Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 6 / Friday, January 10, 2025 / Notices 2015 

covered activities as described in the 

HCP. 

The proposed action, identified as the 

preferred alternative in the FEIS, is the 

issuance of an ITP and implementation 

of the HCP. The FEIS analyzed the 

proposed action, a no action alternative, 

and two alternatives to the proposed 

action, including the environmental 

consequences of each alternative. All 

action alternatives include issuance of 

an ITP for take of three covered species. 

Public Involvement 

FWS published a notice of intent to 

prepare an EIS, opening a public 

scoping period on May 5, 2022 (87 FR 

26778), which closed on June 6, 2022. 

A virtual public scoping meeting was 

held May 16, 2022. FWS prepared a 

DEIS and opened a 45-day public 

comment period on the DEIS and draft 

HCP on November 18, 2022 (87 FR 

69291), followed by a 7-day extension 

(published December 20, 2022, 87 FR 

77877). A virtual public meeting was 

held on December 13, 2022, during the 

comment period, which ended on 

January 10, 2023. A total of 170 public 

comments were received during the 

DEIS comment period, including 

duplicates. In preparing the FEIS, FWS 

considered all of the public comments 

on the DEIS and draft HCP, and the FEIS 

includes a response to substantive 

comments received. 

Environmental Protection Agency’s 

Role in the EIS Process 

The Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) is charged under section 309 of 

the Clean Air Act with reviewing all 

Federal agencies’ EISs and commenting 

on the adequacy and acceptability of the 

environmental impacts of proposed 

actions. Under the CEQ NEPA 

regulations, EPA is also responsible for 

administering the EIS filing process. 

EPA is publishing a notice in the 

Federal Register announcing this FEIS. 

EPA serves as the repository (EIS 

database) for EISs prepared by Federal 

agencies. You may search for EPA 

comments on EISs, along with EISs 

themselves, at https://cdxapps.epa.gov/ 

cdx-enepa-II/public/action/eis/search. 

Next Steps and Decision To Be Made 

FWS will evaluate the associated 

documents and public comments 

received in reaching a final decision on 

the proposed issuance of ITPs. No 

earlier than 30 days after the EPA’s 

notice of the FEIS is published in the 

Federal Register, FWS expects to 

complete a record of decision pursuant 

to 40 CFR 1505.2, in accordance with 

applicable timeframes established in 40 

CFR 1506.11. FWS expects to issue a 

record of decision by spring 2025. 

NMFS will independently document 

their decision at the conclusion of the 

ESA and NEPA compliance processes. 

Authority 

We provide this notice in accordance 

with the requirements of NEPA and its 

implementing regulations (40 CFR 

1506.6). 

Katherine Norman, 

Acting Deputy Regional Director, Pacific 

Region. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00264 Filed 1–8–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R8–NWRS–2024–N057; 

FXRS12610800000–256–FF08R04000] 

Bayside Community Resiliency: The 

Living Levee Project; Intent To Prepare 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service) and the City of 

Imperial Beach propose to act in 

partnership to prepare a joint draft 

Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report in 

compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

the California Environmental Quality 

Act (CEQA) to evaluate the impacts on 

the environment related to the 

repurposing of a 1.2-mile segment of the 

Bayshore Bikeway corridor and adjacent 

pathways into a multi-benefit coastal 

resilience corridor. This corridor runs 

through the southwestern portion of the 

San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge 

and the adjacent Bayside neighborhood 

of the City of Imperial Beach. The 

purpose of the coastal resilience 

corridor is to improve flood protection 

for the adjacent community, which is 

vulnerable to coastal flooding, by 

converting the existing circulation 

corridor into a nature-based coastal 

flood resilience system; provide safe 

land-based public access along San 

Diego Bay; and strengthen ecosystem 

resilience by providing transitional 

habitat areas along the San Diego Bay’s 

edge. The unique identification number 

for this project is 2025–0003688–NEPA– 

001. The Service is providing this notice 

to open a public scoping period in 

accordance with the requirements of 

NEPA and its implementing regulations. 

We invite comment from the public and 

local, State, Tribal, and Federal 

agencies. 

DATES: To ensure consideration in our 

reviews, we are requesting submission 

of new information no later than 

February 24, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments and materials by one of the 

following methods: 

• U.S. mail: San Diego Bay National 

Wildlife Refuge, Attn: Bayside 

Community Resiliency Project, 1080 

Gunpowder Point Drive, Chula Vista, 

CA 91910. 

