Notice2024-16423
Notice of Availability of the Final Hult Reservoir and Dam Safety Environmental Impact Statement, Oregon
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 26, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Final Hult Reservoir and Dam Safety Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 144 (Friday, July 26, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 144 (Friday, July 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60654-60656]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16423]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_OR_FRN_MO_4500179756]
Notice of Availability of the Final Hult Reservoir and Dam Safety
Environmental Impact Statement, Oregon
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
announces the availability of the Final Hult Reservoir and Dam Safety
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
DATES: The BLM will not issue a decision on the proposal for a minimum
[[Page 60655]]
of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal
Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.
ADDRESSES: The Final EIS and documents pertinent to this proposal are
available for review on the BLM ePlanning project website at <a href="https://bit.ly/4365A9m">https://bit.ly/4365A9m</a>. They are also available for in-person examination at
the BLM's Siuslaw Field Office at 3106 Pierce Parkway, Springfield, OR
97477.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Bickford, (541) 683-6767; 3106
Pierce Parkway, Springfield, OR 97477; <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c0b3a2a9a3aba6afb280a2acadeea7afb6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bdcedfd4ded6dbd2cffddfd1d093dad2cb">[email protected]</span></a>. 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 for contacting Ms. Bickford.
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:
Background
The Hult Reservoir and Hult Pond Dam are located near the community
of Horton, Oregon. The reservoir is fed by Lake Creek and smaller
tributaries. The earthen embankment dam was built in the 1930s or 1940s
to create a log holding pond for the Hult Lumber Company sawmill.
Today, the 54-acre reservoir and surrounding area are primarily used as
a recreation destination. The dam serves no other water retention
purposes and provides no flood protection. The average lifespan for an
earthen embankment dam is 50 years, which the Hult Dam has exceeded by
over 3 decades. The BLM believes that the dam is at the end of its
lifespan.
When the BLM took ownership of the reservoir and dam in a 1994 land
exchange, the dam had been poorly maintained, but a 1990 Bureau of
Reclamation inspection found there was no immediate danger of failing.
Since then, the BLM has made improvements to the dam, including
repairs, reinforcement, and installation of monitoring equipment. BLM
staff continuously monitor the reservoir level and adjust the dam
outlet during winter weather events to avoid overtopping.
In 2017, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) inspected the dam
and found multiple failure points due to its age and condition. The
2018 USACE report based on this inspection described that flooding
resulting from dam failure could impact 70 to 130 people downstream and
cause damage to Oregon Highway 36, as well as potential loss of life.
Purpose and Need
The project's purpose and need is to decommission the current Hult
Dam structure to reduce the potential for failure of the aging
structure and associated loss of life and critical services, and to be
fiscally responsible to the public in managing the costs associated
with the dam.
Alternatives
The Draft EIS analyzed three action alternatives and a No Action
alternative. It also considered eight alternatives that were not
presented in detail; the Final EIS adds four more alternatives not
presented in detail that came from public comments on the Draft EIS.
Alternative 1 (Continue Current Management) would leave the dam in
place and continue current operations. The analysis assumes that,
because of the dam's condition and age, within approximately 8 years
either the dam will fail catastrophically (Alternative 1.1), or the BLM
would have to drain the reservoir because a catastrophic dam failure
was imminent (Alternative 1.2). Alternative 2 (Remove the Existing Dam
and Build a New Dam to Maintain Hult Reservoir) would remove the
current Hult Pond Dam, build a new dam in its place, and refill the
reservoir. Alternative 3 (Remove Hult Reservoir; Add Little Log Pond)
would remove the dam and build a smaller dam downstream on Lake Creek
to create a 5-acre pond (Little Log Pond) that would be used for
recreation. Alternative 4 (Remove Hult Reservoir) would permanently
remove the existing dam infrastructure; Hult Reservoir would be
drained, and a natural stream channel would be reestablished through
the former reservoir footprint.
Preferred Alternative
The BLM's preferred alternative is Alternative 4 (Remove Hult
Reservoir). In addition to removing the dam and allowing Lake Creek to
flow freely, this alternative would also remove the existing poorly
functioning fish ladder near the dam. Excavated dam material would fill
in the current spillway. A new bridge would be built to span the stream
channel near the current dam location, replacing the existing bridge
and road across the dam. This work would take place during summer
months when water levels would be lowest.
Project design features include:
<bullet> Riparian and wetland restoration in the former reservoir
area, with the creation of habitat for fish, western pond turtles, and
beavers.
<bullet> Improved recreation amenities, including a new day-use
area, a developed camp host site and a group campsite, and a multi-use
trail adjacent to the restoration area.
<bullet> Cultural design features including signage with
information about the area's original indigenous inhabitants and the
lumber mill previously located at the site.
In addition, proposed mitigation measures would reduce impacts to
wetlands, western pond turtles, native fish, rare aquatic plants, and
recreationists.
Public Involvement
The public scoping period for the project was held in January 2022.
Issues identified by the public included changes to recreation access
and opportunities such as fishing, swimming, and boating; effects to
wildlife, plants, ecosystems, fish, and fish passage; effects to the
local economy and community; availability of water for fire
suppression; impacts on water quality, availability, and rights; and
impacts on local Tribes. The BLM solicited additional public input
during the EIS process by holding an open house in May 2022 and
releasing a draft of EIS chapters 1 and 2 for a five-week public
comment period.
The release of the complete Draft EIS in October 2023 was
accompanied by two public meetings (one virtual, one in-person). The
BLM received 35 comment letters during the 45-day comment period.
Commenters asked the BLM to add or clarify information in the EIS and
proposed additional alternatives.
Comments on the Draft EIS received from the public and internal BLM
review were considered and incorporated as appropriate into the Final
EIS. Public comments resulted in the addition of clarifying text but
did not significantly change proposed actions.
Changes Made Between the Draft and Final EIS
The BLM addressed 48 substantive comments in the Final EIS. The
BLM's responses to comments include additional information about
permits required for the project, impacts to environmental justice
populations, and impairment of waterbodies in the project area, along
with corrections to facts and data and discussion of other
alternatives.
[[Page 60656]]
The Final EIS includes new proposed mitigation measures that would:
<bullet> Reduce adverse impacts to environmental justice
populations under Alternative 4.
<bullet> Reduce adverse impacts to special status aquatic plants
under Alternative 2.
<bullet> Reduce adverse impacts to western pond turtles under
Alternatives 3 and 4.
Changes include updated cost estimates for each alternative;
changes to the Comparison of the Alternatives section and tables; and
issues related to environmental justice, special status plants, and
western pond turtles.
Other new information includes findings of recent surveys for
archeological sites and artifacts, rare plants, and invasive plants
within the project area, and a new, more accurate calculation of
wetlands acres. Several EIS sections have been updated to reflect this
new data.
Cooperators
Formal cooperating agencies on this EIS include:
<bullet> Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians
of Oregon
<bullet> Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
<bullet> Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
<bullet> Oregon Department of Forestry--Lane County
<bullet> U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Regulatory Branch
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)
Dennis Teitzel,
District Manager, Northwest Oregon District, Oregon/Washington.
[FR Doc. 2024-16423 Filed 7-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-24-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on July 26, 2024.
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