[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 62 (Friday, March 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19320-19322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06431]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R8-NWRS-2023-N003; FXRS12610800000-223-FF08RSDC00]
Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report
for Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program II Phase I
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; final environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a final environmental impact statement/environmental
impact report (FEIS/EIR) for the Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration
Program II Phase I project. The FEIS/EIR was prepared jointly by the
Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation to
satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act, respectively. The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers is participating in the NEPA process as a
cooperating agency. The FEIS/EIR evaluates the environmental
consequences of restoring 82 to 87 acres of native coastal wetlands and
uplands within the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve on
portions of both the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border
Field State Park, in San Diego County, California.
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DATES: The Service will issue a record of decision no sooner than 30
days after publication of this notice of availability of the FEIS/EIR
in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Document Availability: You may view or download the FEIS/EIR
by the following methods:
Internet: https://trnerr.org/about/public-notices/.
In Person: Subject to any restrictions imposed in response
to public health issues, you may view the FEIS/EIR at the following
location (call to verify office hours before traveling to the site).
[cir] Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center, 301 Caspian Way, Imperial
Beach, CA 91932 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays); telephone 619-575-3613.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Victoria Touchstone, Conservation
Planner, at 760-431-9440, extension 273 (phone), or
Victoria_Touchstone@fws.gov (email). Individuals in the United States
who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability
may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications
relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the
relay services offered within their country to make international calls
to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Project Location
The project site, which encompasses approximately 90 acres (ac), is
located within the southern arm of the Tijuana Estuary, just to the
east of the Pacific Ocean, in southwestern San Diego County,
California. The project site includes portions of both the Tijuana
Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park and is
located entirely within the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research
Reserve.
Background
The Tijuana Estuary, located in the southwest corner of the United
States in San Diego County, California, occurs at the western terminus
of the Tijuana River, which drains an approximately 1,700-square-mile
watershed, a large portion of which is located within Mexico. Despite
recent changes to the upstream watershed, including an increase in the
flow of contaminated freshwater inputs and sedimentation, the Tijuana
Estuary remains the largest and most intact coastal wetland in the
region, supporting habitat for resident and migratory wildlife and
native plants, including many sensitive, threatened, and endangered
species.
It is estimated that in the 1800s, Tijuana Estuary included over
2,500 ac of estuarine wetland and high marsh. Since then, the estuary
has experienced an approximately 50 percent decrease in subtidal and
mudflat habitat and a 42 percent decrease in salt marsh. In addition,
extensive loss of tidal prism (the volume of water coming and going
with the tides) has occurred. This degradation in the southern arm of
Tijuana Estuary served as the primary motivation for the initiation of
Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program (TETRP), an extensive
restoration proposal developed in the early 1990s.
The TETRP proposal included a multi-phased 495-ac restoration
project in the estuary's southern arm, along with a proposed Model
Marsh and Oneonta Tidal Linkage project (both of which have been
implemented). The final environmental impact statement/environmental
impact report (FEIR/EIS) for the original TETRP proposal was completed
in 1991. Based on updated research and analysis, the TETRP restoration
proposals were refined in 2008 as part of the Tijuana Estuary
Friendship Marsh Restoration Feasibility and Design Study. The TETRP II
Phase I project, which proposes the restoration of 82 to 87 acres of
coastal wetlands and associated native coastal upland vegetation, is
the first phase of this 2008 multi-phased restoration project.
National Environmental Policy Act
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Service has prepared a FEIS/EIR that
describes the project setting and restoration planning history for the
Tijuana Estuary and analyzes the environmental consequences of each
alternative, including the effects of those alternatives when combined
with reasonably foreseeable future actions and environmental trends, to
determine if significant impacts to the human environment would occur.
Three alternatives are analyzed in detail and at an equal level of
detail in the FEIS/EIR: two action alternatives and a no action/no
project alternative. The primary differences between the two action
alternatives are the amount of intertidal mudflat restored versus salt
marsh habitat, the total acreage of restored versus preserved habitats,
and the number of connections provided to existing tidal channels.
Common features include restoration of predominantly disturbed
portions of the southern arm of Tijuana Estuary to tidal wetlands,
tidal channel enhancements, and new intertidal channel connections to
restored habitat areas and the existing Model Marsh, incorporation of
transitional habitat areas into the restoration design, and river mouth
excavation, as needed, to ensure continued tidal exchange within the
estuary. Additionally, both action alternatives propose the beneficial
reuse of suitable excavated material for beach nourishment, development
and maintenance of adjacent coastal barrier dunes, and/or restoration
of the Nelson Sloan Quarry, located approximately 3 miles to the east
within the Tijuana River Valley. Excavated material not suitable for
these purposes would be transported off site to the Otay Landfill or
another suitable disposal site.