• Email: fw8plancomments@fws.gov. 

Please use the subject header ‘‘Bayside 

Community Resiliency Project.’’ 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sally Brown, Refuge Manager, Tijuana 

Slough and San Diego Bay National 

Wildlife Refuges, via email at sally_

brown@fws.gov or via phone at (619) 

964–1980. 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. Individuals outside the United 

States should use the relay services 

offered within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and 

the City of Imperial Beach propose to 

act in partnership to prepare a joint 

draft Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) 

in compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

the California Environmental Quality 

Act (CEQA) to evaluate the impacts on 

the environment related to repurposing 

of a 1.2-mile segment of the Bayshore 

Bikeway corridor and adjacent 

pathways into a multi-benefit coastal 

resilience corridor. The Service is the 

NEPA lead agency, and Imperial Beach 

is the CEQA lead agency. Both agencies 

are working in cooperation with the 

Federal Emergency Management 

Agency; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; 

and Department of Defense, U.S. Navy 

as cooperating agencies, and propose to 

act in partnership to prepare the joint 

draft EIS/EIR. 

The corridor runs through the 

southwestern portion of the San Diego 

Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the 

adjacent Bayside neighborhood of the 

City of Imperial Beach, and the Bayside 

Elementary School playing field. The 

purpose of the coastal resilience 

corridor is to (a) improve flood 

protection for the adjacent community, 

which is vulnerable to coastal flooding, 

by converting the existing circulation 

corridor into a nature-based coastal 


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flood resilience system; (b) provide safe 

land-based public access along San 

Diego Bay; and (c) strengthen ecosystem 

resilience by providing transitional 

habitat areas along the San Diego Bay’s 

edge. 

We are requesting comments 

concerning the scope of the analysis and 

identification of relevant information 

and studies. The approximately 14-acre 

Bayside Community Resiliency: The 

Living Levee Project site traverses 

jurisdictional areas managed by, leased 

to, or with an easement or 

encroachment permit within the City of 

Imperial Beach; City of Coronado; City 

of San Diego; San Diego Unified Port 

District; Service’s San Diego Bay 

National Wildlife Refuge; Department of 

Defense, U.S. Navy; South Bay Unified 

School District; and San Diego 

Metropolitan Transit System properties 

in San Diego County, California. 

Purpose and Need for the Proposed 

Action 

The purpose of the Bayside 

Community Resiliency: The Living 

Levee Project is to: 

• Mitigate current flooding hazards 

and future sea level rise hazards to the 

disadvantaged Bayside Community. 

• Protect critical infrastructure, as 

well as preserve and enhance coastal 

resources, including salt marsh habitat 

within the San Diego Bay National 

Wildlife Refuge. 

• Provide safe coastal access, such as 

the multi-use path and pedestrian/ 

cyclist bridge that will be integrated into 

the nature-based living levee. 

The need for the Bayside Community 

Resiliency: The Living Levee Project is 

as follows: 

• The Bayside neighborhood and 

Bayside Elementary School are 

vulnerable to existing flooding and 

future sea level rise, and there is a need 

for enhanced flood protection. 

• The primary coastal hazards within 

the Bayside Community Resiliency 

Project area consist of coastal and 

stormwater flooding. This currently 

occurs in the City of Imperial Beach 

during extreme conditions (i.e., 

precipitation events or high tides). Sea 

level rise will increase the frequency 

and severity of these hazards. Tidal 

water from San Diego Bay currently 

backflows into the stormwater system 

and has been observed flooding storm 

drain inlets in Bayside Elementary, as 

well as within the streets of the Bayside 

neighborhood. Sea level rise threatens to 

make these stormwater flooding issues 

more pronounced in the Bayside 

neighborhood as the storm drain 

capacity lessens. 

• The City of Imperial Beach section 

of the Bayside Community Resiliency 

Project is becoming less safe for all 

users, and there is a need for improved 

coastal access. The City of Imperial 

Beach section of the Bayshore Bikeway 

has a high volume of daily users, and 

lack of access points results in hazards 

for pedestrians and cyclists. 

• Pond 10 and Pond 10A are former 

solar salt ponds located in the 

southwest corner of the San Diego Bay 

National Wildlife Refuge. Vulnerable to 

sea level rise, the topography of the 

existing marsh fringe in Pond 10A 

provides limited habitat transition area 

and significantly constrains marsh 

migration with projected sea level rise. 

