B O N N E V I L L E P O W E R A D M I N I S T R A T I O N Clark Fork River Delta Restoration Project Draft Environmental Assessment January 2014 DOE/EA-1969 Clark Fork River Delta Restoration Project Draft Environmental Assessment NEPA Register Number: DOE/EA-1969 Bonneville Power Administration P.O. Box 3621 Portland, Oregon 97208-3621 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers P.O. Box 3755 Seattle, Washington 98124-3755 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Idaho Field Office 1387 S. Vinnell Way Boise, Idaho 83709 January 2014 BUREAU OF BONNEVILLE LAND POWER MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATION Contents Chapter 1 Introduction.............................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 Need for Action .................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Purposes ............................................................................................................... 1-3 1.3 Background .......................................................................................................... 1-3 1.3.1 Federal Columbia River Power System and Albeni Falls Dam ............... 1-3 1.3.2 Other Dams Affecting Lake Pend Oreille ................................................ 1-4 1.3.3 Habitat Losses .......................................................................................... 1-4 1.3.4 Ongoing Mitigation Efforts for Albeni Falls Dam .................................. 1-5 1.4 Cooperating Agencies .......................................................................................... 1-5 1.4.1 U.S. Bureau of Land Management .......................................................... 1-5 1.4.2 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ................................................................ 1-7 1.5 Public Involvement and Issue Summary .............................................................. 1-7 1.5.1 Issues Outside the Scope of this Environmental Assessment .................. 1-9 Chapter 2 Proposed Action and Alternatives .......................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Proposed Action ................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Project Areas ............................................................................................ 2-1 2.1.2 Project Elements and Construction Actions ............................................ 2-3 2.1.3 Project Elements and Actions by Area .................................................. 2-10 2.1.4 Construction Sequencing ....................................................................... 2-20 2.1.5 Environmental Design Features/Mitigation Measures and BMPs Included as Part of the Project ............................................................... 2-22 2.1.6 Construction Contingencies ................................................................... 2-22 2.1.7 Performance Monitoring ........................................................................ 2-22 2.2 No Action Alternative ........................................................................................ 2-27 2.3 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Study .......................... 2-27 2.3.1 Extending Breakwaters or Using Pile Breakwaters ............................... 2-27 2.3.2 Delta Erosion Control ............................................................................ 2-27 2.4 Comparison of Alternatives ............................................................................... 2-28 Chapter 3 Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences .................................. 3-1 3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.1 General Setting......................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Geology and Soils ................................................................................................ 3-4 3.2.1 Affected Environment .............................................................................. 3-4 3.2.2 Environmental Consequences – Action Alternative ................................ 3-6 3.2.3 Environmental Consequences – No Action ............................................. 3-9 3.3 Vegetation and Wetlands ..................................................................................... 3-9 3.3.1 Affected Environment .............................................................................. 3-9 3.3.2 Environmental Consequences – Action Alternative .............................. 3-14 3.3.3 Environmental Consequences – No Action ........................................... 3-17 3.4 Water Resources ................................................................................................ 3-18 3.4.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 3-18 3.4.2 Environmental Consequences – Action Alternative .............................. 3-19 Clark Fork River Delta Restoration Project Draft EA (January 2014) iii 3.4.3 Environmental Consequences – No Action ........................................... 3-21 3.5 Fish and Wildlife................................................................................................ 3-21 3.5.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 3-21 3.5.2 Environmental Consequences – Action Alternative .............................. 3-31 3.5.3 Environmental Consequences – No Action ........................................... 3-38 3.6 Land Use and Recreation ................................................................................... 3-38 3.6.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 3-38 3.6.2 Environmental Consequences – Action Alternative .............................. 3-42 3.6.3 Environmental Consequences – No Action ........................................... 3-43 3.7 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................. 3-44 3.7.1 On-Going Management of Cultural Resources ...................................... 3-44 3.7.2 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 3-45 3.7.3 Environmental Consequences – Action Alternative .............................. 3-48 3.7.4 Environmental Consequences – No Action ........................................... 3-49 3.8 Aesthetics and Visual Resources ....................................................................... 3-49 3.8.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 3-49 3.8.2 Environmental Consequences – Action Alternative .............................. 3-51 3.8.3 Environmental Consequences – No Action ........................................... 3-53 3.9 Air Quality, Noise, Hazardous Waste, and Public Health and Safety ............... 3-54 3.9.1 Air Quality ............................................................................................. 3-54 3.9.2 Noise ...................................................................................................... 3-58 3.9.3 Hazardous Waste ................................................................................... 3-60 3.9.4 Public Health and Safety ........................................................................ 3-62 3.10 Transportation .................................................................................................... 3-63 3.10.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 3-63 3.10.2 Environmental Consequences – Action Alternative .............................. 3-65 3.10.3 Environmental Consequences – No Action ........................................... 3-68 3.11 Socioeconomics ................................................................................................. 3-68 3.11.1 Affected Environment ............................................................................ 3-68 3.11.2 Environmental Consequences – Action Alternative .............................. 3-70 3.11.3 Environmental Consequences – No Action ........................................... 3-71 3.12 Cumulative Impacts Analysis ............................................................................ 3-71 3.12.1 Past Actions ........................................................................................... 3-71 3.12.2 Current and Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions ............................ 3-72 3.12.3 Cumulative Impacts Analysis ................................................................ 3-73 Chapter 4 Environmental Consultation, Review, and Permit Requirements ...................... 4-1 4.1 National Environmental Policy Act ..................................................................... 4-1 4.2 Wetlands, Floodplains, and Water Resources ...................................................... 4-1 4.2.1 Clean Water Act Section 401 ................................................................... 4-1 4.2.2 Clean Water Act Section 402 ................................................................... 4-1 4.2.3 Clean Water Act Section 404 ................................................................... 4-2 4.3 Fish and Wildlife.................................................................................................. 4-2 4.3.1 Endangered