APPENDIX A Project Scoping
Notice of Preparation To: From: Agencies and Interested Parties Paul Brunner, Executive Director, Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority Date: June 13, 2006 Subject: Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report on the Feather River Levee Repair Project, and Announcement of a Public Scoping Meeting to be held on June 29, 2006, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Yuba County Government Center, 915 Eighth Street, Marysville, CA 95901. The Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority (TRLIA) is proposing the Feather River Levee Repair Project (FRLRP), an element of the Yuba-Feather Supplemental Flood Control Project (Y-FSFCP), to increase flood protection in the Reclamation District (RD) 784 area of Yuba County. RD 784 is bounded by the Yuba River on the north, the Feather River on the west, the Bear River on the south, and the Western Pacific Interceptor Canal (WPIC) on the east. The project would address identified deficiencies in the Feather River levee, and would make related improvements to the Yuba River levee near its confluence with the Feather River. It would entail strengthening the existing Feather River left (east) bank levee from Project Levee Mile (PLM) 13.3 to PLM 17.1 and from PLM 23.6 to PLM 26.1, and strengthening the existing Yuba River left (south) bank levee from the confluence with the Feather River (PLM 0.0) upstream to PLM 0.3. (Note: References to the left bank indicate the left side of the river when facing downstream.) The segment of the Feather River left bank levee between PLM 17.1 and PLM 23.6 would be either strengthened in its current location or set back following one of two possible alignment scenarios. Constructing a setback levee a sufficient distance from the existing levee would remove current channel constrictions in the Feather River, thereby improving the level of flood protection for the RD 784 area and for the Marysville and Yuba City areas by lowering upstream water surface elevations. If a levee setback option is selected, land uses in the setback area could consist of agricultural operations and/or habitat restoration activities that would not impede the flood flow function of the setback area. Figure 1 shows the general study area for the project in a regional context. Figure 2 shows the extent of the project site. The project is described in more detail in Overview of the Proposed Feather River Levee Repair Project below. Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 1
FEATHER RIVER LEVEE REPAIR PROJECT Project Study Area Figure 1
FEATHER RIVER LEVEE REPAIR PROJECT Project Features Figure 2
Purpose of the Notice of Preparation The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) specifies that a public agency must prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) on any project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant direct or indirect impact on the environment (Public Resources Code Section 21100[a]). TRLIA has determined that the FRLRP may have significant impacts on the environment. Therefore, TRLIA, as the lead agency for CEQA compliance, intends to prepare an EIR on the proposed project and has prepared this notice of preparation (NOP) as an initial step in the CEQA process. The purpose of this notice is twofold: 1. to solicit input, by July 14, 2006, from interested agencies, organizations, and individuals about the content and scope of the draft EIR (DEIR) to be prepared for the proposed project; and 2. to announce a public scoping meeting on the proposed project, to be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday June 29, 2006, at the Yuba County Government Center, 915 Eighth Street, Marysville, CA 95901. Purpose of and Need for the Feather River Levee Repair Project Background Yuba County has a long history of flooding. Floods in the Central Valley in 1986 and again in 1997 were catastrophic for Yuba County, inundating tens of thousands of acres, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, and causing loss of life. Two major flood protection efforts resulted from the 1986 Central Valley floods. First, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and California Department of Water Resources (DWR) initiated the System Evaluation Project, which restored federally constructed levees in RD 784 to current design standards and reestablished the 1957 design top-of-levee profile. Most of the System Evaluation levee reconstruction work in RD 784 was completed in 1998. (Note that the 1997 floods resulted in the identification of additional levee seepage problems, which led to the Corps s System Evaluation Site 7 Extension project.) The second effort was Yuba County Water Agency s (YCWA s) initiation in 1988 of the Yuba Basin Project, which led to a Corps project designed to achieve what was then considered to be a 200-year level of protection for RD 784 levees. The Yuba Basin Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 4
