Planning for the Future

A regional Mid-Columbia River master plan and integrated environmental assessment is being prepared for the following four Corps projects: Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day and Willow Creek Projects. These projects on the Columbia River are called the Mid-Columbia River Projects. These projects begin at Bonneville Lock and Dam at river mile 142, and extend to the upper end of Lake Umatilla at approximately river mile 290. Along this reach The Dalles Lock & Dam is located at river mile192, and the John Day Lock & Dam is located at river mile 216. Willow Creek Dam is located at river mile 52.4 on Willow Creek, a tributary to the Columbia River at river mile 250.

The 90% draft master plan and integrated environmental assessment can be downloaded at the following link: at https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll7/id/12018.

(Please note the document is a large file and may take some time to download.)

A regional Rogue River Master Plan and integrated environmental assessment is being prepared for the following three Corps projects: Lost Creek Dam, Applegate Dam and Elk Creek Project. A master plan was recently updated in 2012 for Elk Creek and will be integrated into the regional master plan. The master plan covers areas of land owned by the Corps around Lost Creek Lake, Elk Creek Dam and Applegate Dam.

The 90% draft master plan and integrated EA are available for download at the following link: https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll7/id/10335

(Please note the document is a large file and may take some time to download.)

While each regional master plan will have its own resource goals and objectives, the overarching master plan goals include the following:

• Identify the best management practices to respond to regional needs, resource capabilities and suitability, and expressed public interests consistent with authorized project purposes;
• Protect and manage project natural and cultural resources through sustainable environmental stewardship programs;
• Identify outdoor recreation opportunities that support project purposes and public demands created by the project itself while sustaining project natural resources;
• Recognize the particular qualities, characteristics, and potentials of the project;
• Provide consistency and compatibility with national objectives and other state and regional goals and programs.

These two regional master plans will update outdated individual project master plans that date back to the mid-1970s. The Master Plans and integrated environmental assessments will incorporate and address elements such as hydrology, fish and wildlife resources, ecological setting, cultural resources, and recreation facilities, among many other things. These regional master plans will also address outdated land classifications, sustainable natural resource management, encroachments, aquatic and terrestrial invasive species management, and federal and state listed threatened and endangered species. Revised master plans will improve natural resource management planning strategies for the next 20 years and ensure adherence to federal regulations and national goals in a comprehensive and consolidated manner.

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 is one of the nation’s oldest environmental laws that encourages federal agencies to make environmentally responsible decisions. The law requires all federal agencies to consider and disclose the environmental effects of their proposed actions in an environmental assessment. The Citizen's Guide to NEPA explains this law clearly and in detail, as well as how to effectively submit your input.

To satisfy the requirements of the law, the Corps will be preparing an integrated environmental assessment for the master plan. The Corps prepares an environmental assessment to assist in the evaluation of the significance of environmental impacts of a proposed action. The environmental assessment will include brief discussions of the need for the proposal, possible alternatives, environmental impacts of the proposed action and alternatives and a listing of agencies and persons consulted.

Collecting the right level of information at the right time is important to developing this plan. This requires early and frequent engagement of all affected federal, state and local agencies, affected tribes, and interested groups and individuals.

Examples of areas for evaluation in the environmental assessment include: air quality, water quality, biological environment, socioeconomics, land use, recreation, aesthetics, historic and cultural resources, and transportation.