Four Forest Restoration Initiative, Rim Country EIS DRAFT Water and Riparian Resource Report Prepared by: Paul Brown Watershed Program Manager, ASNF for: 4FRI Rim Country EIS Date 5/16/2019 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. 4FRI Rim Country Project, Water and Riparian Resource Report Table of Contents Introduction/Project Information ..................................................................................................... 1 Purpose and Need ............................................................................................................................ 1 Relevant Law, Regulation, and Policy ............................................................................................ 2 Land Management Plan Direction .............................................................................................. 6 Apache-Sitgreaves NF Forest Plan Direction .......................................................................... 6 Coconino NF Forest Plan Direction ...................................................................................... 18 Tonto NF Forest Plan Direction ............................................................................................ 33 Assumptions and Methodology ..................................................................................................... 37 Water Quality ........................................................................................................................ 38 Water Quantity ...................................................................................................................... 39 Riparian Resources ................................................................................................................ 39 Watershed Condition Framework .......................................................................................... 41 Affected Environment ................................................................................................................... 42 Climate Variability ................................................................................................................ 42 Water Quality ........................................................................................................................ 43 Stream Courses ...................................................................................................................... 48 Riparian and Stream Condition ............................................................................................. 48 Wetlands and Springs ............................................................................................................ 53 Caves ..................................................................................................................................... 54 Watersheds and Watershed Condition ................................................................................... 54 Issues/Indicators/Analysis Topic ................................................................................................... 56 Water Quality and Riparian Area Issues ....................................................................................... 56 Water Quality ........................................................................................................................ 57 Water Quantity ...................................................................................................................... 57 Riparian Resources ................................................................................................................ 57 Cumulative Effects and the Watershed Condition Framework ............................................. 57 Summary of Alternatives ............................................................................................................... 58 Design Features ............................................................................................................................. 60 Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Effects ....................................................................................... 60 Alternative 1 – No Action ..................................................................................................... 69 Effects Common to All Action Alternatives ......................................................................... 71 Effects Unique to Each Action Alternative and Differences Among Them.......................... 78 Cumulative Effects Analysis ................................................................................................. 79 Monitoring Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 81 Compliance with Forest Plan and Other relevant Laws, Regulations, Policies and Plans ............ 83 The Legal Basis for BMPs .................................................................................................... 84 Short-term Uses and Long-term Productivity ....................................................................... 85 Unavoidable Adverse Effects ................................................................................................ 85 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitments of Resources .................................................... 85 Acronyms ...................................................................................................................................... 85 References Cited ............................................................................................................................ 87 Appendix A Spring and Seeps ...................................................................................................... 91 Table 1. Springs and Seeps .................................................................................................... 91 Table 2. SEAP scores .......................................................................................................... 112 Appendix B Watershed Condition Framework Scores ............................................................... 116 Appendix C. Design Features (Resource Protection Measures) .................................................. 122 Appendix D. Cumulative Effects Project Information ................................................................ 171 Table 1. Past/Completed project activities .......................................................................... 171 i 4FRI Rim Country Project, Water and Riparian Resource Report Table 2. Current/Ongoing project activities ........................................................................ 190 Table 3. Reasonably Foreseeable project activities ............................................................. 209 Table 4. Distribution of current/ongoing and reasonably foreseeable activities by subwatershed. ...................................................................................................................... 216 Table 5. Alternatives 2 and 3 Comparison for Vegetative Treatments and Prescribed Burning ............................................................................................................................................. 222 Table 6. Miles of Stream Restoration Proposed for Alternative 2 and 3. ............................ 236 Table 7. Wildfires current up to Watershed Condition Framework Scoring (2012) ........... 239 Table 8. Wildfires after Watershed Condition Framework Scoring (2012) ........................ 256 To refresh table of contents, click in it and press F9. To generate a list of tables or figures, go to References tab, captions group and click on “Insert Table of Figures”. Choose the appropriate caption label