Project was approved by Congress in 1998, and a construction start was authorized in 2002. In 2003, however, new Corps underseepage guidelines led to reevaluation of the project, which substantially increased the estimated cost. Because of this cost increase, the Yuba Basin Project must be reauthorized by Congress. A General Reevaluation Report is currently being prepared to obtain a new project authorization and to initiate construction. Ongoing Local Agency Efforts In response to the catastrophic flood of 1997, YCWA initiated a seven-phase program of flood control studies to identify methods to achieve a higher level of protection, particularly for the areas in RD 784 that had been subject to flooding several times in the past. The goal of this effort was to substantially improve the flood protection that would be provided by the System Evaluation Project and the Yuba Basin Project. Following the passage of the Costa-Machado Water Act (Proposition 13) by California voters in 2000, YCWA s flood control study team turned the focus of its seven-phase program of studies to those measures that could be achieved within the budget provisions of Proposition 13, which provided for a total of $90 million in bond funds targeted for the Yuba-Feather River basin. This effort, funded through Proposition 13 grant monies, is the Y-FSFCP. As part of the Y-FSFCP studies, YCWA prepared a feasibility study, including a DEIR (released in October 2003). The feasibility study and EIR evaluated combinations of three flood control elements: an outlet capacity increase at New Bullards Bar Reservoir, forecast-coordinated operations of New Bullards Bar Reservoir and Lake Oroville, and a setback of the left bank levee of the Feather River between Shanghai Bend and the Bear River. The levee setback was proposed for two segments, which were referred to as the Above Star Bend and Below Star Bend levee setback areas. (The Y-FSFCP Above Star Bend levee setback area generally corresponds to the area considered for a levee setback as part of the FRLRP [i.e., the proposed project described in this NOP]). The final EIR for the Y-FSFCP was certified and the program of elements was approved by the YCWA Board in March 2004. In May 2003, while YCWA was completing the first level of Y-FSFCP studies, the Corps, in a separate draft floodplain mapping study for DWR on the Feather River and its tributaries, identified several deficiencies in freeboard on the Bear River and WPIC levees that prevent these levees from meeting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) criteria for providing protection for RD 784 from a 100-year flood event. This information was unexpected by Yuba County officials because the 1998 Corps Yuba Basin study did not recommend any work for the WPIC and Bear River levees to achieve a 200-year level of protection for the RD 784 area. In addition, it was found that a 2,800-foot stretch of the Yuba River levee on the upstream side of State Route (SR) 70 did not meet slope stability requirements. In 1993, following the initiation of the System Evaluation Project and the Yuba Basin Project, and before the most recent devastating flood (in 1997), Yuba County approved the Plumas Lake Specific Plan, which provides for a 12,000-home development on Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 5
5,200 acres in the southern portion of the RD 784 area. Development was initiated in the Plumas Lake Specific Plan area in 2002. The results of the 2003 Corps floodplain mapping study indicate that people and property in the RD 784 area, including homes that had already been built in the Plumas Lake Specific Plan area before the release of the Corps study, are subject to a much higher flood risk than previously believed. Consequently, YCWA, RD 784, and Yuba County, in consultation with landowners and developers in the south county, elected to move aggressively on a program for improving flood control for the RD 784 area. One step was the formation of TRLIA, a joint powers authority composed of Yuba County and RD 784 focused on addressing funding and implementation of levee repairs for the RD 784 area. Based on the results of studies completed by RD 784, TRLIA, and others, the improvement program was planned to be implemented in four phases. Priority was given to implementing improvements to the Yuba River levee above SR 70 (Phase 1); improvements to the upper Bear River and WPIC levees, modifications of RD 784 Pump Station No. 6, and construction of the Olivehurst Detention Basin (Phase 2); and construction of a setback levee along the lower Bear River, tying into the Feather River levee just below Clark Slough (Phase 3). These projects are all either completed or under way. The Bear River levee setback precludes the need to improve the Feather River levee below Pump Station No. 2. The project that is the subject of this NOP, the FRLRP, consists of repairs to the Feather River levee and a small portion of the Yuba River levee near the confluence with the Feather River, from approximately Pump Station No. 2 to the railroad crossing just west of SR 70 (approximately Feather River PLM 13.3 to PLM 26.1 and Yuba River PLM 0.0 to PLM 0.3). An alternative approach to improving the existing levee segment from Feather River Levee PLM 17.1 to PLM 23.6 is a levee setback, which would be a modification of the Above Star Bend segment of the Feather River levee setback that was previously proposed and evaluated in the Y-FSFCP EIR. Overview of the Proposed Feather River Levee Repair Project Project Location The project site is in Yuba County. The site consists of portions of the left (east) bank levee of the Feather River, the left (south) bank levee of the Yuba River, and adjacent lands in the RD 784 area. As shown in Figure 2, the project site extends along the Feather River from PLM 13.3 in the south to PLM 26.1 in the north. Along the Yuba River, the project site extends from PLM 0.0 (which corresponds to PLM 26.1 on the Feather River) north to PLM 0.3. The project site is divided into three segments, with the middle segment, project Segment 2, considered for either improvements to the existing levee or a potential setback levee. Setback levee alignments being considered are shown in Figure 2 Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 6
