PROJECT INFORMATION
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) proposes to fund the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership’s proposal to restore floodplain connectivity to the Columbia River within the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in Clark County, WA. The Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The project would help improve water quality and habitat to benefit steelhead and cutthroat trout; Chinook, coho, and chum salmon; and Pacific and western brook lamprey. The project would involve reconnecting Gibbons Creek to the Columbia River by breaching a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ levee; removing a diversion structure, fish ladder, elevated channel, and water control structure; raising Washington State Highway 14; constructing a setback levee; enhancing approximately two miles of wetland channels; and re-establishing the site’s riparian forest.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
To understand the potential environmental impacts of this proposal, BPA prepared an environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act to analyze the potential impacts of the project and identify ways to reduce those impacts. The final EA describes anticipated impacts to natural and human resources and includes mitigation measures that would help avoid or minimize these potential impacts. During this process, BPA has worked with Federal, state, and local agencies; tribes; landowners; and interest groups. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are participating as cooperating agencies on the EA. The draft EA was released for public review and comment on January 26, 2018; comments were received on the draft EA from 10 entities. The final EA and FONSI was signed on January 22, 2019.
The schedule for the environmental review was as follows: BPA released its final EA and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The FONSI includes a Mitigation Action Plan to help avoid or lessen potential impacts.
Scoping comment period
Scoping public meeting
Draft EA available for public comment
Final EA
Finding of No Significant Impact (if warranted)
If decision to build, construction start |
December 28, 2015 - January 27, 2016
January 14, 2016 in Washougal, WA
January 26, 2018 - February 26, 2018
January 22, 2019
January 22, 2019
April 1, 2019 |
CURRENT STATUS:BPA released its final EA and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The FONSI includes a Mitigation Action Plan to help avoid or lessen potential impacts.