Prevailing Wind Park Energy Facility Draft Environmental Assessment DOE/EA-2061 January 2019 Prevailing Wind Park Energy Facility Draft Environmental Assessment Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Hutchinson, and Yankton Counties, South Dakota U.S. Department of Energy Western Area Power Administration DOE/EA-2061 January 2019 Prevailing Wind Park Draft EA Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 WAPA’s Purpose and Need ................................................................................. 1-3 1.2 Prevailing Wind Park’s Goals and Objectives ..................................................... 1-3 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION AND NO ACTION ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Proposed Action ................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Prevailing Wind Park Project ................................................................ 2-1 2.1.2 Project Life Cycle ................................................................................. 2-5 2.2 No Action Alternative .......................................................................................... 2-5 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................ 3-1 3.1 Land Cover and Land Use ................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.1 Land Cover............................................................................................ 3-1 3.1.2 Land Use ............................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.3 Public Lands and Facilities ................................................................... 3-1 3.1.4 Transportation ....................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Geology and Soil Resources ................................................................................ 3-1 3.3 Water Resources .................................................................................................. 3-3 3.4 Air Quality and Climate ....................................................................................... 3-1 3.5 Noise .................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.6 Ecological Resources ........................................................................................... 3-3 3.6.1 Vegetation ............................................................................................. 3-3 3.6.2 Wildlife ................................................................................................. 3-5 3.6.3 Threatened and Endangered Species .................................................... 3-1 3.7 Visual Resources .................................................................................................. 3-3 3.8 Paleontological Resources ................................................................................... 3-3 3.9 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................... 3-4 3.9.1 Archaeological Survey .......................................................................... 3-4 3.9.2 Architectural History Survey ................................................................ 3-5 3.10 Socioeconomics ................................................................................................... 3-6 3.11 Environmental Justice .......................................................................................... 3-7 3.12 Health and Safety ................................................................................................. 3-8 3.12.1 Electric and Magnetic Fields ................................................................ 3-9 3.12.2 Noise and Infrasound ............................................................................ 3-9 3.12.3 Shadow Flicker ................................................................................... 3-10 3.12.4 Physical Hazards ................................................................................. 3-10 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ............................................................ 4-1 4.1 Land Cover and Land Use ................................................................................... 4-1 4.1.1 BMPs..................................................................................................... 4-1 Western Area Power Administration TOC-1 Prevailing Wind Park Draft EA Table of Contents 4.1.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................... 4-2 4.1.3 No Action Alternative ........................................................................... 4-3 4.2 Geologic Setting and Soil Resources ................................................................... 4-3 4.2.1 BMPs..................................................................................................... 4-4 4.2.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................... 4-4 4.2.3 No Action Alternative ........................................................................... 4-5 4.3 Water Resources .................................................................................................. 4-5 4.3.1 BMPs..................................................................................................... 4-6 4.3.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................... 4-6 4.3.3 No Action Alternative ........................................................................... 4-7 4.4 Air Quality and Climate ....................................................................................... 4-7 4.4.1 BMPs..................................................................................................... 4-8 4.4.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................... 4-9 4.4.3 No Action Alternative ........................................................................... 4-9 4.5 Noise Impacts..................................................................................................... 4-10 4.5.1 BMPs................................................................................................... 4-10 4.5.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................. 4-10 4.5.3 No Action Alternative ......................................................................... 4-14 4.6 Ecological Resources ......................................................................................... 4-14 4.6.1 BMPs................................................................................................... 4-14 4.6.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................. 4-16 4.6.3 No Action Alternative ......................................................................... 4-26 4.7 Visual Resources ................................................................................................ 4-26 4.7.1 BMPs................................................................................................... 4-26 4.7.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................. 4-29 4.7.3 No Action Alternative ......................................................................... 4-31 4.8 Paleontological Resources ................................................................................. 4-31 4.8.1 BMPs................................................................................................... 4-31 4.8.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................. 4-32 4.8.3 No Action Alternative ......................................................................... 4-32 4.9 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................. 4-32 4.9.1 BMPs................................................................................................... 4-32 4.9.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................. 4-33 4.9.3 No Action Alternative ......................................................................... 4-35 4.10 Socioeconomics ................................................................................................. 4-35 4.10.1 BMPs................................................................................................... 4-35 4.10.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................. 4-36 4.10.3 No Action Alternative ......................................................................... 4-38 4.11 Environmental Justice ........................................................................................ 4-38 4.11.1 BMPs................................................................................................... 4-38 4.11.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................. 4-38 4.11.3 No Action Alternative ......................................................................... 4-38 4.12 Health and Safety ..............................................................................................