and are described in more detail below. Existing land uses in the project area include agriculture, rural residential, and residential. Project Purpose The primary purpose of the proposed project is to correct deficiencies in the Feather and Yuba River left bank levees, and consequently to improve flood protection for the RD 784 area of Yuba County. To a large extent, levee deficiencies in the project area relate to the potential for water to seep under (underseepage) and through (throughseepage) the levee soils during flood events, potentially leading to levee failures. The project design objectives focus on measures to bring the levees into compliance with FEMA geotechnical certification requirements for underseepage or through-seepage, as well as engineering and design standards of the State of California Reclamation Board (The Reclamation Board) and the Corps. The proposed project is also intended to address areas along the Feather River levee where erosion of the levee is a concern. Summary Description of the Proposed Project Three project alternatives are being considered to meet the objectives of correcting underseepage, through-seepage, and erosion concerns identified along the Feather River and Yuba River levees. Under all project alternatives, it is anticipated that the detailed design of proposed activities in project Segments 1 and 3 (see Figure 2) would be completed in 2006 and construction would take place in 2007. For activities in project Segment 2, detailed design would occur in late 2006 and through 2007, and construction would take place in 2008. Alternative 1 The Levee Strengthening Alternative Under this alternative, levee repair and strengthening activities would be completed along the existing Feather River left bank levee from PLM 13.3 to PLM 26.1 and along the Yuba River left bank levee from PLM 0.0 to PLM 0.3 (Figure 2). Levee repairs/ strengthening would consist of various activities, including installation of cutoff walls and relief wells and placement of buried cobble in areas where erosion of the levee embankment has been identified as a problem. Note that areas where erosion is a concern are all located in project Segment 2, between PLM 17.1 and PLM 23.6 (Figure 2). In addition, the existing Pump Station No. 3 would be removed and a new pump station would be constructed farther to the east (farther from the existing levee) to correct existing seepage deficiencies related to the existing pump station location. The capacity of Pump Station No. 3 may also need to be increased to accommodate flows from operation of new relief wells installed during levee repairs. Alternative 2 The Levee Strengthening and ASB Setback Levee Alternative Under this alternative, levee repair and strengthening activities would be completed along the existing Feather River left bank levee from PLM 13.3 to PLM 17.1 and PLM 23.6 to PLM 26.1 and along the Yuba River left bank levee from PLM 0.0 to PLM 0.3 (project Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 7
Segments 1 and 3 shown in Figure 2). Levee repair and strengthening activities along these segments would be the same as for Alternative 1. From PLM 17.1 to PLM 23.6 on the Feather River left bank (project Segment 2 in Figure 2), a setback levee would be constructed roughly following the Above Star Bend (ASB) setback levee alignment identified in the Y-FSFCP EIR. Portions of the existing levee along the setback alignment would be removed to allow water to flow into the new floodway/setback area (i.e., the area between the existing levee and the setback levee) during high river stages. The ASB setback levee alignment considered for this project would be approximately 5.7 miles (roughly 30,000 feet) long. The setback levee height would typically range from 20 to 30 feet above existing ground, with an average height of about 25 feet. The levee would average about 170 feet wide at its base and would cover a total of roughly 120 acres. In addition, a 50-foot-wide access corridor would be maintained along the toe of both sides of the setback levee. Approximately 2.7 million cubic yards of borrow material would be required to construct the setback levee. Borrow material could potentially come from lands on either side of the setback levee alignment and/or from the existing levee embankment. Because of unfavorable soil conditions, various seepage control measures are anticipated to be needed for the setback levee. These could include zoned embankments, slurry cutoff walls, seepage berms, and relief wells. In addition, local surface drainage patterns would be changed by the setback levee on the land side (i.e., east side) of the levee, necessitating the creation of one or more detention basins to prevent adverse flooding effects on nearby properties. Pump Station No. 3 would need to be moved from its existing location to the land side of the setback levee. The capacity of Pump Station No. 3 may also need to be increased to accommodate flows from the operation of new relief wells installed as part of the project. Approximately 1,600 acres of land would become part of the new floodway/setback area. This area contains several residences and approximately 30 other structures that would need to be removed. Removal or protection of utilities and wells in the levee setback area would also be required. Appropriate compensation would be negotiated with landowners affected by the setback levee footprint, the access corridor along the levee toe, and the expansion of the Feather River floodway. Land uses in the levee setback area could consist of agricultural operations and/or habitat restoration activities that would not impede the flood flow function of the setback area. There are no specific plans for habitat restoration in the levee setback area at this time, although this is considered a potential future use. Lands in the floodway would be contoured and managed to prevent fish stranding after high flows recede. Construction of the setback levee would correct underseepage, through-seepage, and erosion deficiencies in the existing levee by providing a replacement levee that meets design requirements of FEMA, The Reclamation Board, and the Corps. In addition, the setback levee would provide increased flood storage capacity in the levee setback area and would remove an existing narrow area in the levee system. Both of these changes Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 8
