PUBLIC NOTICE
DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
LONG-TERM RELEASE OF ADDITIONAL 1,000 ACRE-FEET (TOTAL 3,500 ACRE-FEET) SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
TO THE LONG-TERM WITHDRAWAL OF IRRIGATION WATER WILLOW CREEK LAKE, MORROW COUNTY, OREGON, MARCH 2008, FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
CENWP-PM-E-18-02
Issue Date: March 2, 2018
Expiration Date: April 2, 2018
30 Day Notice
Interested parties are hereby notified that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (Corps), in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), seeks comment on the draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) and draft Finding of No Significant Impact for the long-term release of an additional 1,000 acre-feet (AF) of stored water for irrigation from the Willow Creek Dam and Lake Project (Project).
In the SEA, the Corps’ assessed the incremental effects of the annual release of an additional 1,000 AF of stored water from the Project as compared to the baseline irrigation release of 2,500 AF. The Project is authorized to store and release up to 3,500 AF for irrigation purposes. The need for the additional release is to provide the irrigation district, Willow Creek District Improvement Company, with a more reliable, annual, long-term source of additional irrigation water; water released from storage is considered more reliable than groundwater sources.
The draft SEA has been prepared for the proposed Federal action in accordance with the NEPA, the Council on Environmental Quality’s NEPA regulations (40 C.F.R. parts 1500-1508)], and the Corps’ NEPA regulations (33 C.F.R. part 230). At the end of the public comment period, the Corps will consider all comments received or post marked by the expiration date of this public notice and make a determination of significance of impacts resulting from the proposed action.
Environmental Document: The draft EA is attached above on this page.
Additional Information and Comments: Questions or comments regarding the draft SEA should be directed to willow-creek@usace.army.mil or to the address below. Mailed comments on this notice must be postmarked by the above expiration date and sent to:
District Environmental Specialist
U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Portland
Attn: CENWP-PM-EE/Robert Waldman
P.O. Box 2946
Portland, Oregon 97208-2946
In your response, please refer to the above public notice number (CENWP-PM-E-18-02), title (Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment: Long-term Release of Additional 1,000 Acre-feet (Total 3,500 Acre-feet) Supplemental Environmental Assessment to the Long-term Withdrawal of Irrigation Water Willow Creek Lake, Morrow County, Oregon, March 2008, Final Environmental Assessment and date. Should no response be received by the above closing date, a “no comment” response will be assumed.
Please note that the comment period is 30 calendar days.
All comments received will become part of the administrative record and are subject to public release under the Freedom of Information Act, including any personally identifiable information such as name, phone numbers and addresses.