Public Notices

Draft EA: Trestle Bay Restoration Project

Environmental Resources Branch
Published March 13, 2015
PUBLIC NOTICE
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
AND
DRAFT FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (FONSI)

US Army Corps of Engineers
Portland District

Portland District
CENWP-PM-E
PO Box 2946
Portland, OR 97208-2946

for the

Trestle Bay Restoration Project
Clatsop County, Oregon
CENWP-PM-E-15-03

Issue Date: March 13, 2015
Expiration Date: April 11, 2015

30 Day Notice – Amended Notice

This document was amended March 24, 2015 to correct information in the original public notice. Interested parties are hereby notified that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, (Corps) is seeking public comment on the Trestle Bay Restoration Project, Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA).

Purpose:
The Corps is proposing to construct an ecosystem restoration project at Trestle Bay. The preferred alternative is to construct multiple openings with a cumulative opening width of no more than 900 linear feet within the South Jetty root. The openings are intended to provide adequate access into Trestle Bay for salmon and steelhead. The root is an 8,800-foot structure comprised of large rocks that rise through, and extend 25 feet above, the water column from the riverbed; the root prevents unfettered salmonid access to and from Trestle Bay.

Location:
Trestle Bay is a 628 acre bay located in Clatsop County, Oregon, approximately six miles upstream of the Mouth of the Columbia River. The area is separated from the Lower Columbia River estuary by the South Jetty Root. Trestle Bay is located at the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean, in Fort Steven State Park, in Clatsop County, Oregon.

Environmental Documents:
A Draft Environmental Assessment addressing the impacts associated with the preferred alternative is available for public review and comment on the Corps’ website. Additionally, as determined by the findings of the Draft EA, a Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is also available for public review. Both can be found at the following website: http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Media/Announcements.aspx.

In accord with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations [Federal Register, 40 C.F.R. 1508.9(a)], an Environmental Assessment (EA) is prepared by a federal agency when a proposed action is not covered by a categorical exclusion or otherwise exempt from NEPA. Federal agencies use the EA to determine whether the proposed action has the potential to cause significant environmental effects. The purposes of the EA are to accomplish the following:

1. Provide evidence and analysis sufficient to determine whether an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required.

2. Aid a federal agency’s compliance with NEPA when no EIS is necessary.

3. Facilitate preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) when one is necessary.

The EA is meant to be the primary tool that federal agencies use to determine whether or not to prepare an EIS.

Completion of this draft EA will involve inclusion of responses to all public comments. Upon completion of the draft EA, comments will be considered and a determination of significance will be made on the preferred alternative. Either a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) will be made, concluding the NEPA process, or a decision will be made to prepare an EIS. In order to prepare an EIS, it must be determined that the proposed action will have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment. Public input on this draft EA is encouraged as it aims to identify public concerns early in the project planning process.

State Water Quality Certification: State Water Quality Certification from Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), is required and will be obtained prior to project implementation. The CWA Section 404(b) (1) evaluation will also be prepared.

Cultural Resources: The Corps will coordinate with Oregon State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) and interested Native American Tribes. The Corps has made a preliminary determination of that this project is likely to have “No Adverse Effect” on historic properties and will complete the appropriate consultations prior to project implementation.

Endangered Species Act: For species under the jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Corps has requested use of the Programmatic Conference and Biological Opinion entitled ESA Section 7 Programmatic Conference and Biological Opinion and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Essential Fish Habitat Consultation for Revisions to Standard Local Operating Procedures for Endangered Species to Administer Stream Restoration and Fish Passage Improvement Actions Authorized or Carried Out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Oregon (SLOPES V Restoration Biological Opinion). The Corps made a no-effect determination for species under the jurisdiction of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Additional Information and Comments: Questions regarding the enclosed environmental documents or submittal of public comments on this Draft EA and FONSI should be directed to: Elisa Carlsen, Environmental Resources Branch, telephone 503-808-4767; via e-mail at: elisa.carlsen@usace.army.mil; or at the address below.  

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

To become part of the record and to be considered in the decision, comments on this notice must be sent by the above closing date. In your response, please refer to the above public notice number (CENWP-PM-E-15-03), title and date. Should no response be received postmarked by the above closing date, a “no comment” response will be assumed.