Public Notices

Draft EA: Coast Fork Willamette River surplus water letter report

Published May 5, 2014

CENWP-PM-E-14-06
Issue Date: May 5, 2014    
Expiration Date: May 20, 2014

   Interested parties are hereby notified that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (Corps) is seeking public comment on the Coast Fork Willamette River, Oregon Surplus Water Letter Report Draft Environmental Assessment (draft EA).  The Corps is proposing to supply 437 acre-feet of surplus water to the City of Creswell, Oregon (City) to meet municipal and industrial water supply demands.

Currently, the reliable sources of surface and groundwater are insufficient to meet the City’s needs and an alternate source of water is needed to augment existing supply and meet expected future demand.  In early 2014, the Corps determined surplus water is available from the Dorena and Cottage Grove reservoirs to support the City’s immediate needs.  No operational changes would be made to the Dorena or Cottage Grove dams, and in effect, the City would withdraw an additional 2 cubic feet per second of water from the river using existing infrastructure between the months of June and September.  No construction or ground disturbing activities would occur.

A draft EA has been prepared for the proposed Federal action in accord with the Council on Environmental Quality’s National Environmental Policy Act regulations [Federal Register 40 CFR 1508.9(a)]. At the end of the public comment period, the Corps will consider all comments received by close of business on 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 available on the Corps webpage in the Announcements section at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Media/Announcements.aspx.

Additional Information and Comments:  Questions or comments regarding the draft EA should be directed to wbr@usace.army.mil, or to the address below. Mailed comments on this notice must be received by close of business on the above expiration date and sent to:
                                              
District Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Portland
Attn:  CENWP-PM-E/Willamette Basin Review
P.O. Box 2946
Portland, Oregon  97208-2946

In your response, please refer to the above public notice number (CENWP-PM-E-14-06), title and date. Should no response be received by the above closing date, a “no comment” response will be assumed.