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News Release Archive
Reclamation Issues Record of Decision for the Mormon Island Auxiliary Dam Modification Project
Media Contact:
Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100 TTY 916-978-5608 , plucero@usbr.gov
Chelsea Stewart, 916-989-7155 TTY 916-989-7285
For Release: June 30, 2010
The Bureau of Reclamation has issued the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Mormon Island Auxiliary Dam (MIAD) Modification Project's Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR). Reclamation has selected Alternative 4, Cellular Open Excavation and Overlay, the preferred alternative.
The ROD states that Reclamation will proceed with Safety of Dams (SOD) modifications as outlined in Alternative 4. The "cellular excavation method" will excavate and replace the MIAD downstream foundation with an overlay that includes filters and drains. This method will reduce construction risks to the dam by closing off small areas (cells) of the MIAD foundation to be excavated independently of the other cells.
Reclamation will also develop a mitigation site for the ongoing Folsom Dam Safety and Flood Damage Reduction (DS/FDR) project. In the ROD, Reclamation addresses the creation of up to 80 acres of riparian woodland and seasonal wetland habitat at Mississippi Bar, on the western shore of Lake Natoma, 15 miles northeast of Sacramento (the regulating reservoir for releases from Folsom Reservoir).
Folsom Dam and Reservoir, MIAD, and eight earthfill dikes make up the Folsom Facility, managed by Reclamation's Central California Area Office (CCAO). The MIAD work falls under the Folsom Dam SOD Program, through which Reclamation is working to reduce hydrologic (flood), seismic (earthquake), and static (seepage) risks at the Folsom Facility.
Mike Finnegan, CCAO Area Manager, stated, "Finalizing this ROD enables Reclamation to proceed with dam safety work that will better ensure the continued safety of the public who live and work downstream of MIAD."
In May 2010, Reclamation, the lead Federal agency, and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA), the lead State agency, released the site-specific Final Supplemental EIS/EIR, tiering from the March 2007 Folsom DS/FDR Final EIS/EIR. The document was developed pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Final Supplemental EIS/EIR addressed two Reclamation actions:
(1) Static and seismic upgrades to MIAD, and
(2) habitat mitigation at Mississippi Bar.
Reclamation and SAFCA proposed changes to the original MIAD modifications selected in the March 2007 Folsom DS/FDR Final EIS/EIR in order to better stabilize the MIAD foundation and meet current SOD standards. SAFCA completed the CEQA Findings and certified the Final EIR at their June Board Meeting.
The ROD may be viewed online. For a copy of the ROD or for questions, please contact Chelsea Stewart, CCAO, at 916-989-7155 (TTY 916-989-7285) or e-mail cstewart@usbr.gov. Information on the Folsom Dam JFP may be viewed at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/jfp.
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