Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement for Elwha River Ecosystem Restoration Implementation, Olympic National Park, Washington

This notice announces the availability of a final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the implementation of the Elwha River Ecosystem Restoration in Olympic National Park, Washington. The FEIS presents the proposed action and alternatives for removing the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams and restoration of the Elwha River ecosystem and its native anadromous fisheries. The proposed action calls for removal of both dams and river erosion of trapped sediments downstream. The proposed action accomplishes the Secretary of the Interior's objectives, as directed by Public Law 102-495, the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992, to restore the river's ecosystem and its native anadromous fisheries. This implementation FEIS is connected to the first, programmatic EIS, which was completed in June 1995. The programmatic EIS determined that dam removal was required to fully restore the Elwha River ecosystem and native anadromous fisheries. The draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for this action was released for public review on April 26, 1996, (Federal Register, Vol. 61, No. 82) and the public comment period closed on June 25, 1996. Both the DEIS and FEIS analyze the proposed action and alternatives for removing the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams and restoring the Elwha River ecosystem. The alternatives include No Action, i.e., retaining the dams in place; the River Erosion Alternative, i.e., removing both dams and allowing sediment to be eroded naturally by the river; and the Dredge and Slurry Alternative, i.e., removing both dams and using suction dredges mounted on barges to slurry fine-grained sediment (silt and clay) through a pipeline to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Major impact topics assessed for the proposed action and the alternatives include natural and cultural resources and other factors such as socioeconomics, public health and safety, water quality and traffic concerns. The FEIS contains letters received from agencies and organizations during the public comment period and responses to all substantive comments are contained in a question and answer format. A summary of comments received during public workshops on the DEIS is also contained in the FEIS. The DEIS and FEIS have been completed by the National Park Service in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.