocks under the No Action Alternative to four training blocks. Alternative 1 adds simulated building clearance and training with unmanned aircraft system (UAS) at the Navy properties (Naval Base Kitsap Keyport, Toandos Buffer Zone, and Naval Magazine Indian Island). Training with remote operated vehicles would be included with UUVs. Under Alternative 1, an individual site would be used no more 20 times a year, and there would be a maximum of 20 trainees plus up to 50 support staff, for a total of 70 personnel per training block, times the four training periods, for a grand total of up to 280 personnel per year. Under Alternative 2, the locations identified for training activities, number of training blocks per year, and site usage per year are the exact same as those identified in Alternative 1 for Region 1. However, Alternative 2 adds two new regions, Region 2 and Region 3. All of the training blocks would occur in Region 1. A portion of one of the four training blocks could occur every other year in either Region 2 or 3. The total training blocks would remain at four per year. For Regions 2 and Region 3, an individual site would be used no more than three times every other year. The same training activities as identified in Alternative 1 would occur under Alternative 2, with the exception that UAS and simulated building clearance training activities would not occur in Region 3. Additional UAS training would occur in Region 2 at Restricted Area (R) 6701 (established in 1962 by the Federal Aviation Administration). Also, one new proposed training activity, high-angle climbing, would occur at Deception Pass State Park in Region 2. Alternative 2 has the same number of personnel (280) as in Alternative 1 per year. Alternative 3 is the Preferred Alternative. As with Alternative 2, Alternative 3 would include the same proposed training activities within Regions 1, 2, and 3. Alternative 3 would increase the number of trainees