Corps seeks comments on revised draft EA for John Day mitigation project

PORTLAND, ORE. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking comments on a revised draft environmental assessment for the John Day Mitigation Project. The Corps proposes to construct hatchery facilities to increase the production of fall Chinook salmon, as required by the Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion.

Spawning and rearing areas for fall Chinook were inundated when the Corps constructed The Dalles Dam in 1957 and John Day Dam in 1967. Congress authorized the JDMP in 1978 to mitigate for the losses in salmonid spawning and rearing habitat caused by construction of the dams.

Mitigation is currently provided by a combination of adult egg take, incubation and juvenile rearing at several hatcheries on the Columbia River and its tributaries. About half of the mitigation fish are upriver bright fall Chinook, known as URBs, that are released above or just below McNary Dam. The remaining production is comprised of downriver stocks of fall Chinook, known as tules, and URBs that are released in the Bonneville reservoir and just below Bonneville Dam.

In order to meet mitigation goals, the Corps is proposing a combination of actions. These include expanding the Ringold Springs Hatchery for production and release of additional juvenile URBs, rearing and acclimating additional egg production at the Little White Salmon and Umatilla hatcheries and constructing a facility in Benton County, Wash., for smolt rearing, acclimation and release. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2016.

A 10-year research, monitoring and evaluation program will determine if production goals are being met and monitor the effects of the proposed JDMP modifications on ESA-listed species.

A draft environmental assessment was prepared and release for public review in March 2013. Subsequent to that review, changes were made to the water in-take structure at the Ringold Springs Hatchery and more details of the Benton County site design were made available. For that reason the original draft EA was updated and the revised version is being made available for an additional 15-day public review period.

The draft EA is available for public review and comment under the “Announcements” tab at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil.
 
Questions or comments regarding the draft EA should be directed to Carolyn Schneider, Environmental Resources Branch, telephone 541-298-6699, via email at Carolyn.B.Schneider@usace.army.mil, or mailed to:


District Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District
Attn: CENWP-PM-E/Carolyn Schneider
P.O. Box 2946
Portland, Oregon 97208-2946

Responses should refer to the public notice number CENWP-PM-E-14-04 and include the public notice title and date. The Corps will consider all comments received or postmarked by Feb. 28, 2014.