Therefore, the limited transition area 

could decrease vegetation diversity and 

persistence. With projected sea level 

rise, much of the tidal flats would 

convert to open water. Therefore, there 

is a need for strengthened ecosystem 

resilience by adding transitional habitat 

areas along the San Diego Bay’s edge. 

Preliminary Proposed Action and 

Alternatives 

Four alternatives, Proposed Action 

Alternative (Alternative 1), Ring Levee 

Alternative (Alternative 2), Reduced 

Action Alternative (Alternative 3), and 

the No Action Alternative (Alternative 

4), will be evaluated in the draft 

Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report, as 

discussed below. 

Proposed Action Alternative 

(Alternative 1) 

Within the jurisdiction of the cities of 

Imperial Beach, San Diego, and 

Coronado, as well as the Service’s San 

Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the 

Proposed Action Alternative 

(Alternative 1) would remove the 

existing culvert between Pond 10 and 

Pond 10A to avoid further erosion of 

Refuge lands along the State Route 75 

(Silver Strand Highway) and replace it 

with fill; excavate a portion of the 

Bayshore Bikeway and Ponds 10 and 

Pond 10A to create a tidal channel and 

span the new tidal opening with a 200- 

foot-long bicycle and pedestrian bridge; 

elevate portions of the Bayshore 

Bikeway east and west of the bridge; 

and construct a living earthen levee 

along the Flamingo Trail and from 7th 

Street to Boulevard Avenue. A tidal 

channel would be constructed under the 

bridge to restore tidal connection and 

alleviate existing erosion. An additional 

living earthen levee would be 

constructed along Flamingo Trail and 

between 7th Street and 10th Street. A 

Class 1 bikeway and separate multi-use 

trail would be constructed atop the 

living levees. Upland habitat would be 

converted to mid-to-high marsh (i.e., 

wetland) habitat to increase and 

enhance wetland habitat within the San 

Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. 

Public access nodes (parklets) would be 

created at the northern terminus of 7th 

Street and 8th Street. Drainage 

improvements would occur along 7th 

Street, including installation of a single 

pump station for stormwater between 

Delaware Street and Boulevard Avenue. 

Storm drains would be reconfigured 

between 9th Street, 10th Street, Palm 

Avenue, and Bayside Elementary School 

to increase flood conveyance capacity. 

A multi-purpose detention basin and 

park would be constructed on the 

existing Bayside Elementary School 

recreational field, with a tidal gate 

installed at the stormwater outlet. 

Ring Levee Alternative (Alternative 2) 

This alternative is the same as the 

Proposed Action (Alternative 1), except 

that the entire dike between Pond 10 

and Pond 10A would be demolished. A 

living levee would be constructed from 

the northern terminus of the Flamingo 

Trail, clockwise to where the existing 

Bayshore Bikeway intersects with State 

Route 75. Alternative 2 would result in 

a larger development footprint, greater 

excavation, and greater soil placement 

than Alternative 1. 

Reduced Action Alternative (Alternative 

3) 

The alternative is similar to the 

Proposed Action (Alternative 1), except 

the Reduced Action Alternative 

(Alternative 3) contains fewer of the 

project design features. Alternative 3 

would construct a living earthen levee 

only along the Flamingo Trail and 

between 7th Street and 8th Street. The 

same as Alternative 1, Alternative 3 

provides stormwater improvements and 

constructs a multi-purpose detention 

basin and park on the existing Bayside 

Elementary School recreational field, 

with a tidal gate installed at the 

stormwater outlet. Alternative 3 would 

result in no tidal restoration of Pond 

10A within the San Diego Bay National 

Wildlife Refuge and would provide 

limited improvements to safe public 

access for pathway users. 

No Action Alternative (Alternative 4) 

The No Action Alternative 

(Alternative 4) would have no changes 

to existing conditions. 

Summary of Expected Impacts 

Based on the initial evaluation of the 

Proposed Action Alternative 

(Alternative 1), the following impacts 

would be expected: short-term 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 6 / Friday, January 10, 2025 / Notices 2017 

disturbance to and changes in habitat 

conditions for listed and sensitive 

species; short-term loss of wetlands 

from the discharge of dredged or fill into 

waters of the United States and the 

expected long-term increase in wetlands 

from sea level rise along the living 

shoreline levee; construction-related 

effects, including temporary increases in 

dust and other air pollutants from the 

use of fossil fuels in construction 

machinery and vehicles, construction 

noise and vibration, and temporary 

adverse water quality associated with 

grading and earthwork occurring within 

existing wetlands and shallow water; 

temporary changes to existing public 

access; and potential effects on cultural 

resources. Operational and long-term 

benefits would include improved 

resiliency to future sea level rise, 

increased capacity for current and 

future stormwater flooding, a reduction 

in scour and erosional effects, and 

enhanced wetland and upland habitat. 

