Document ID: FEMA-2014-0014-0001
Agency: fema
Document Type: Notice
Title: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Southern Flow Corridor Flood Reduction and Habitat Restoration Project, Tillamook County, Oregon
Posted Date: 2014-05-06T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 87 (Tuesday, May 6, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25881-25882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10331]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID FEMA-2014-0014]

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Southern Flow Corridor Flood Reduction and Habitat Restoration 
Project, Tillamook County, Oregon

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in cooperation 
with other Federal agencies, intends to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) evaluating the environmental impacts associated with 
funding activities to reduce flood impacts and to restore habitat for 
fish and wildlife within Tillamook County, Oregon. FEMA intends to 
provide funding for the project, known as the Southern Flow Corridor 
project, to the Port of Tillamook Bay (Applicant) through FEMA's Public 
Assistance (PA) grant program. Other funding for the project comes from 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration 
Center, State of Oregon lottery funds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and Tillamook County. Other public 
and private entities may also provide funding to support the Project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Eberlein, Regional Environmental 
Officer, FEMA Region X, 130 228th Street SW., Bothell, WA 98021, phone: 
425-487-4735, email: mark.eberlein@fema.dhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  The Federal Emergency Management Agency 
(FEMA), in cooperation with other Federal agencies, intends to prepare 
an environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluating the environmental 
impacts associated with funding activities to reduce flood impacts and 
to restore habitat for fish and wildlife within Tillamook County, 
Oregon. FEMA intends to provide funding for the project, known as the 
Southern Flow Corridor project, to the Port of Tillamook Bay 
(Applicant) through FEMA's Public Assistance (PA) grant program. Other 
funding for the project comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center, State of Oregon lottery 
funds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Watershed Enhancement 
Board, and Tillamook County. Other public and private entities may also 
provide funding to support the Project.
    Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations 
implementing NEPA, and FEMA's Environmental Considerations regulations 
require the preparation of an EIS for major Federal actions that would 
have significant impacts on the quality of the human environment. The 
CEQ regulations at 40 CFR 1501.7 require the issuance of a notice of 
intent to prepare an EIS prior to initiating the scoping process. 
Scoping is an early and open process that assists the Federal action 
agency in determining the scope of issues to be addressed and in 
identifying significant issues related to a proposed action.
    FEMA received a Public Assistance application from the Port of 
Tillamook Bay for the Southern Flow Corridor (Project) as an alternate 
project to the repairs of its rail line that was damaged during 
flooding and severe storms in December, 2007. FEMA's proposed action is 
to provide funding for the Project; this funding is authorized under 
Section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act, Public Law 93-288, as amended.
    The development of the Project by the Applicant originated through 
an initiative of the Oregon Solutions Program, which is a program 
launched by the Governor's office after passage of the Oregon 
Sustainability Act in 2001. This initiative brought together Federal, 
State, and local government agencies to identify strategies for 
implementing flood control measures and ecosystem restoration actions 
within the Tillamook Bay watershed. The Oregon Solutions team 
identified, evaluated, and prioritized projects. Multiple alternatives 
were considered along with multiple funding sources. The proposed 
Project is the outcome of this effort. More information can be found 
at: http://www.co.tillamook.or.us/Documents/Misc/White%20Paper.pdf. 
This report includes a graphical depiction of constructed elements, 
alternatives considered by the Applicant prior to the development of 
the

[[Page 25882]]

Southern Flow Corridor project, previous public outreach and 
involvement efforts, and a history of efforts since the late 1990s to 
address flooding and restore habitat in the Tillamook Bay watershed.
    The Applicant's goal for the Project is to restore flood flow 
pathways from the Wilson River to Tillamook Bay. Implementation of the 
Project will result in flood level reductions across the lower Wilson 
River floodplain and to a lesser degree on the lower Trask and 
Tillamook Rivers. The Project is intended to reduce the flood levels to 
more natural levels over a wide range of flood magnitudes, but it will 
not reduce the frequency of flooding, which is controlled by flows and 
bank elevations upstream. Another goal of the Project is to restore 
ecological function and habitat for salmon listed under the Endangered 
Species Act and for other fish and wildlife.
    The Project proposes to accomplish these goals by removing existing 
levees and fills to restore tidal marsh, and creating new setback tidal 
dikes to protect adjacent private lands. Key preliminary project 
elements include: (1) Levee, Fill, and Structure Removal: Remove 
approximately 6.9 miles of existing levee, 2.1 miles of road, 4 
structures, and lower 2.1 miles of levee within the flow corridor to 
provide increased flood conveyance and allow the natural processes to 
restore ecosystem functions and habitat in the project area (total fill 
removal is estimated at 85,000 cubic yards); (2) New Tidal Setback and 
Upgraded Levees: Approximately 1.4 miles of new tidal setback levee 
will be constructed and up to 2.3 miles of existing levee adjusted to 
design grade (lowered or raised), and strengthened in order to improve 
flood conveyance and protect adjacent agricultural lands from tidal 
influence in the project area; (3) New Floodgates: A series of 
floodgates will be incorporated in the new levee in order to replace 
the existing gates slated for removal. Some of the existing floodgates 
may be recycled and re-used in the new levee system; (4) Hall Slough 
Elements: Additional flood reduction elements include improving the 
hydraulic connectivity between Hall and Blind Sloughs through removal 
of the Fuhrman Road berm and constructing an approximate 1,000-foot-
long Hall Slough--Blind Slough connector channel; (5) Drainage Network 
Improvements: Improvements to the existing drainage ditches inside the 
new levee will be made as necessary to connect them to the new 
floodgates and ensure that equal or better drainage is maintained once 
the project is implemented. In addition, over 3 miles of drainage 
ditches will be filled to restore a natural drainage regime and improve 
habitat conditions; (6) Habitat Restoration Elements: The project 
elements described above are anticipated to result in full tidal 
inundation of 521 acres of restored marsh and wetland fringe habitat. 
In addition, the project would include extensive placement of large 
wood habitat features and reconnection of high-quality tidal channel 
habitat by constructing new channels, which are expected to naturally 
expand in total length to approximately 14 miles; and (7) Property 
Acquisition: The majority of the project area is already held in public 
ownership (398 acres), but acquisition of additional acres in private 
ownership is required. In addition, permanent flood easements and 
temporary construction easements may be required to maintain post-
project floodplain functions and for proposed modifications of existing 
levees and removal of some dredge spoils on lands not required for 
acquisition.
    The EIS scoping process will utilize and build upon the previous 
efforts of the Oregon Solutions team. To further scope the Project, 
FEMA will be soliciting public input to help identify and refine 
Project alternatives and significant issues for evaluation in the EIS. 
Outreach for the scoping process will include a public notice in local 
and regional media, direct mailing to interested parties, and a public 
scoping meeting. Federal, State and local agencies, Indian tribes, 
interested organizations and individuals will be asked to comment on 
the scope of issues, alternatives and their potential impacts. This 
outreach effort is planned for the spring of 2014 in Tillamook County. 
The specific date, time, and location for the public meeting will be 
provided with the public notice. A similar approach is planned for 
release of the Draft EIS.

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.; 40 CFR part 1500; 44 CFR 
part 10.

W. Craig Fugate,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2014-10331 Filed 5-5-14; 8:45 am]
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