DEER CREEK MINE CLOSURE WATER PIPELINE UPDATED WILDLIFE RESOURCES REPORT Reviewed by: � Date �� k::V"t-- Dana Truman, Wildlife Biologist; BLM 1 2017 Deer Creek Mine Closure Water Pipeline Updated Wildlife Resources Report Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................... 1 Project Location ........................................................................................................................ 1 Summary of the Proposed Action ............................................................................................ 1 Proposed Project Area/Existing Environment ....................................................................... 2 Description of the Alternatives................................................................................................. 4 EVALUATED SPECIES INFORMATION ................................................................................. 4 Sensitive Plant, Wildlife and Fish Species ............................................................................... 4 Management Indicator Species ................................................................................................ 4 Migratory Birds ......................................................................................................................... 5 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ................................................................................................. 7 SPECIES DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSIS OF EFFECTS ................................................... 8 Management Indicator Species ................................................................................................ 8 Migratory Birds ....................................................................................................................... 19 Gray Vireo, Juniper Titmouse, Pinyon Jay, and Virginia’s Warbler ................................ 19 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................................ 19 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this Wildlife Resources Report is to review the potential impacts of the Deer Creek Mine Closure Water Pipeline Project on species identified as Management Indicator Species (MIS) by the Manti-La Sal National Forest (USDA, Forest Service 1986); and priority migratory bird species identified by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Birds of Conservation Concern (BOCC), DWR Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) (Wildlife Action Plan Joint Team 2015), and the Partners in Flight Land Bird Conservation Plan (Rosenberg et al. 2016) The USDA, Forest Service has developed policy regarding the designation of sensitive plant and animal species (FSM 2670.32). A sensitive species is defined (FSM 2670.5) as those plant and animal species identified by the Regional Forester for which population viability is a concern as evidenced by: 1) significant current or predicted downward trends in population numbers or density or 2) significant current or predicted downward trends in habitat capability that would reduce a species' existing distribution. The Biological Evaluation is an analysis of which sensitive species may occur in the project area and whether any impacts on these species or their habitat are anticipated which will adversely affect their viability. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Project Location The project area is located in Rilda and Huntington Canyons, about 10 miles west of Huntington in Emery County, Utah (see Map 1 in Appendix A). The project area is within T.16 S; R. 7 E; sections: 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 25, 35, and 36. Summary of the Proposed Action The proposed project includes construction of 5.6 miles of a 10-inch HDPE gravity flow water pipeline from the Deer Creek Mine 1st Right Portals to raw water ponds at Huntington Power Plant; only 1.8 miles would cross National Forest System lands. The pipeline would be constructed within the rights-of-way for Emery County Road #306 and State Route 31 (SR-31). The proposed permanent right-of-way width is 12 feet centered on the pipeline; an additional 20 feet of temporary right-of-way on the outer edge of the permanent right-of-way (away from the roadway) would allow for construction of the pipeline. The total acreage of disturbance on National Forest is estimated to be 7.0 acres. Up to 1.7 acres of the temporary disturbance would occur beyond the Emery County Road #306 right-of-way across National Forest System lands. The pipeline will include a shut-off valve at the mine entrance to prevent leaks on National Forest System lands. The trench for the pipeline would be excavated with a trenching machine or track hoe excavator. Topsoil and subsoil would be segregated and stockpiled separately adjacent to the trench. After the pipeline is installed, the stockpiled subsoil would be used to backfill the trench, and the topsoil would be replaced on the surface and graded to pre-disturbance contours. 1 The pipeline would be buried with at least 5 feet of cover, except at the crossings of Huntington Creek; the pipeline would be attached to an existing bridge and diversion structure at each crossing. The pipeline would not be buried at these locations. Air vents and Carsonite posts would be installed approximately every 1,000 feet along the alignment; these features would be about 4 feet high, but would be colored to be visually unobtrusive from the roadway. A tracer wire and a fiber optic conduit would also be buried with the pipeline. The conduit would allow for installation of a telecommunications cable in the future without requiring excavation of the entire length of line. Directional drilling would be applied to install the pipeline under Emery County Road #306, SR- 31, and Bear Canyon Road; these drilling locations are on private or BLM-administered land. A stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) and spill prevention and response plan (SPRP) would be prepared and implemented to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act during construction. Construction is anticipated to take 2 to 3 months. Disturbed areas will be reclaimed upon project completion. After construction, PacifiCorp would maintain the right-of-way and allow the pipeline to operate continuously. If the power plant were to shut down, continuing water treatment would be required at the plant if compliance with water quality standards could not be met. The pipeline would be intended to be permanent; if the pipeline were decommissioned, it would be left in the ground to avoid further ground disturbance. Proposed Project Area/Existing Environment The project area includes the proposed 32 ft. pipeline right-of-way and extends one-half (0.5) linear mile for potential noise disturbance impacts. This includes riparian vegetation adjacent to Huntington Creek, cliff habitat through both canyons, and some vegetation on slopes within Rilda Canyon. Most areas of direct disturbance have been previously disturbed by roadways or utilities. The total project area where the construction activities would occur, encompasses approximately 21.83 acres at the bottom of Rilda and Huntington Canyons. The project area is within the High Plateaus of Utah physiographic subdivision of the Colorado Plateau. More specifically, the project area is located in Rilda and Huntington Canyons, on the east side of the Wasatch Plateau. Elevation of the proposed project is between 6,500 and 7,800 feet above sea level. The vegetation within the project area varies along the proposed pipeline corridor, as a result of topography, elevation, and geology. Nine vegetation cover types exist within the proposed project area, according to SWReGAP data (USGS 2004). Three main cover types comprise ninety-five percent of the vegetation; Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland (17.45 acres), Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland (2.4 acres), and Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Shrubland (.83 acres) (USGS 2004). Descriptions of the main vegetation cover types found within the project area are listed below. These descriptions were derived from the SWReGAP definitions of each vegetation cover type (USGS 2004). Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland The Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland vegetation type comprises approximately 80 percent of the project area. This ecological system occurs in dry mountains and foothills of the Colorado Plateau region including the Western Slope of Colorado to the Wasatch Range, south 2 to the Mogollon Rim of Arizona and east into the northwestern corner of New Mexico. It is typically found at lower elevations ranging from 4,900 to 8,000 ft. These woodlands occur on warm, dry sites on mountain slopes, mesas, plateaus, and ridges. Severe climatic events occurring during the growing season, such as frosts and drought, are thought to limit the distribution of pinyon-juniper woodlands to relatively narrow altitudinal belts on mountainsides. Soils supporting this system vary in texture ranging from stony, cobbly, gravelly sandy loams to clay loam or clay. Pinyon pine and/or Utah juniper dominate the tree canopy. In the southern portion of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) and hybrids of juniper may dominate or codominate the tree canopy. Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) may codominate or replace Utah juniper at higher