Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage Modification Project
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Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage Modification Project FINAL INITIAL STUDY/ ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT August 2017 Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage Modification Project IS/EA Project Information 1. Project Title Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage Modification Project California Department of Water Resources Division of Environmental Services 3500 Industrial Blvd. West Sacramento, CA 95691 2. Lead Agency Name and Address U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Bay-Delta Office 801 I Street, Suite 140 Sacramento, CA 95814 Karen Enstrom Yolo Bypass Habitat Restoration Program Division of Environmental Services [email protected] 3. Contact Person and (916) 376-9778 Phone Number Ben Nelson Bay-Delta Office [email protected] (916) 414-2424 4. Project Sponsor’s California Department of Water Resources Name The project area includes Fremont Weir, a portion of the Fremont Weir Wildlife Area, two downstream agricultural road crossings in the Tule Canal, and an area within the northern Elkhorn Basin. Fremont Weir is located adjacent to the Sacramento River, between River Mile (RM) 82 and RM 84, along the northern boundary of the Yolo Bypass. The Yolo 5. Project Location Bypass is located in Yolo County and extends from the Fremont Weir northeast of Woodland, California, south to the Cache Slough Complex near the city of Rio Vista, California. The project area is located within the United States Geological Survey 7.5-minute Knight’s Landing, Gray’s Bend, and Verona quadrangles. 6. General Plan Agriculture Designation 7. Zoning Agricultural Intensive 8. Surrounding Land Surrounding land uses include agriculture and open space. Uses and Setting August 2017 Page i Project Information The proposed project may require permits or approvals from the following: United States Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Central Valley 9. Other Public Agencies Flood Protection Board, California State Lands Commission, California Whose Approval may Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Office of Historic be Required Preservation, Yolo County, and the State Water Resources Control Board or Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. Page ii August 2017 Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage Modification Project IS/EA Contents Project Information ................................................................................................................................. i Environmental Factors Potentially Affected ....................................................................................... iii Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................................................ xvii 1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Overview ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Project Area .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Project Background ........................................................................................................................ 2 1.3.1 Regulatory Compliance .......................................................................................................... 2 1.3.2 Existing Project Area Features To Be Modified ..................................................................... 4 1.3.2.1 Fremont Weir ................................................................................................................... 4 1.3.2.2 Fremont Weir Fish Ladder .............................................................................................. 4 1.3.2.3 Scour Channels and Deep Pond Extending Downstream from the Fremont Weir Fish Ladder ........................................................................................ 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Bookmark not defined. 1.3.2.4 Tule Pond ......................................................................................................................... 7 1.3.2.5 Tule Canal ....................................................................................................................... 7 1.3.2.6 Agricultural Road Crossing 2 .......................................................................................... 8 1.3.2.7 Agricultural Road Crossing 3 .......................................................................................... 8 1.3.3 Other Existing Facilities in the Project Area ........................................................................ 12 1.3.3.1 Agricultural Road Crossing 1 ........................................................................................ 12 1.3.3.2 Agricultural Road Crossing 4 ........................................................................................ 13 1.3.3.3 Wallace Weir ................................................................................................................. 16 1.3.3.4 Toe Drain ....................................................................................................................... 16 1.3.3.5 Lisbon Weir ................................................................................................................... 16 1.4 Project Purpose and Need ............................................................................................................ 18 1.5 Purpose and Intended Use of this IS/EA ...................................................................................... 18 1.6 Other Public Agencies Whose Approval May Be Required ........................................................ 19 1.7 Document Organization ............................................................................................................... 19 2.0 Description of the Proposed Project and No-Action Alternative ............................................... 21 2.1 No-Action Alternative .................................................................................................................. 21 2.2 Proposed Project ........................................................................................................................... 21 2.2.1 Proposed Modifications to Existing Facilities in the Project Area ....................................... 21 2.2.1.1 Fremont Weir Fish Ladder Modification ....................................................................... 21 2.2.1.2 Fremont Weir Stilling Basin Modification .................................................................... 23 2.2.1.3 Upstream Channel Modification ................................................................................... 23 2.2.1.4 Reach 1 Modification .................................................................................................... 27 2.2.1.5 Agricultural Road Crossing 2 Modification .................................................................. 27 2.2.1.6 Agricultural Road Crossing 3 Modification .................................................................. 29 2.2.2 Proposed Construction Methods ........................................................................................... 29 2.2.2.1 Fremont Weir Fish Passage Structure Construction ...................................................... 30 2.2.2.2 Fremont Weir Stilling Basin Construction .................................................................... 32 2.2.2.3 Upstream Channel Construction .................................................................................... 35 2.2.2.4 Reach 1 Construction..................................................................................................... 36 2.2.2.5 Agricultural Road Crossing 2 Construction .................................................................. 36 2.2.2.6 Agricultural Road Crossing 3 Construction .............. 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Bookmark not defined.37 2.2.3 Operation and Maintenance .................................................................................................. 39 2.2.3.1 Fremont Weir Fish Passage Structure Operation and Maintenance .............................. 39 August 2017 Page v Contents 2.2.3.2 Fremont Weir Stilling Basin Maintenance .................................................................... 42 2.2.3.3 Upstream Channel Maintenance .................................................................................... 42 2.2.3.4 Reach 1 Maintenance ..................................................................................................... 42 2.2.3.5 Agricultural Road Crossing 2 Maintenance .................................................................. 42 2.2.4 Anticipated Construction Equipment .................................................................................... 42 3.0 Environmental Setting, Discussion of Impacts, and Mitigation Measures ................................ 44 3.1 Resources Eliminated from Further Analysis .............................................................................. 45 3.1.1 Environmental Justice ............................................................................................................... 45 3.1.2 Growth-Inducing Impacts ......................................................................................................... 45 3.1.3 Indian Sacred Sites ...................................................................................................................