Anticipated Permits and Authorizations 

The following permits and other 

authorizations are anticipated to be 

required: 

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Clean 

Water Act (CWA) section 404 permit, 

Rivers and Harbors Act section 10 

permit, and others, if appropriate; 

• San Diego Regional Water Quality 

Control Board CWA section 401 water 

quality certification; 

• Federal Consistency Determination 

from the California Coastal Commission; 

• Department of Defense, U.S. Navy 

permit for construction access and 

activities on Department of Defense 

land; 

• Construction access and activity 

permits (e.g., grading) from the City of 

San Diego, San Diego Unified Port 

District, and San Diego Metropolitan 

Transit System; 

• San Diego Unified Port District— 

Real Estate Agreement(s); 

• Authorization from the San Diego 

Metropolitan Transit System and South 

Bay Unified School District; 

• Refuge special-use permit issued to 

the City of Imperial Beach for 

construction access and activities on 

San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge 

land; 

• Consultation pursuant to section 7 

of the Federal Endangered Species Act 

with the Service and National Marine 

Fisheries Service; 

• Consultation with the National 

Marine Fisheries Service regarding 

essential fish habitat under the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act, and 

consultation regarding marine mammals 

pursuant to the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act; and 

• Consultation with Tribes and the 

State Historic Preservation Officer 

pursuant to section 106 of the National 

Historic Preservation Act. 

Schedule for the Decision-Making 

Process 

Processing of the Environmental 

Impact Statement, from the public 

scoping stage to the signing of the 

Record of Decision, is expected to take 

approximately 18 months. The draft 

Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report is 

scheduled for release in mid-2025. The 

final Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report is 

scheduled for completion by late 2025, 

with the Record of Decision expected to 

be issued in early 2026. Permitting is 

expected to be completed at 

approximately the same time as the 

signing of the Record of Decision. 

Environmental Impact Statement Public 

Scoping Process 

This notice of intent initiates the 45- 

day scoping process, which guides the 

development of the draft Environmental 

Impact Statement. The scoping process 

is designed to elicit comments from the 

public, public agencies, Tribal 

governments, and other interested 

parties on the scope of the draft 

Environmental Impact Statement. All 

interested parties are encouraged to 

provide written comments on the scope 

of the draft Environmental Impact 

Statement. 

Request for Identification of Potential 

Alternatives, Information, and 

Analyses Relevant to the Proposed 

Action 

The Service requests comments 

concerning the scope of the analysis and 

identification of relevant information 

and studies. All interested parties are 

invited to provide input related to the 

identification of potential alternatives, 

information, and analyses relevant to 

the Proposed Action Alternative 

(Alternative 1) in writing. All written 

comments should be submitted via any 

of the methods provided in the 

ADDRESSES section. 

Lead and Cooperating Agencies 

The Service is the lead agency for the 

Environmental Impact Statement, with 

the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; 

and Department of Defense, U.S. Navy 

as cooperating agencies. 

Decision Maker 

The Decision Maker is the Service’s 

Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest 

Region. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The Regional Director, after 

considering the analysis and 

information provided in the final 

Environmental Impact Statement, as 

well as the comments received 

throughout the draft Environmental 

Impact Statement review process, will 

determine if the proposed action 

sufficiently achieves the purpose and 

need for the project. The decision, 

which will be documented in the 

Record of Decision, will also consider 

the consistency of the action with 

agency policies, regulations, and 

applicable laws, as well as the 

contribution the action will make 

towards achieving the purposes for 

which the San Diego Bay National 

Wildlife Refuge was established, while 

also contributing to the mission and 

goals of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Authority 

This document is published under the 

authority of NEPA regulations 

pertaining to the publication of a notice 

of intent to issue an Environmental 

Impact Statement (40 CFR 1501.9(d)). 

Curtis McCasland, 

Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest 

Region. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00337 Filed 1–8–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[PO4820000251] 

New Recreation Fee Areas on Public 

Lands Managed by the BLM Coeur 

d’Alene Field Office, Idaho 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 


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