Public Notices

Corps opens new comment period for Willow Creek Dam draft supplemental EA and FONSI

Published May 4, 2018

Public Notice

DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:

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

 

Issue Date: May 4, 2018
Expiration Date: June 4, 2018


Interested parties are hereby notified that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland Distr
ict (Corps), in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), seeks additional comment on the draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) and draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) 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 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.

The Portland District is providing an additional 30-day public review period to give interested parties an opportunity to provide the District with comments on these draft documents.

The Portland District has not made any changes to either the SEA or FONSI from the previous review period. If you submitted comments during the prior public review period, Mar. 2 to Apr. 2, 2018, there is no need for you to re-submit those comments during this review period; the Portland District will consider all comments received during both review periods.

Environmental Document:  The draft SEA and draft FONSI is available on the Corps’ website in the Public Notices section at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/notices/.

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

In your comment, please refer to the 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 comment be received by the above expiration date, a “no comment” response will be assumed for this period. 

Please note that the comment period is 30 calendar days and closes on June 4, 2018.

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.