PORTLAND, Ore. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking comments on its revised plan to improve habitat for juvenile salmonids in the Sandy River Delta, particularly those species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The public is invited to comment on the draft Environmental Assessment until Jan. 21, 2013.
The U.S. Forest Service and Bonneville Power Administration are cooperating federal agencie s on the project under the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Portland Water Bureau plans to fund a portion of the project.
The primary aim of this project is to restore the historic main channel of the Sandy River where it enters the Columbia River, providing year-round fish access to the channel. The Corps plans to remove an eight-foot tall dam that was built in the 1930s, and to excavate a pilot channel within the historic main channel. When the project is complete, the Sandy River would flow year-round through both the historic and the present-day main channels.
Restoration actions at Sandy River Delta will benefit young salmon and steelhead from Oregon, Washington and Idaho that gain essential size and strength in the estuary during their migration to the ocean. Protecting habitat in the estuary helps offset the impacts of federal hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake river systems and is a central element of a federal biological opinion governi ng operation of the dams.
A draft Environmental Assessment addressing the impacts associated with the activity is available for public review and comment under the "Announcements" tab at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil
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The original EA for this project was issued by the Corps for 30-day public review and comment on October 27, 2011 under public notice number CENWP-PM-E-11-06. Since then, additional project components have been identified to occur on U.S. Forest Service land, which are specified under the descriptions of alternatives in the revised EA.
Questions or comments regarding the draft EA should be directed to Steve Helm, Environmental Resources Branch, telephone (503) 808-4778, steve.r.helm@usace.army.mil, or to the address below. Comments previously submitted under public notice CENWP-PM-E -11-06 will be considered; please do not resubmit those comments. Mailed comments regarding this notice must be postmarked by the above expiration date and sent to:
District Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Portland
Attn: CENWP-PM-E / Steve Helm
P.O. Box 2946
Portland, OR 97208-2946
Responses should refer to the public notice number CENWP-PM-E-12-09, and include the public notice title and date. Should no response be received by the above closing date, a "no comment" response will be assumed.
At the end of the public comment period, the Corps will consider all comments received or post marked by Jan. 21, 3013, as well as comments received on the 2011 EA, and make a determination of significance of impacts resulting from the proposed action.
The Forest Service will issue a separate decision for actions on federal land, in accordance with agency procedures for projects and activities.