Draft Environmental Assessment A&B Irrigation District – Unit A Pumping Plant #2 Minidoka County, Idaho U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Reclamation Natural Resource Conservation Service Rural Development Pacific Northwest Region Idaho State Office Idaho State Office Middle Snake Field Office Boise, Idaho Boise, Idaho Boise, Idaho May 2014 Acronyms and Abbreviations A&B or District A&B Irrigation District ACHP Advisory Council on Historic Preservation AIRFA American Indian Religious Freedom Act APE Area of potential effect APLIC Avian Power Lines Interaction Committee B.P. Before present BLM Bureau of Land Management BMP Best Management Practice CEQ Council on Environmental Quality cfs cubic feet per second CGP Construction General Permit Comprehensive Plan Minidoka County’s Comprehensive Plan CWA Clean Water Act DPS distinct population segment EA Environmental Assessment EIRR Eastern Idaho Railroad EO Executive Order EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESA Endangered Species Act ESPA Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact HUD U.S. Department of Housing and Development IDEQ Idaho Department of Environmental Quality IDFG Idaho Department of Fish and Game ITA Indian Trust Assets MBT Migratory Bird Treaties MOU Memorandum of Understanding NAGPRA Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NOAA Fisheries National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service NRHP National Register of Historic Places NWR National Wildlife Refuge PEM palustrine emergent marsh Project Unit A Pumping Plant EA Reclamation U.S. Bureau of Reclamation RM river mile RMP Resource Management Plan ROW right-of-way SHPO State Historic Preservation Office SPCC Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures SWPPP Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan TCP Traditional cultural properties TMP Transportation Management Plan USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USGS U.S. Geological Survey CONTENTS Acronyms and Abbreviations Chapter 1 Purpose and Need.......................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Location and Background ........................................................................... 1 1.2 Proposed Action ...................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Purpose and Need for Action .................................................................................. 3 1.4 Authority ................................................................................................................. 5 1.5 Scoping of Issues and Concerns ............................................................................. 5 1.6 Regulatory Compliance .......................................................................................... 6 1.6.1 National Environmental Policy Act .......................................................... 6 1.6.2 Endangered Species Act (1973) ............................................................... 6 1.6.3 Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) ................................................ 6 1.6.4 National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 ............................................. 7 1.6.5 Executive Order 13007: Indian Sacred Sites ........................................... 7 1.6.6 Secretarial Order 3175: Department Responsibilities for Indian Trust Assets ........................................................................................................ 8 1.6.7 Executive Order 12898: Environmental Justice ...................................... 8 1.6.8 Executive Order 13514: Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performances ....................................................... 8 Chapter 2 Alternatives ................................................................................... 9 2.1 Alternative Development ........................................................................................ 9 2.2 Description of Alternatives ..................................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Alternative 1 – No Action ...................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Action Alternatives 2, 3, and 4 ............................................................... 12 Pumping Plant and Pipeline to the Common Point ................................ 15 Corridor from the Common Point to Delivery points ............................ 16 Staging Areas and Transmission Corridor(s) ......................................... 16 Construction of In-river Facilities .......................................................... 17 2.2.3 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ............................................................ 18 2.2.4 Alternative 3 ........................................................................................... 18 2.2.5 Alternative 4 ........................................................................................... 19 2.2.6 Summary of Action Alternatives ............................................................ 20 2.3 Alternatives Eliminated from Consideration ........................................................ 20 A&B Irrigation District – Unit A Pumping Plant #2 Draft Environmental Assessment i CONTENTS (CONTINUED) 2.4 Other Actions Considered for Cumulative Impact ............................................... 22 2.5 Summary Comparison of the Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives ........... 23 Chapter 3 Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences ......... 35 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 35 3.2 Land Use and Ownership ...................................................................................... 35 3.2.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 36 3.2.2 Environmental Consequences ................................................................ 37 Alternative 1 – No Action ...................................................................... 38 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ............................................................ 39 Alternative 3 ........................................................................................... 40 Alternative 4 ........................................................................................... 41 3.3 Water Rights ......................................................................................................... 42 3.3.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 42 3.3.2 Environmental Consequences ................................................................ 43 Alternative 1 – No Action ...................................................................... 43 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ............................................................ 43 Alternative 3 ........................................................................................... 44 Alternative 4 ........................................................................................... 44 3.4 Water Quantity ...................................................................................................... 44 3.4.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 44 3.4.2 Environmental Consequences ................................................................ 45 Alternative 1 – No Action ...................................................................... 46 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ............................................................ 46 Alternative 3 ........................................................................................... 47 Alternative 4 ........................................................................................... 47 3.5 Water Quality ........................................................................................................ 47 3.5.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 48 3.5.2 Environmental Consequences ................................................................ 48 Alternative 1 – No Action ...................................................................... 49 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ............................................................ 49 Alternative 3 ........................................................................................... 50 Alternative 4 ........................................................................................... 50 3.6 Noise ..................................................................................................................... 50 ii A&B Irrigation District – Unit A Pumping Plant #2 Draft Environmental Assessment CONTENTS (CONTINUED) 3.6.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 51 3.6.2 Environmental Consequences ................................................................ 51 Alternative 1 – No Action ...................................................................... 53 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ............................................................ 53 Alternative 3 ..........................................................................................