Shasta Dam Fish Passage Evaluation Public Scoping Meetings scheduled by Reclamation

Information from agencies, interested parties and the public will be gathered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at two upcoming public scoping meetings regarding the Shasta Dam Fish Passage Evaluation (SDFPE) project. The information will be gathered for the scope of alternatives for the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the SDFPE project.

The two public scoping meeting for the EIS are scheduled for:

• Tuesday, June 27 at 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, in the Federal Building, Cafeteria Room C-1001 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and
• Wednesday, June 28 at 20814 Mammoth Drive, Lakehead, Lakehead Lions Club from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The SDFPE project will evaluate the short-term actions of reintroducing federally listed as endangered winter-run Chinook salmon and potentially spring-run Chinook salmon to tributaries above Shasta Dam. The short-term goal is to increase the geographic distribution and abundance of the listed salmon. The long-term goal is to increase abundance, productivity and spatial distribution as well as improving the life history, health and genetic diversity of the targeted species.

A Draft Pilot Implementation Plan was published by Reclamation in 2016 which provided a general overview of the winter-run Chinook Salmon reintroduction to historical habitats in the study area. As part of the planning process Reclamation released a Preliminary Draft Environmental Assessment earlier this year in order to evaluate and disclose potential environmental effects associated with the SDFPE’s implementation of the Pilot Study to assess the feasibility of the reintroduction of Chinook salmon above Shasta Dam.

The pending EIS will assess impacts associated with the implementation of the near-term activities identified under Action V in the National Marine Fisheries Service Reasonable and Prudent Alternative from the 2009 Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion on the Long-term Operations of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. Action V includes a Fish Passage Program to evaluate the reintroduction of Federally-listed Chinook salmon and steelhead to Shasta, Folsom and New Melones dams. The three dams are operated by Reclamation.

Written comments pertaining to the Shasta Dam Fish Passage Evaluation project should be submitted to Carolyn Bragg at the Bureau of Reclamation by one of the following means:

• Mailed to: Carolyn Bragg, Bureau of Reclamation, Bay-Delta Office, 801 I Street, Suite 140, Sacramento, CA 95814;
• Emailed to: [email protected], or
• Faxed to: 916-414-2439.

For additional information, please contact Bragg at 916-414-2433 (TTY 800-877-8339). Written comments are due by close of business on Friday, July 28, 2017.