Alternative 1--Alternative 1, which includes 86.8 ac, was designed
to maximize deeper intertidal habitats, such as mudflat, and to
increase tidal prism in the southern arm of the estuary. A network of
intertidal channels would connect with existing tidal channels and the
mouth of the Tijuana River. The primary tidal connection would be the
existing South Beach Slough, which would be made deeper. A smaller
tidal connection would be provided to the existing Old River Slough,
where the adjacent vegetated marsh habitat would be preserved.
Excavation to restore wetland habitats would generate approximately
585,000 cubic yards (cy) of sediment, with approximately 5,000 cy to be
used to establish higher elevation transitional areas within the
restoration footprint.
Alternative 2 (Preferred Alternative)--Alternative 2, identified in
the FEIS/EIR as the preferred alternative, includes a restoration
footprint of approximately 83.6 ac and proposes to restore
approximately 82.5 ac of wetland habitats from primarily disturbed
upland habitat, while preserving 1.1 ac of transitional and upland
habitat within the northern portion of the project site. The restored
habitats would generally be located in and around the Model Marsh. A
system of tidal channels would be established, with connections to
existing tidal channels at three points, including two along the South
Beach Slough and one at the Old River Slough. South Beach Slough would
be deepened to increase tidal flows into the proposed restoration area,
and transition zone habitat would be restored along the southern
portion of the restoration area and intermittently around the perimeter
of Model Marsh. Excavation would generate approximately 521,000 cy of
material, with approximately 7,000 cy to be used on site to establish
higher elevation transitional areas. As described for Alternative 1,
the remainder of excavated soil would either be beneficially reused for
beach
[[Page 19322]]
nourishment or transported off site for beneficial reuse at other
project sites or to the landfill for disposal.
No Action Alternative--Under the No Action Alternative, restoration
of the estuary would not be implemented. No removal of soil or
vegetation would occur to restore or establish habitat within the
project site. New or widened channel connections would not be
implemented. Periodic removal of sand from the estuary's river mouth
could continue to occur under separate approvals, but activities would
be restricted to the river mouth and would not extend into the estuary.
EPA's Role in the EIS Process
Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA
Regulations (40 CFR 1506.11), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) shall publish a notice of all EISs in the Federal Register. The
EPA published notification of the DEIS/EIR in the Federal Register on
August 19, 2022 (87 FR 51090).
Pursuant to section 309 of the Clean Air Act (CAA; 42 U.S.C. 7401
et seq.), NEPA, and the CEQ NEPA Regulations (40 CFR 1503.2), the EPA
also reviewed and publicly commented on anticipated environmental
impacts described in the DEIS/EIR. The EPA's comments, which are
provided in Appendix D of the FEIS/EIR, focused primarily on three
topics: (1) the need to develop, in coordination with the Southern
California Dredged Material Management Team, additional information
about the suitability of excavated sediments for placement at nearby
beaches; (2) a request for additional information regarding the ongoing
tribal consultation process for the project; and (3) a request for
additional information to support the conclusions related to
environmental justice. Responses to EPA's specific comments are also
provided in Appendix D of the FEIS/EIR, and additional supporting
documentation requested by the EPA has been incorporated into the
appropriate sections of the FEIS/EIR.
In addition to this notice of availability, the EPA will also
publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing the completion of
the FEIS. A Record of Decision identifying the alternative selected for
implementation will be published no sooner than 30 days after the EPA
announces the availability of the FEIS in the Federal Register.
The EPA compiles a repository (EIS database) for EISs prepared by
Federal agencies. The EIS database provides information about EISs
prepared by Federal agencies, as well as EPA's comments concerning the
EISs. You may search for EPA comments on EISs, along with EISs
themselves, at https://cdxapps.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-II/public/action/eis/search.
NEPA Compliance
On May 27, 2021, the Service published a notice of intent in the
Federal Register (86 FR 28638) to prepare an EIS/EIR for the TETRP II
Phase I project. The notice of availability of the draft EIS/EIR for
public review and comment was published in the Federal Register on
August 19, 2022 (87 FR 51124). A total of six comment letters were
received during the public comment period for draft EIS/EIR. Commenters
included the EPA, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, County of
San Diego, San Diego Audubon Society, and two members of the public. In
accordance with 40 CFR 1502.17(b), chapter 8 of the FEIS/EIR includes a
summary presenting all alternatives, information, and analyses
submitted by State, Tribal, and local governments and other public
commenters for consideration by the lead and cooperating agencies in
developing the FEIS. The comment letters and responses are provided in
Appendix D of the FEIS/EIR. The responses indicate where additional
information has been included in the FEIS/EIR in response to the
comments received. The FEIS/EIR is available for public viewing (see
ADDRESSES).
Authority
We provide this notice in accordance with the requirements of
National Environmental Policy Act and its implementing regulations (40
CFR 1503.1 and 1506.6).
Jill Russi,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-06431 Filed 3-30-23; 8:45 am]
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