News Release Archive

Draft EIR/EA Available for the Trinity River Restoration Program's Lewiston-Dark Gulch Rehabilitation Project

Media Contact: Jeffrey McCracken, 916-978-5100, 11/13/2007 19:29

For Release: November 13, 2007

Under guidance of the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP), the Bureau of Reclamation and the Trinity County Resource Conservation District (TCRCD) announce the availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (Draft EIR/EA) for the Lewiston-Dark Gulch Rehabilitation Project - Trinity River Mile 105.4-111.7 (Project). The joint document meets National Environmental Policy Act and California Environmental Quality Act requirements.

The Project would implement provisions of the Secretary of the Interior's December 19, 2000, Record of Decision (ROD) for the Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Restoration Environmental Impact Statement. Physical channel rehabilitation is identified in the ROD as a necessary step towards restoration of the Trinity River's anadromous fishery and fulfillment of the Federal Government's tribal trust responsibility. The purpose of the proposed Project is to provide increased juvenile salmonid rearing habitat on the mainstem of the Trinity River. Construction would create additional fish and wildlife habitat that is expected to increase over time as river processes are restored. Project work would start in summer 2008 with gravel additions to the river expected to be performed annually thereafter. The TCRCD is working as a partner agency under a grant from the California Department of Fish and Game's Fisheries Restoration Grant Program that provides financial support for Project implementation.

The Draft EIR/EA will be available for a 45-day public review and comment period from Thursday, November 15, 2007, through Tuesday, January 8, 2008. A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, at 6:30 p.m. at the Trinity County Public Utilities District Conference Room, 26 Ponderosa Lane, Weaverville, CA. Project information will be presented and comments on the Draft EIR/EA accepted. Additional Project information and the Draft EIR/EA are available on Reclamation's Mid-Pacific Region website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=2697. The document may also be viewed at the TRRP Office, 1313 South Main Street, Weaverville, or the Trinity County Library, 211 North Main Street, Weaverville. If you have problems accessing documents online, contact Ms. Lynnette Wirth at 916-978-5102 or e-mail lwirth@mp.usbr.gov.

Comments must be received by close of business Tuesday, January 8, 2008, and sent to Mr. Brandt Gutermuth, Trinity River Restoration Program, P.O. Box 1300, Weaverville, CA 96093, or e-mailed to bgutermuth@mp.usbr.gov. For further information or to request a copy of the Draft EIR/EA, please contact Mr. Gutermuth at 530-623-1806.

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Relevant Link:

Draft EIR/EA