DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR HYDROPOWER LICENSE Hydro Battery Pearl Hill Pumped Storage Project FERC Project No. 14795-002 Washington Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Office of Energy Projects Division of Hydropower Licensing 888 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20426 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers August 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... i LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ iii LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................. iv 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Application............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Purpose of Action and Need for Power ................................................................ 1 1.2.1 Purpose of Action .......................................................................................... 1 1.2.2 Need for Power .............................................................................................. 3 1.3 STATUTORY AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS ................................. 3 1.3.1 Federal Power Act ......................................................................................... 3 1.3.2 Clean Water Act ............................................................................................ 4 1.3.3 Endangered Species Act ................................................................................ 5 1.3.4 Coastal Zone Management Act ..................................................................... 5 1.3.5 National Historic Preservation Act ............................................................... 6 1.3.6 Pacific Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Act ............................ 6 1.4 PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT ................................................................ 7 1.4.1 Scoping .......................................................................................................... 7 1.4.2 Interventions .................................................................................................. 8 1.4.3 Comments on the Application ....................................................................... 8 2.0 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ................................................. 9 2.1 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE ............................................................................ 9 2.2 APPLICANT’S PROPOSAL ............................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Proposed Project Facilities ............................................................................ 9 2.2.2 Project Boundary ......................................................................................... 12 2.2.3 Project Safety .............................................................................................. 12 2.2.4 Project Operation ......................................................................................... 12 2.2.5 Operation and Environmental Measures ..................................................... 13 2.3 STAFF ALTERNATIVE .................................................................................... 15 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS ..................................................................... 17 3.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE RIVER BASIN ...................................... 17 3.2 SCOPE OF CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ANALYSIS ........................................ 18 3.3 PROPOSED ACTION AND ACTION ALTERNATIVES ............................... 18 3.3.1 Geology and Soil Resources ....................................................................... 18 3.3.2 Aquatic Resources ....................................................................................... 23 3.3.3 Terrestrial Resources ................................................................................... 44 3.3.4 Threatened and Endangered Species ........................................................... 72 3.3.5 Recreation and Land Use ............................................................................ 77 3.3.6 Cultural Resources ...................................................................................... 79 3.3.8 Socioeconomic Resources ......................................................................... 108 4.0 DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS .................................................................. 113 4.1 POWER AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT ........................ 113 i 4.2 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES ........................................................... 116 4.2.1 No-Action Alternative ............................................................................... 117 4.2.2 Shell’s Proposal ......................................................................................... 117 4.2.3 Staff Alternative ........................................................................................ 118 4.3 COST OF ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES ................................................ 119 5.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................... 125 5.1 COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT AND RECOMMENDED ALTERNATIVE .............................................................................................. 125 5.1.1 Measures Proposed by Shell ..................................................................... 125 5.1.2 Additional Measures Recommended by Staff ........................................... 128 5.1.3 Measures Not Recommended .................................................................... 133 5.2 UNAVOIDABLE ADVERSE IMPACTS ....................................................... 136 5.3 FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCY RECOMMENDATIONS ......................... 136 5.4 CONSISTENCY WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLANS ................................... 142 6.0 FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT .................................................. 144 7.0 LITERATURE CITED ..................................................................................... 145 8.0 LIST OF PREPARERS .................................................................................... 158 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Location of the Pearl Hill Project (source: application). .................................... 2 Figure 2. Pearl Hill Project facilities (source: application). ............................................. 11 Figure 3. Average daily TDG measured at Chief Joseph Forebay (source: application). 28 Figure 4. Predicted water tank temperature increases over lake temperature for various start dates (source: application). ....................................................................... 34 Figure 5. Project discharge design (source: application). ................................................ 37 Figure 6. Proposed project boundary and works in relation to wetland (source: application). ...................................................................................................... 46 Figure 7. Wetland south of the proposed project boundary in the vicinity of the proposed upper reservoir (tank), August 2016 (source: application). .............................. 47 Figure 8. Wetland south of the proposed project boundary in the vicinity of the proposed upper reservoir (tank), facing northwest, June 2017 (source: application). ..... 48 Figure 9. Shoreline conditions in project vicinity, April 2017 (source: application). ...... 49 Figure 10. Proposed project boundary and works in relation to intermittent stream (source: application).......................................................................................... 50 Figure 11. Intermittent stream drainage within the proposed project boundary, June 2017 (source: application).......................................................................................... 51 Figure 12. The direct APE (outlined in black as the project boundary) and indirect APE (outlined in red) for the Hydro Battery Pearl Hill Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (source: HRA 2017). .................................................... 80 Figure 13. KOP 1- view of new access road site. The new access road would originate at the curve in the road and continue in a straight line into the distance (source: application). ...................................................................................................... 97 Figure 14. KOP 2 – view of proposed penstock route (source: application). .................. 98 Figure 15. KOP 3 – view of location of penstock and upper reservoir tank site (source: application). ...................................................................................................... 99 Figure 16. KOP 4 - representation of a boater’s view of the proposed powerhouse platform and above-ground penstock sites (source: application). .................. 100 Figure 17. View of project site from Colville Reservation (source: application). ......... 101 Figure 18. View of proposed penstock and upper reservoir tank site from the Colville Reservation (source: application). .................................................................. 102 Figure 19. Locations of ambient sound recordings for the Hydro Battery Pearl Hill Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project sound study (source: application). .. 103 Figure 20. Visual rendering of what the completed project is anticipated