would result in a reduction in Feather River and Yuba River flood stages upstream of the setback area. Alternative 3 The Levee Strengthening and Intermediate Setback Levee Alternative FRLRP Alternative 3 is the same as Alternative 2 except for modifications to a portion of the setback levee alignment. The same levee repair and strengthening activities described previously would be completed along the existing Feather River left bank levee from PLM 13.3 to PLM 17.1 and from PLM 23.6 to PLM 26.1, and along the Yuba River left bank levee from PLM 0.0 to PLM 0.3 (project Segments 1 and 3 shown in Figure 2). From PLM 17.1 to PLM 23.6 on the Feather River left bank (project Segment 2 in Figure 2) a setback levee would be constructed. The southern one-third of this setback levee alignment would follow the ASB setback levee alignment identified in Alternative 2. However, in the vicinity of Anderson Avenue, the setback levee alignment would shift west several hundred feet. This westward shift in the intermediate setback levee alignment would allow less overall land to be placed in the new floodway and would reduce the number of houses, structures, and other facilities that would be affected by levee construction or would need to be removed from the floodway. For the portion of the intermediate setback levee that deviates from the ASB setback levee alignment, a specific route has not yet been confirmed and several options are currently being considered. Figure 2 shows two examples of potential intermediate setback levee routes. Considerations for final route selection include the suitability of underlying soil conditions for levee construction and the extent of flood control benefits as the setback levee is moved westward (i.e., less widening of the Feather River highwater channel would result in fewer flood control benefits). The intermediate setback levee alignment would be approximately 5.5 miles (roughly 29,000 feet) long. The setback levee height would typically range from 20 to 30 feet above existing ground, with an average height of about 25 feet. The levee would average about 170 feet wide at its base and would cover a total of roughly 110 acres. Approximately 2.6 million cubic yards of borrow material would be required to construct the setback levee. Most of the design, construction, and operational characteristics of the ASB setback levee described for Alternative 2 would also apply to the intermediate setback levee under Alternative 3, including the following: A 50-foot-wide access corridor would be maintained along the toe of both sides of the setback levee. Borrow material could potentially come from lands on either side of the setback levee alignment, or from the existing levee embankment. Because of unfavorable soil conditions, various seepage control measures are anticipated to be needed for the setback levee that could include zoned embankments, slurry cutoff walls, seepage berms, and relief wells. Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 9
Local land side drainage patterns would be changed by the setback levee, necessitating the creation of detention basin(s) to prevent adverse flooding effects on nearby properties. Pump Station No. 3 would need to be relocated to the east side of the setback levee. The capacity of Pump Station No. 3 may need to be increased to accommodate flows from the operation of new relief wells installed as part of the project. Land uses in the levee setback area could consist of agricultural operations and/or habitat restoration activities that would not impede the flood flow function of the setback area. (There are no specific plans for habitat restoration in the setback area at this time, although this is considered a potential future use.) Lands in the floodway would be contoured and managed to prevent fish stranding after high flows recede. Approximately 1,300 acres of land would become part of the new floodway/setback area. This area contains several residences (although somewhat fewer residences than under Alternative 2) and approximately 30 other structures that would need to be removed. Removal or protection of utilities and wells in the levee setback area would also be required. Appropriate compensation would be negotiated with landowners affected by the setback levee footprint, the access corridor along the levee toe, and the expansion of the Feather River floodway. Type of EIR The FRLRP EIR is a project EIR. The Y-FSFCP EIR evaluated the environmental effects of an ASB setback levee similar to the levee setback considered under Alternatives 2 and 3 of the FRLRP. Therefore, much of the information in the Y-FSFCP EIR is applicable to the FRLRP impact analysis, and the appropriate portions of the Y-FSFCP EIR will be incorporated by reference into the FRLRP EIR. Issues to Be Addressed in the EIR The FRLRP EIR will describe the adverse and beneficial environmental effects of implementing the proposed project. The document will also evaluate any indirect effects of the proposed project, such as potential growth-inducing effects, and the cumulative effects of implementing the proposed project in conjunction with other related past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future projects. All three project alternatives described above will be analyzed at an equal level of detail in the FRLRP EIR. The EIR will also evaluate a No Project Alternative. In addition, the EIR will describe the alternatives selection process and discuss other alternatives considered but not carried forward for detailed analysis. Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 10
