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- Decisions Issued on the Dam Safety, Security, and Flood Damage Reduction Actions at Folsom Dam and Reservoir
News Release Archive
Decisions Issued on the Dam Safety, Security, and Flood Damage Reduction Actions at Folsom Dam and Reservoir
Media Contact:
Jeffrey McCracken, 916-978-5100, 05/03/2007 20:55
For Release: May 03, 2007
Two Records of Decision (RODs) have been signed and executed for Dam Safety (DS), Security, and Flood Damage Reduction (FDR) Actions at Folsom Dam and Reservoir (Folsom Facility):
(1) A combined ROD by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) for the Joint Federal Project (JFP). The JFP is a new auxiliary spillway consisting of a water-side approach channel, a control structure with six submerged tainter gates, a 1,700-foot concrete-lined chute, and a stilling basin. This new spillway will provide the operational capability for improved hydrologic control of storm-induced floods in advance of, and during, extreme storm events.
(2) A Reclamation ROD for DS and security work to be performed at the Folsom Facility. The Reclamation ROD addresses DS modification of the main concrete dam; the Right Wing Dam; the Left Wing Dam; Dikes 4, 5, and 6; and the Mormon Island Auxiliary Dam to address seismic, hydrologic, and static risk conditions. It also includes fencing, monitoring, and other security improvements.
Both RODs are based upon the Folsom DS/FDR Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR), released on March 30, 2007, and were developed pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act by Reclamation, the lead Federal agency; the Corps, a cooperating Federal agency; the Reclamation Board, the lead State agency; and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA), the local sponsor (the Partner Agencies). On April 20, 2007, the Corps adopted the portions of the Final EIS/EIR that describe and analyze flood damage reduction actions at Folsom Dam, including the JFP auxiliary spillway.
The RODs include mitigation measures adopted by Reclamation and the Corps that will be implemented as part of design development of the projects, during project construction, and/or after completion of project construction. A Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program is being implemented to ensure that the projects comply with all environmental commitments and mitigation measures proposed in the Final EIS/EIR and adopted in the RODs.
In addition to the RODs, Reclamations final DS Modification Report and the Corps final Post Authorization Change (PAC) Report were also completed and signed. The execution of these documents is a key step towards construction of the Folsom Dam improvements which will solve dam safety problems at the dam, as well as provide 200-year flood protection for the Sacramento area floodplains downstream of Folsom Dam. These improvements constitute the centerpiece of SAFCAs comprehensive plan for achieving 200-year-level flood protection for the Sacramento area. On April 26, 2007, SAFCA announced that, with an 81.8 percent favorable vote, it would proceed with creating the local assessment district needed to provide the local cost share for the Folsom Dam improvements. The State cost share will be funded through Proposition 1E Bond funds, approved by the California voters in November 2006. The documents will be reviewed by the administration and Congress. If approved, work should begin on the new spillway in October 2007.
The JFP and DS RODs may be viewed at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=1808. Information on the Folsom Dam JFP may be viewed at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/jfp/index.html. If you encounter problems accessing documents online, please contact Ms. Lynnette Wirth at
916-978-5102 or lwirth@mp.usbr.gov.
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