Document Type: EA-Administrative Record Index Field: Final EA Project Name: Cumberland Solar Project Project Number: 2017-11 CUMBERLAND SOLAR PROJECT Limestone County, Alabama FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Prepared for: Tennessee Valley Authority Knoxville, Tennessee Submitted By: Silicon Ranch Corporation Prepared By: HDR, Inc. January 2018 For Information, contact: Ashley A. Pilakowski NEPA Compliance Tennessee Valley Authority 400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11D Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499 Phone: 865-632-2256 Email: [email protected] Table of Contents Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION ...................................................................... 1-1 1.2 SCOPE OF THIS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT .............................................. 1-3 1.3 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT .......................................................................................... 1-4 1.4 PERMITS AND APPROVALS ................................................................................... 1-4 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED SOLAR PROJECT AND ALTERNATIVEs ....... 2-1 2.1 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE ..................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 PROPOSED ACTION ALTERNATIVE ...................................................................... 2-1 2.2.1 Solar Facility ...................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2.2 Construction ...................................................................................................... 2-5 2.2.3 Project Operations ............................................................................................. 2-8 2.2.4 Decommissioning and Reclamation ................................................................... 2-8 2.3 ALTERNATIVES ELIMINATED FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION ..................... 2-9 2.4 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES ........................................................................ 2-9 2.5 MITIGATION MEASURES ...................................................................................... 2-13 2.6 THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE ........................................................................ 2-13 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ................ 3-1 3.1 LAND USE ................................................................................................................ 3-1 3.1.1 Affected Environment ......................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.2 Environmental Consequences ........................................................................... 3-3 3.2 GEOLOGY, SOILS, AND PRIME FARMLAND ......................................................... 3-4 3.2.1 Affected Environment ......................................................................................... 3-4 3.2.2 Environmental Consequences ........................................................................... 3-8 3.3 WATER RESOURCES ........................................................................................... 3-11 3.3.1 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 3-11 3.3.2 Environmental Consequences ......................................................................... 3-16 3.4 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ................................................................................... 3-21 3.4.1 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 3-22 3.4.2 Environmental Consequences ......................................................................... 3-32 3.5 VISUAL RESOURCES ........................................................................................... 3-35 3.5.1 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 3-35 3.5.2 Environmental Consequences ......................................................................... 3-37 3.6 NOISE .................................................................................................................... 3-41 3.6.1 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 3-41 3.6.2 Environmental Consequences ......................................................................... 3-43 Final Environmental Assessment i Table of Contents 3.7 AIR QUALITY AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS .......................................... 3-44 3.7.1 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 3-44 3.7.2 Environmental Consequences ......................................................................... 3-45 3.8 CULTURAL RESOURCES ..................................................................................... 3-47 3.8.1 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 3-47 3.8.2 Environmental Consequences ......................................................................... 3-50 3.9 SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE ........................................................................ 3-50 3.9.1 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 3-50 3.9.2 Environmental Consequences ......................................................................... 3-51 3.10 TRANSPORTATION ............................................................................................... 3-52 3.10.1 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 3-52 3.10.2 Environmental Consequences ......................................................................... 3-53 3.11 SOCIOECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ....................................... 3-54 3.11.1 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 3-54 3.11.2 Environmental Consequences ......................................................................... 3-57 4.0 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ............................................................................................. 4-1 4.1 UNAVOIDABLE ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ...................................... 4-1 4.2 RELATIONSHIP OF SHORT-TERM USES AND LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVITY ..... 4-2 4.3 IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENTS OF RESOURCES .......... 4-2 4.4 FEDERAL PROJECTS ............................................................................................. 4-2 4.5 STATE AND LOCAL PROJECTS ............................................................................. 4-2 5.0 LIST OF PREPARERS ................................................................................................ 5-1 6.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 6-1 List of Tables Table 2.4-1. Comparisons of impacts by alternative. ............................................................. 2-10 Table 3.2-1. Soils on the project site. ...................................................................................... 3-7 Table 3.2-2. Farming statistics for Limestone County and Alabama. ....................................... 3-7 Table 3.4-1. Migratory bird species of concern potentially occurring in the vicinity of the project area. ..................................................................................................................................... 3-25 Table 3.4-2. Federally and state-listed species potentially occurring in Limestone County, Alabama within a 10-mile radius of the project site provided by TVA and those federally and state- listed species potentially occurring in Limestone County, Alabama provided by the USFWS IPaC report. ................................................................................................................................... 3-26 Table 3.7-1. Emission of NAAQS pollutants in Limestone County for 2014. .......................... 3-45 Table 3.7-2. Emissions of GHGs in Limestone County for 2014. ........................................... 3-45 Final Environmental Assessment ii Table of Contents Table 3.11-1. Census and demographic data for the project area, Limestone County, and Alabama. ............................................................................................................................... 3-56 Table 4.5-1. Environmental Assessment project team ............................................................. 5-1 List of Photos Photograph 3.5-1. View of the project site, in a recently timbered area. ................................ 3-36 Photograph 3.5-2. View of agricultural field on project site. ................................................... 3-36 Photograph 3.5-3. View of transmission line and gravel road, bisecting the project site. ....... 3-37 Photograph 3.5-4. View of CSX rail line and TVA substation west of the project site. ........... 3-37 Photograph 3.5-5. Single-axis, tracking photovoltaic system with panels close to maximum tilt as viewed from the east or west. ................................................................................................ 3-39 Photograph 3.5-6. The back of the solar panels. ................................................................... 3-40 List of Figures Figure 1. Site