News Release Archive

Reclamation, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Announce Release of Record of Decision for Nimbus Hatchery Fish Passage Project

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, 04/10/2013 17:37
Andrew Hughan, 916-322-8944, Andrew.Hughan@wildlife.ca.gov

For Release: April 10, 2013

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (formerly the California Department of Fish and Game) announce the release of the Record of Decision for the Nimbus Hatchery Fish Passage Project. Reclamation and CDFW have selected Alternative 1C, which will extend the fish ladder from the hatchery to the Nimbus Dam stilling basin and use the basin itself to hold and divert fish into the ladder and will permanently remove the diversion weir. The selected action was identified as the proposed alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report, which was released on Aug. 11, 2011.

Reclamation is the lead federal agency for the Project under the National Environmental Policy Act, and CDFW is the lead state agency under the California Environmental Quality Act. The CDFW filed the Notice of Determination with the Office of Planning and Research and prepared the “Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations for the Nimbus Hatchery Fish Passage Project,” which may be viewed athttp://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/hatchery/index.html. Per the Findings, CDFW intends to recommend to the California Fish and Game Commission year-round closure of fishing in the area that extends from Nimbus Dam to the Fair Oaks United State Geological Survey’s gaging station cable just downstream of the Hatchery. The CDFW issued a Notice of Determination on Oct. 31, 2012, which may be viewed athttp://www.ceqanet.ca.gov/NODdescription.asp?DocPK=656776.

The Nimbus Fish Hatchery is located along the lower American River, one-quarter mile downstream from Nimbus Dam in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Reclamation built the hatchery in 1955 to mitigate for the loss of spawning habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead trout by the construction of Nimbus Dam; the CDFW operates and maintains the hatchery. The existing fish weir, which guides adult salmon to enter the fish ladder, is aging, susceptible to damage from high flows and requires annual flow reductions for operation and maintenance activities.

The ROD may be viewed at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=5216. If you encounter problems accessing the document online, please e-mail mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov or call 916-978-5100 (TTY 916-978-5608).

The ROD may be also viewed at Reclamation’s Central California Area Office, 7794 Folsom Dam Road, Folsom, CA 95630; Reclamation’s Regional Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825; or at CDFW’s Regional Office, 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670.

For additional information or for a CD or paper copy of the ROD, please contact Patti Clinton, Reclamation, Central California Area Office, at 916-989-7173 (TTY 916-989-7285) or pclinton@usbr.gov, or Joe Johnson, CDFW, at 916-358-2943 or joseph.johnson@wildlife.ca.gov, or visit the Project website at www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/hatchery.

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