45 day public comment period opens soon; meetings scheduled
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), will hold a series of public meetings to aid in the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) related to the Bi-State Water Diversion Habitat Conservation plan for the Walla Walla River Basin.
A Notice of Intent to conduct public scoping meetings under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), is expected to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, November 15. Publication of the notice will open a 45 day public comment period.
The EIS will analyze the potential issuance of two Incidental Take Permits, one by NMFS and one by FWS. To obtain these permits, the applicants must prepare a Habitat Conservation Plan that meets criteria established by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The NEPA scoping process will identify and evaluate the range of alternatives and issues to be addressed in the EIS.
The Walla Walla Basin is located in southeast Washington and northeast Oregon. The basin encompasses approximately 1,800 square miles in Columbia and Walla Walla counties in Washington, and Umatilla, Union and Wallowa counties in Oregon. The activities anticipated to be covered in a habitat conservation plan include all activities associated with the diversion and delivery of surface water that have the potential to affect species protected under the ESA, and may include other unlisted species of concern to the Services. The species currently listed under the ESA that are being proposed for coverage under an Incidental Take Permit include bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), under the jurisdiction of the FWS, and the Mid-Columbia River population of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), under the jurisdiction of NMFS. Both species are listed as threatened.Proposed conservation measures that the applicants may incorporate include but are not limited to curtailment of surface diversions, seasonal diversion reductions, water quality improvements and physical habitat enhancements.
Four scoping meetings will be held. They will include one meeting with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), one with all interested and affected agencies and two for all members of the public. Meeting locations and times are:
1. Public Scoping Meeting, November 16, 7-9 PM, Washington State Dept. of Transportation (conference room), 1210 G. Street (near airport), Walla Walla, WA.
2. Agency Scoping Meeting, November 17th, 1:30-3:30 PM, Washington State Dept. of Transportation (conference room), 1210 G. Street (near airport), Walla Walla, WA.
3. Public Scoping Meeting, November 17th, 7-9 PM, Milton-Freewater Library (Albee Room), 8 SW 8th Ave., Milton-Freewater, OR.
4. CTUIR Meeting, November 18th, 9 AM-10 AM; CTUIR tribal administration office (large conference room), 73239 Confederated Way, Mission, Oregon.
Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and participate in the public scoping meetings should contact Elena Escalante, (509) 524-2647, as soon as possible, in order to allow sufficient time to process requests.
The primary purpose of the scoping process is for the public to assist the Services in developing the EIS by identifying important issues and alternatives related to the proposed action. Each scoping Meeting will allocate time for informal discussion and questions with presentations by the Services and potential applicants. All comments and materials received, including names and addresses, will become part of the administrative record and may be released to the public.
Written comments should be received on or before the final day of the comment period.
All written comments concerning the preparation of the EIS and the NEPA process should be addressed to: Ms. Michelle Eames, Upper Columbia Fish and Wildlife Office, 11103 East Montgomery Drive, Spokane, Washington 99206, fax: 509-891-6748; or Mr. Dale Bambrick, NMFS, 304 S. Water Street, Suite 200, Ellensburg, Washington 98926, fax: 509-962-8544.
E-mail comments may be submitted to the following address: WallaWallaHCP@fws.gov. In the subject line of the e-mail, include the document identifier: Walla Walla HCP-EIS.
Comments and materials received will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the offices listed above.
The Services request that comments be specific. In particular, we request information regarding: direct, indirect and cumulative impacts that implementation of the proposed HCP could have on covered species and their habitats and on the built, social, economic, natural and cultural environments; strategies for meeting the purpose and need, in particular strategies for improving instream flows; potential adaptive management and/or monitoring provisions; funding issues; existing environmental conditions in the project area; other plans or projects that might be relevant to this proposed project; and minimization and mitigation efforts.
The Services estimate that a draft EIS will be available for public review late in 2006.
