Notice2023-02564
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the Proposed Searsville Watershed Restoration Project, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, CA
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Published
February 7, 2023
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentEngineers Corps
Abstract
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), San Francisco District, as the lead agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), will prepare a joint Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Searsville Watershed Restoration Project, located in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, California. Stanford University is the Project Applicant. The EIS/EIR will analyze Stanford's proposed project to modify Searsville Dam and Reservoir and restore reaches of Corte Madera Creek and San Francisquito Creek upstream and downstream of the dam, expand Felt Reservoir, and upgrade the existing San Francisquito Creek pump station. The purpose of the Project is to restore hydrogeomorphic processes, riparian habitat, and fish passage conditions within the upper San Francisquito Creek watershed; to avoid increasing future flood risk associated with Searsville Reservoir filling with sediment, and to replace Searsville Reservoir's historic non-potable water storage and supply while improving seismic safety at Felt Reservoir. The primary Federal involvement associated with the proposed action is the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States that would require authorization from USACE pursuant to section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Discharge of accumulated sediment from Searsville Reservoir into the lower reaches of San Francisquito Creek would also be subject to section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA) of 1899 in tidal reaches, and section 408 review under section 14 of the RHA in reaches that are currently under study for Federal flood risk management projects.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 25 (Tuesday, February 7, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7968-7969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-02564]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Draft Environmental Impact
Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the Proposed Searsville
Watershed Restoration Project, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, CA
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), San Francisco
District, as the lead agency under the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA), and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), as
the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),
will prepare a joint Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental
Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Searsville Watershed Restoration
Project, located in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, California.
Stanford University is the Project Applicant. The EIS/EIR will analyze
Stanford's proposed project to modify Searsville Dam and Reservoir and
restore reaches of Corte Madera Creek and San Francisquito Creek
upstream and downstream of the dam, expand Felt Reservoir, and upgrade
the existing San Francisquito Creek pump station. The purpose of the
Project is to restore hydrogeomorphic processes, riparian habitat, and
fish passage conditions within the upper San Francisquito Creek
watershed; to avoid increasing future flood risk associated with
Searsville Reservoir filling with sediment, and to replace Searsville
Reservoir's historic non-potable water storage and supply while
improving seismic safety at Felt Reservoir. The primary Federal
involvement associated with the proposed action is the discharge of
dredged or fill material into waters of the United States that would
require authorization from USACE pursuant to section 404 of the Clean
Water Act. Discharge of accumulated sediment from Searsville Reservoir
into the lower reaches of San Francisquito Creek would also be subject
to section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA) of 1899 in tidal
reaches, and section 408 review under section 14 of the RHA in reaches
that are currently under study for Federal flood risk management
projects.
DATES: Written comments and suggestions must be submitted by March 9,
2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and suggestions concerning the scope and
content of the EIS/EIR may be submitted to Mr. Greg Brown by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#12556077757d606b3c553c50607d657c5267617371773c73607f6b3c7f7b7e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="60271205070f12194e274e22120f170e2015130103054e01120d194e0d090c">[email protected]</span></a>; or by surface mail at U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, San Francisco District, Regulatory Division, 450 Golden
Gate Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102-3404. Requests to be
placed on the email or surface mail notification lists should also be
sent to this address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Greg Brown at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#abecd9ceccc4d9d285ec85e9d9c4dcc5ebded8cac8ce85cad9c6d285c6c2c7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0c4b7e696b637e75224b224e7e637b624c797f6d6f69226d7e617522616560">[email protected]</span></a> or 415-503-6791.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. Proposed Action. Searsville Reservoir is
an artificial impoundment created by the construction of Searsville Dam
in 1891 on Corte Madera Creek, just upstream of the confluence where it
joins with Bear Creek and forms San Francisquito Creek. Stanford owns
and operates the Searsville Reservoir and Dam, the San Francisquito
Creek Pump Station, and Felt Reservoir and uses these facilities to
supply non-potable water for irrigation, stock watering, and fire
suppression. Since construction of the dam, Searsville Reservoir has
been filling with sediment, and water storage capacity has been reduced
from about 1,200 acre-feet to about 100 acre-feet. The reservoir will
eventually fill completely with sediment, at which point sediment
originating in the upper watershed will pass over the dam and deposit
downstream in San Francisquito Creek, increasing the risk of flooding.
