DRAFT Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Statement Upper Truckee River and Marsh Restoration Project Volume 1 SCH# 2007032099 Lead Agencies: California California Tahoe Regional U.S. Department of Department of Tahoe Conservancy Planning Agency Interior Bureau of General Services Lake Tahoe Reclamation Environmental Improvement Program February 2013 DRAFT Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Impact Statement / Environmental Impact Statement Upper Truckee River and Marsh Restoration Project Volume 1 SCH# 2007032099 Lead Agencies: California Department of California Tahoe Regional Planning U.S. Department of Interior General Services Tahoe Conservancy Agency Lake Tahoe Bureau of Reclamation Environmental Improvement Mailstop 3-509 1061 Third Street Program P.O. Box 5310 P.O. Box 989052 South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 Stateline, NV 89449 West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052 Attn: Scott Carroll P.O. Box 5310 Stateline, NV 89449 Attn: Myrnie Mayville Attn: Tiffany Schmid, RESD- Associate Environmental Planner NEPA Coordinator Environmental Services, 3rd floor Watershed/SEZ Restoration Attn: Adam Lewandowski 775/589-5240 Senior Environmental Planner Program TRPA Project Manager 916/376-1609 530/543-6062 775/589-5233 Prepared by: 775/589-5233 2020 L Street, Suite 400 Sacramento, CA 95811 Contact: Danielle Hughes 916/414-5809 295 U.S. Highway 50, Suite 1 Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 Contact: Virginia Mahacek 775/588-9069 P 00110066.04 February 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page Volume 1 ES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. ES-1 ES.1 Project Location and Setting ................................................................................................... ES-1 ES.2 Overview of the EIR/EIS/EIS Process .................................................................................... ES-1 ES.3 Summary Description of the Project Alternatives ................................................................... ES-2 ES.4 Key Environmental Impacts, Mitigation Measures, Issues to be Resolved, and Areas of Controversy ............................................................................................................................. ES-6 1 INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND NEED ................................................ 1-1 1.1 Project Requiring Environmental Analysis ............................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Project History and Planning Context ....................................................................................... 1-4 1.3 Purpose and Need, and Project Objectives ................................................................................ 1-5 1.4 Intended Uses and Type of EIR/EIS/EIS (CEQA/NEPA/TRPA) ............................................. 1-7 1.5 Scope and Focus of the EIR/EIS/EIS ........................................................................................ 1-9 1.6 Agency Roles and Responsibilities ......................................................................................... 1-11 1.7 Public Participation and Additional Steps in the CEQA/NEPA/TRPA Review Process ........ 1-14 1.8 Organization of this EIR/EIS/EIS ........................................................................................... 1-14 1.9 Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................................. 1-16 2 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................................ 2-1 2.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Alternatives Development ....................................................................................................... 2-13 2.3 Elements of the Alternatives ................................................................................................... 2-14 2.4 Resource Management ............................................................................................................ 2-41 2.5 Monitoring .............................................................................................................................. 2-42 2.6 Construction ............................................................................................................................ 2-43 2.7 Environmental Commitments ................................................................................................. 2-46 3 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ............................. 3-1 3.1 Approach to the Environmental Analysis ................................................................................. 3-1 3.2 Air Quality and Climate Change ............................................................................................ 3.2-1 3.3 Archaeological and Historical Resources .............................................................................. 3.3-1 3.4 Biological Resources: Vegetation and Wildlife ..................................................................... 3.4-1 3.5 Fisheries ................................................................................................................................. 3.5-1 3.6 Geology and Soils, Mineral Resources, and Land Capability and Coverage ......................... 3.6-1 3.7 Human Health/Risk of Upset ................................................................................................. 3.7-1 3.8 Hydrology and Flooding ........................................................................................................ 3.8-1 3.9 Geomorphology and Water Quality ....................................................................................... 3.9-1 Volume 2 3.10 Land Use .............................................................................................................................. 3.10-1 3.11 Noise .................................................................................................................................... 3.11-1 3.12 Public Services ..................................................................................................................... 3.12-1 3.13 Recreation ............................................................................................................................ 3.13-1 3.14 Scenic Resources .................................................................................................................. 3.14-1 3.15 Socioeconomics, Population and Housing, and Environmental Justice ............................... 3.15-1 3.16 Transportation, Parking, and Circulation ............................................................................. 3.16-1 3.17 Utilities ................................................................................................................................. 3.17-1 3.18 Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................................................. 3.18-1 UTR and Marsh Restoration Project DEIR/DEIS/DEIS AECOM and Cardno ENTRIX California Tahoe Conservancy/DGS, Reclamation, and TRPA i Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 4 OTHER REQUIRED SECTIONS ......................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Significant Environmental Effects That Cannot Be Avoided ................................................... 4-1 4.2 Significant and Irreversible Environmental Changes ................................................................ 4-2 4.3 Relationship between Short-Term Uses of the Environment and the Maintenance and Enhancement of Long-Term Productivity................................................................................. 4-3 4.4 Growth-Inducing Impacts ......................................................................................................... 4-4 4.5 Environmentally Superior Alternative/Environmentally Preferred Alternative........................ 4-5 4.6 Consequences for Environmental Threshold Carrying Capacities ............................................ 4-6 5 COMPLIANCE, CONSULTATION, AND COORDINATION ......................................................... 5-1 5.1 Federal ....................................................................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 State ......................................................................................................................................... 5-11 5.3 Consultation and Coordination ............................................................................................... 5-15 6 LIST OF PREPARERS .......................................................................................................................... 6-1 7 REFERENCES CITED .......................................................................................................................... 7-1 8 INDEX ...................................................................................................................................................... 8-1 AECOM and Cardno ENTRIX UTR and Marsh Restoration Project DEIR/DEIS/DEIS Table of Contents ii California Tahoe Conservancy/DGS, Reclamation, and TRPA TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page Exhibits 1-1 Regional Location ...........................................................................................................................