Endangered Species Act - Section 7 Consultation FINAL BIOLOGICAL OPINION on the Effects to Bull Trout and Bull Trout Critical Habitat From the Implementation of Proposed Actions Associated with the Plan of Operations for the Montanore Minerals Corporation Copper/Silver Mine As proposed by the U.S. Forest Service, Kootenai National Forest Completed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Montana Ecological Services Office March 31, 2014 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................ 6 I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 7 Project Background ................................................................................................................................ 9 II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION ........................................................................... 11 A. Proposed Action (Mining Activities and Best Management Practices) ................................... 11 Resource Evaluation Phase (approximately two years in duration) ................................................... 11 Construction (three to four years in duration) and Operation Phase (approximately 16 to 20 years in duration) ................................................................................................................................ 12 Libby Plant Site and Adits ............................................................................................................. 13 Poorman Tailings Storage Facility ................................................................................................. 15 Transmission Line .......................................................................................................................... 17 Closure and Post-Closure Phases (approximately 20 years in duration) ............................................ 18 Water Use and Management .............................................................................................................. 19 Road Usage ........................................................................................................................................ 21 B. Action Area ................................................................................................................................... 24 C. Proposed Mitigation (Roads, Waters of the US, and Bull Trout) ............................................ 26 Road Status Changes .......................................................................................................................... 27 Waters of the U.S. .............................................................................................................................. 27 Bull Trout Mitigation ......................................................................................................................... 28 III. STATUS OF THE SPECIES AND CRITICAL HABITAT .......................................................... 29 A. ESA Listing Status ....................................................................................................................... 29 B. Species Description and Life History ......................................................................................... 30 Diet ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 Habitat Characteristics ....................................................................................................................... 32 C. Current and Historic Distribution ............................................................................................. 34 D. General Status and Conservation Needs of Bull Trout ............................................................ 35 Jarbidge River .................................................................................................................................... 36 Klamath River .................................................................................................................................... 37 Columbia River .................................................................................................................................. 37 Coastal-Puget Sound .......................................................................................................................... 37 St. Mary-Belly River .......................................................................................................................... 38 E. Local Status and Distribution ..................................................................................................... 38 Status of Bull Trout in the Columbia River Basin ............................................................................. 38 Five-Year Bull Trout Status Review .................................................................................................. 39 F. Status of Bull Trout Critical Habitat (General Overview and Legal Status) ......................... 40 Conservation Role and Description of Designated Critical Habitat ................................................... 40 Current Range-Wide Condition of Bull Trout Critical Habitat .......................................................... 42 G. Bull Trout Consultation and Recovery ...................................................................................... 43 H. Jeopardy Determination .............................................................................................................. 44 2 I. Analysis of Adverse Modification Determination to Designated Critical Habitat ................. 45 IV. ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ........................................................................................................ 49 A. Status of Bull Trout within the Action Area .............................................................................. 49 B. Status of Bull Trout in the Kootenai River Core Area ............................................................. 51 Status of Kootenai River Core Area Local Populations within the Action Area ............................... 54 Libby Creek Local Bull Trout Population ..................................................................................... 54 West Fisher River Local Bull Trout Population ............................................................................ 61 C. Status of Bull Trout in the Lower Clark Fork River Core Area ............................................. 63 Status of Lower Clark Fork Core Area Local Populations within the Action Area ........................... 68 Rock Creek .................................................................................................................................... 68 East Fork Bull River (Bull River local population) ....................................................................... 72 D. Factors Affecting Species Environment within the Action Area ............................................. 74 E. Environmental Baseline of Designated Critical Habitat .......................................................... 79 Kootenai River Basin Critical Habitat................................................................................................ 79 Clark Fork River Basin Critical Habitat ............................................................................................. 82 V. EFFECTS OF THE ACTION ................................................................................................................. 83 A. General Effects of Mining Operations ....................................................................................... 84 Stream Flow ....................................................................................................................................... 84 Water Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen ....................................................................................... 85 Sediment ............................................................................................................................................. 85 Large Woody Debris .......................................................................................................................... 86 Water Chemistry and Contamination ................................................................................................. 86 B. Specific Effects of the Montanore Proposed Action to Bull Trout .......................................... 87 Streamflow ......................................................................................................................................... 88 Predicted Streamflow Depletion Effects ........................................................................................ 88 Fish Passage Effects ....................................................................................................................... 93 Habitat Effect ................................................................................................................................. 93 Water Temperature Effects ................................................................................................................ 95 Sediment Effects ................................................................................................................................ 96 Non-Native Fish Species Effects .......................................................................................................