The EIS/EIR will analyze Stanford's proposed project to modify
Searsville Dam and Reservoir (37.4072[deg] N, -122.238[deg] W) and
restore reaches of Corte Madera Creek and San Francisquito Creek
upstream and downstream of the dam, expand Felt Reservoir (37.3949[deg]
N, -122.1856[deg] W), and upgrade the existing San Francisquito Creek
pump station (37.4226[deg] N, -122.1883[deg] W).
To address these issues, Stanford has proposed a multi-phase
project on Stanford property at Searsville Reservoir and Dam; in Corte
Madera and San Francisquito Creeks from Searsville Dam downstream to
Interstate 280 in unincorporated San Mateo County; at Felt Reservoir in
unincorporated Santa Clara County; and at the San Francisquito Creek
Pump Station site which straddles the boundary between San Mateo and
Santa Clara counties.
The proposed project includes the following components: (1)
constructing a gated tunnel through Searsville Dam to flush a
substantial amount of trapped sediment, restore natural sediment
transport, reestablish fish passage conditions, and improve ecosystem
function; (2) restoring a confluence valley supporting a variety of
habitats above Searsville Dam; (3) constructing channel improvements to
facilitate fish passage conditions below Searsville Dam, through the
proposed tunnel, and in restored creek channels upstream of the dam;
(4) constructing sediment trapping, habitat improvement, and bank
stabilization features on Corte Madera and San Francisquito Creeks
between Searsville Dam and I-280; (5) relocating the existing point of
diversion at Searsville Reservoir to the San Francisquito Creek Pump
Station site and modifying the Pump Station to accommodate increased
diversions to Felt Reservoir; and (6) constructing a new dam at Felt
Reservoir and expanding that reservoir's design capacity to a total of
1,800 acre-feet.
2. Alternatives. Multiple alternatives, including the no action
alternative and the Applicant's preferred alternative (proposed
project) will be evaluated in the EIS/EIR in accordance with current
NEPA regulations and guidance, including 33 CFR 230 (USACE NEPA
Regulations) and 33 CFR 325, appendix B (NEPA Implementation Procedures
for USACE Regulatory Projects). Additional alternatives to be analyzed
currently include:
<bullet> Dam Removal: implement sediment flushing and restore fish
passage and
[[Page 7969]]
sediment transport by removing Searsville Dam completely.
<bullet> Bypass Channel: restore fish passage and sediment
transport by constructing a bypass channel around Searsville Dam;
accumulated sediment in the reservoir would be left in place.
3. Scoping Process.
a. Affected Federal, State, regional, and local agencies; Native
American Tribes; other interested private organizations; and the
general public are invited to participate in the scoping process. USACE
is requesting identification of potential alternatives, information,
and analyses relevant to the proposed action. Questions and written
comments can be addressed to the contacts identified above and should
be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of this NOI.
b. The EIS/EIR will analyze the environmental consequences of
construction, operation, and maintenance of reasonable alternatives
carried forward for detailed analysis. Potentially significant issues
to be analyzed include effects on aesthetics and visual resources; air
quality and greenhouse gas emissions; biological resources including
wetlands and special status species; cultural and tribal cultural
resources; energy; environmental justice and socioeconomics; geology,
soils and paleontology; hazardous materials and wildfire; flood risk,
hydrology, and water quality; land use, agricultural and forestry
resources; noise and vibration; population and housing; transportation;
and utilities and public services.
c. USACE shall invite the National Marine Fisheries Service to
participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS/EIR.
USACE will also work closely with the DWR, as lead CEQA agency, in the
preparation of the joint EIS/EIR.
d. USACE will consult with the State Historic Preservation Officer
and with Native American Tribes to comply with the National Historic
Preservation Act, and with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to comply with the
Endangered Species Act. USACE will also coordinate with the USFWS to
comply with the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act and with NMFS to
comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act.
e. Two virtual public scoping meetings will be held in late
February or early March 2023 to present information to the public and
to receive comments from the public on the proposed project,
alternatives, and the scope of the environmental analysis. Dates,
weblinks, and other details for the scoping meetings will be posted to
the USACE San Francisco District website (<a href="https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public-Notices/">https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public-Notices/</a>).
4. Availability of the Draft EIS. The draft EIS is scheduled to be
available for public review and comment in October 2023. The decision-
making process for the related permitting action will not be completed
until all NEPA requirements have been met.
Antoinette R. Gant,
Commanding, U.S. Army.
[FR Doc. 2023-02564 Filed 2-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 7, 2023.
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