80 FR 26584 - Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cle Elum Pool Raise Project, Kittitas County, Washington

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 89 (May 8, 2015)

The Bureau of Reclamation and Washington State Department of Ecology, as joint lead agencies, have made available the Cle Elum Pool Raise Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Final EIS describes the potential environmental effects of the No Action Alternative and four action alternatives to modify the existing radial gates in the Cle Elum Dam spillway to provide an additional 14,600 acre-feet of storage capacity in Cle Elum Reservoir, put the additional stored water to beneficial use, provide for shoreline protection of the reservoir, and implement necessary environmental mitigation. The Final EIS also includes responses to all public comments on the Draft EIS.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 89 (Friday, May 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26584-26585]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11134]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR01113000, XXXR0680R1, RR.R0336A1R.7WRMP0032]


Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Cle Elum Pool Raise Project, Kittitas County, Washington

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation and Washington State Department of 
Ecology, as joint lead agencies, have made available the Cle Elum Pool 
Raise Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Final EIS 
describes the potential environmental effects of the No Action 
Alternative and four action alternatives to modify the existing radial 
gates in the Cle Elum Dam spillway to provide an additional 14,600 
acre-feet of storage capacity in Cle Elum Reservoir, put the additional 
stored water to beneficial use, provide for shoreline protection of the 
reservoir, and implement necessary environmental mitigation. The Final 
EIS also includes responses to all public comments on the Draft EIS.

DATES: Reclamation will not make a decision on the proposed action 
until at least 30 days after the Environmental Protection Agency 
publishes the notice of availability of the Final EIS in the Federal 
Register. Following the 30-day wait period, Reclamation may complete a 
Record of Decision (ROD).

ADDRESSES: Send requests for copies of the Final EIS to Ms. Candace 
McKinley, Bureau of Reclamation, 1917 Marsh Road, Yakima, WA 98901, 
509-575-5848, ext. 613, or via email to [email protected]. The Final EIS is 
also accessible from the following Web site: http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/eis/cleelumraise/index.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Candace McKinley, 509-575-5848, 
ext. 613; or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final EIS documents the potential 
direct, indirect, and cumulative physical, biological, and 
socioeconomic environmental effects that may result from increasing the 
reservoir storage capacity.
    The Final EIS evaluates the construction and operation of modified 
radial gates at Cle Elum Dam to enable a 3-foot raise in the reservoir 
pool (14,600 acre-feet additional storage capacity), use of the 
additional stored water to improve instream flows or to supplement the 
Yakima Project Total Water Supply Available, raising the height of 
three existing dikes, raising the height of access roads and facilities 
at the U.S. Forest Service Cle Elum River Campground and Wish-Poosh 
boat ramp, implementing shoreline protection to reduce erosion, and 
acquiring private property and easements to accommodate shoreline 
protection. The primary project objectives are to: (1) Fulfill the 
intent of the congressional authorization given in sections 1205 and 
1206, Title XII, Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (YRBWEP), 
of Public Law 103-434, Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 1994; (2) improve aquatic resources for fish habitat, 
rearing, and migration in the Cle Elum and upper Yakima Rivers; and (3) 
(if authorized by Congress) help meet demands for agricultural water 
supply.
    The primary study area encompasses the Cle Elum Reservoir, the 
adjacent area that would be inundated by the proposed 3-foot raise in 
the full-pool reservoir level, and areas that could be directly 
affected by construction or operations-related activities, including 
the spillway, dikes, adjacent lands, and public recreation resources. 
The extended study area includes the Cle Elum and Yakima rivers 
downstream from Cle Elum Dam; lands, municipalities, and instream uses 
served by Cle Elum and Yakima rivers water rights; and the larger 
Yakima Project area.
    A ROD will identify all the alternatives considered, including the 
environmentally preferable alternative and the action selected for 
implementation, if they are not the same. A ROD will also discuss the 
factors and rationale used in making the decision; provide information 
on the adopted means to avoid, minimize and compensate for 
environmental impacts; describe any monitoring and enforcement program 
to ensure that adopted mitigation is accomplished; and address any 
significant comments received on the Final EIS.

Authority

    The Cle Elum Pool Raise Project is authorized in sections 1205 and 
1206 of Title XII of the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 1994.

Public Review of Final EIS

    The Final EIS is available for public inspection at the following 
locations:
    1. Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Regional Office, 1150 N 
Curtis Road, Boise, Idaho 83706.
    2. Bureau of Reclamation, Columbia-Cascades Area Office, 1917 Marsh 
Road, Yakima, Washington 98901.
    3. Washington State Department of Ecology, 15 W. Yakima Avenue, 
Suite 200, Yakima, Washington 98902.

Public Disclosure

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment-including your personal identifying 
information-may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we

[[Page 26585]]

cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

    Dated: May 4, 2015.
Lorri J. Lee,
Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-11134 Filed 5-7-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4332-90-P