On the basis of preliminary consideration of the project, TRLIA has determined that one or more of the proposed project alternatives could result in significant and potentially significant environmental impacts in the following resource areas: Land Use (including agriculture) Geology and Soils Water Resources and Geomorphology Fisheries Terrestrial Biological Resources Recreation Aesthetic Resources Cultural Resources Air Quality Noise Transportation and Circulation Public Services, Utilities, and Service Systems Paleontological Resources On the basis of the preliminary consideration of the project elements, no environmental impacts are anticipated for the following resource areas: Mineral Resources and Population and Housing. There are no known mineral resources in the project area, and the project would not directly result in substantial population growth or create the need for a substantial amount of new housing. Therefore, these topics will not be analyzed in detail in the EIR. However, as described above, the EIR will include analysis of various additional topics required by CEQA, such as cumulative impacts and growth-inducing effects. Project Scoping and Agency Roles/Responsibilities Project Scoping Scoping is an important initial component of the CEQA review process for the proposed project. Scoping will help to identify the final range of project actions, site design options, impact mechanisms considered, mitigation measures, and other elements of the EIR review. The scoping process may also help eliminate from detailed study those issues that are not critical to the decision at hand. It is also an effective way to bring together and resolve the concerns of interested federal, state, and local agencies; specific stakeholder groups; and the general public. Role of TRLIA As the lead agency under CEQA for the FRLRP EIR, TRLIA will continue to coordinate with responsible and trustee agencies (as defined by CEQA), relevant federal agencies, and other interested parties. TRLIA will be principally responsible for conducting the environmental review process, including scoping, preparing appropriate environmental documentation, deciding whether to certify the EIR, and selecting and approving a preferred alternative. If the project moves forward, TRLIA would coordinate with the Corps, DWR, and The Reclamation Board to implement the project. Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 11
Other Agency Roles The following other public agencies may have jurisdiction over elements of the FRLRP or have responsibility for resources that could be affected by the project: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Marine Fisheries Service California Department of Water Resources The Reclamation Board California Department of Fish and Game (Region 2) California Environmental Protection Agency Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Region 5) California State Lands Commission California State Office of Historic Preservation California Department of Transportation Yuba County Yuba County Water Agency Reclamation District 784 Feather River Air Quality Management District Compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is also necessary when there is federal participation in a project; a federal discretionary permit, entitlement, authorization, or federal funding is required; or the project would occur on federal lands. Because the proposed project involves the modification of federal levees, it is expected to involve some level federal permitting, authorizations, and/or funding. Project elements are also expected to require Corps permitting under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The project is therefore expected to require NEPA compliance. NEPA compliance would be undertaken separately from the CEQA review process. Scoping Meeting A public scoping meeting for the proposed Feather River Levee Repair Project will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, 2006, at at the Yuba County Government Center, 915 Eighth Street, Marysville, CA 95901. The objectives of the meeting will be to: brief interested parties on the current status of flood control studies and flood control projects that have been completed or are under way, provide background information on the proposed Feather River Levee Repair Project and the alternatives being considered, and obtain the views of agency representatives and the public on the scope and content of the proposed EIR. An informational presentation will be held in conjunction with the scoping meeting. This presentation will provide updates on the various flood control projects being undertaken Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 12
by TRLIA and will offer an opportunity to ask questions on projects other than the FRLRP. The scoping meeting will be accessible to persons with disabilities. Individuals needing special services will be accommodated to the fullest extent possible. For more information, contact Danielle Wilson at (916) 737-3000 (e-mail dwilson@jsanet.com) at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Providing Comments on the NOP Interested parties are invited to provide comments in response to this NOP at the scoping meeting described above and may also provide TRLIA with written comments. Because of time limits mandated by state law, written comments should be provided to TRLIA no later than 5:00 p.m. on July 14, 2006. Agencies that will need to use the EIR when considering permits or other approvals for the proposed project should provide TRLIA with the name of the staff contact person. Please send all written comments to: Paul Brunner Attn: Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority Government Center 915 Eighth Street, Suite 115 Marysville, CA 95901-5273 Telephone: (530) 749-5679 Fax: (530) 749-7312 Feather River Levee Repair Project Notice of Preparation 13