81 FR 72830 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Long-Term Plan To Protect Adult Salmon in the Lower Klamath River

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 204 (October 21, 2016)

The Bureau of Reclamation has made available for public review and comment the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Long-Term Plan to Protect Adult Salmon in the Lower Klamath River (LTP). The DEIS describes the potential environmental effects of the No-Action and Action Alternatives to augment flows in the Lower Klamath River to reduce the likelihood, and reduce the severity, of any Ich epizootic event that could lead to an associated fish die-off in future years.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 204 (Friday, October 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72830-72831]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25535]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR02380000, 17XR0680A3, RX041689900000000]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Long-Term Plan To Protect Adult Salmon in the Lower 
Klamath River

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation has made available for public review 
and comment the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 
Long-Term Plan to Protect Adult Salmon in the Lower Klamath River 
(LTP). The DEIS describes the potential environmental effects of the 
No-Action and Action Alternatives to augment flows in the Lower Klamath 
River to reduce the likelihood, and reduce the severity, of any Ich 
epizootic event that could lead to an associated fish die-off in future 
years.

DATES: Send written comments on the DEIS on or before December 5, 2016. 
One open house followed by a public hearing will be held on Wednesday, 
November 9, 2016, in Redding, CA. Doors open at 5:00 p.m.; the open 
house is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and the public hearing 
is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments or requests for copies to Ms. Julia 
Long, Project Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, Northern California Area 
Office, 16349 Shasta Dam Blvd., Shasta Lake, CA 96019; or via email to 
[email protected]. The DEIS is also 
accessible from the following Web site: http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=22021.
    The open house and public hearing will be held at the Holiday Inn, 
1900 Hilltop Drive, Redding, CA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Julia Long, Project Manager, 530-
276-2044; or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS documents the potential direct, 
indirect, and cumulative physical, biological, and socioeconomic 
environmental effects that may result from implementing flow 
augmentation actions in the Lower Klamath River.
    The DEIS evaluates and discloses any potential environmental 
impacts associated with implementing the LTP. The purpose of the 
proposed action is to increase flows in the lower Klamath River to 
reduce the likelihood, and potentially reduce the severity, of any Ich 
epizootic event that could lead to an associated fish die-off in future 
years. The need is based on the past extensive fish die-off that 
occurred in 2002. Crowded holding conditions for pre-spawn adults, warm 
water temperatures, and the presence of disease pathogens are the 
likely major factors contributing to the adult salmon mortalities. The 
proposed increased flows would be provided primarily from releases of 
water stored in Trinity Reservoir on the main stem of the Trinity 
River.
    In August and September 2002, an estimated 170,000 fall-run Chinook 
salmon returned to the Klamath River. During those two months, 33,000 
adult Chinook salmon, including 344 Coho salmon which are listed as 
threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and other salmonids, died 
prematurely due to infection. Federal, tribal, and state biologists 
studying the die-off concluded that the pathogens Ich (Ichthyophthirius 
multifiliis) and Columnaris (Flavobacterium columnare), were the 
primary causes of death to fish. Contributing factors that lead to the 
infection were warm water temperatures, low water velocities and 
volumes, high fish density, and long fish residence times. Flows in the 
lower Klamath averaged about 2,000 cubic feet per second during 
September 2002.
    Subsequent dry year conditions in 2003, 2004, and 2012 through 
2016, prompted Reclamation to arrange for late-summer flow augmentation 
to reduce the probability of a disease outbreak. In each of these 
years, 38 thousand acre-feet (TAF) to 64 TAF of supplemental water was 
released from Trinity Reservoir.
    Reclamation recognizes that there is an increasing need to provide 
augmentation flows in dry years for the foreseeable future to prevent 
fish mortalities due to Ich and Columnaris. Reclamation is developing a 
long-term plan to address this need.

Authority

    The Trinity River Division Authorization Act of August 12, 1955 
(Public Law 84-386) and the Trinity River Basin Fish & Wildlife 
Management Act of 1984 (Act of October 24, 1984, Public Law 98-541), as 
amended, provides Reclamation the authority to take action to protect 
fishery resources.

Public Review of DEIS

    Copies of the DEIS are available for public review at the following 
locations:
    1. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, Regional Library, 
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825.
    2. Bureau of Reclamation, Northern California Area Office, 16349 
Shasta Dam Blvd., Shasta Lake, CA 96019.
    3. Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 
C Street NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, DC 20240-0001.
    4. Shasta County Public Library, Redding Library, 1100 Parkview 
Avenue, Redding, CA 96001.
    5. Humboldt County Public Library, 1313 3rd Street, Eureka, CA 
95501.
    6. Klamath County Public Library, 126 S. 3rd Street, Klamath Falls, 
OR 97601.
    7. Chiloquin Branch Library, 104 S. 1st Avenue, Chiloquin, OR 
97624.
    8. Los Banos Branch Library, 1312 S. 7th Street, Los Banos, CA 
93635.

Special Assistance for Public Hearings

    If special assistance is required at the public hearings, please 
contact Ms. Sheryl Harral, Bureau of Reclamation, Public Affairs 
Office, at [email protected]. Please notify Ms. Harral as far in advance 
as possible to enable Reclamation to secure the needed services. If a 
request cannot be honored, the requestor will be notified. A telephone 
device for the hearing impaired (TDD) is available at 916-978-5608.

Public Disclosure

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other

[[Page 72831]]

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 cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: October 6, 2016.
Federico Barajas,
 Deputy Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2016-25535 Filed 10-20-16; 8:45 am]
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