​Lemhi Valley River and Floodplain Restoration Projects (DOE/EA-2133)

Lemhi County, Idaho

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has decided to provide funding for two river and floodplain habitat restoration actions in tributaries of the Lemhi River in eastern Idaho as listed below:  
  • Canyon Creek Confluence, a stream and floodplain restoration project on Canyon Creek near its confluence with the Lemhi River
  • Middle Eighteenmile, a stream and floodplain restoration action on Middle Eighteenmile Creek, one of the headwater streams that form the Lemhi River
These projects are designed to benefit fish species such as Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout, and would be sponsored and managed by the Lemhi Soil and Water Conservation District and Trout Unlimited.

In 2020, BPA decided to provide funding for eight river and floodplain habitat restoration actions also in the mainstem and tributaries of the Lemhi River to benefit fish species such as Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. These actions included five mainstem and tributary river/stream restoration actions, two irrigation diversion relocations, and a culvert replacement. Construction on these projects were completed in 2020.

Another project, the L-63 irrigation diversion weir removal, is proposed by the Lemhi Regional Land Trust but awaits design finalization. This project is proposed for construction in 2022, and BPA has not yet made the decision to fund it.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

To understand the potential environmental impacts of the projects, BPA prepared an environmental assessment (EA) following the procedures of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EA analyzes the Lemhi Valley River and Floodplain Restoration Projects, as well as a No Action Alternative in which these projects would not be funded nor implemented. The EA describes anticipated impacts to natural and human resources and identifies mitigation measures to help avoid or minimize impacts. The draft EA was released for public review and comment in May 2020; comments were received on the draft EA from three entities. The EA analyzes eleven distinct projects, so a number of FONSIs are anticipated to be produced for various projects, or collections of projects, as they become ready for implementation.

The proposed schedule for the environmental review is as follows:
Scoping comment period        January 21 thru February 21, 2020
Draft EA comment period         May 1, 2020 - May 15, 2020
Final EA Spring 2020
Finding of No Significant Impact (2020 projects) Summer 2020
Construction start Summer 2020
Finding of No Significant Impact (2021 projects) Spring/summer 2021
Construction Start Summer 2021

CURRENT STATUS

BPA released its final EA and the first Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for eight of the eleven projects on June 18, 2020. The July 7, 2021 FONSI concerns an additional two projects analyzed in the EA, and includes a Mitigation Action Plan to help avoid or lessen potential impacts. BPA has not yet made a funding decision for the remaining project assessed in the EA, the L-63 project.  

CONTACT

For environmental information, contact:
Rob Shull         Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Environmental Protection Specialist  Direct line: 503-230-3962
CorSource Technology Group          Email: rwshull@bpa.gov 
Bonneville Power Administration – ECF-4
PO Box 3621
Portland, Oregon 97208-3621

OR

Chad Hamel Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Supervisory Environmental Protection Specialist   Direct line: 503-230-5564
Bonneville Power Administration – ECF-4   Email: cjhamel@bpa.gov 
PO Box 3621
Portland, Oregon 97208-3621

For project information, contact:
Hannah Dondy-Kaplan  Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Fish and Wildlife Project Manager  Direct line: 503-230-4071
Bonneville Power Administration – EWM-4  Email: hadondy-kaplan@bpa.gov 
PO Box 3621
Portland, Oregon 97208-3621

DOCUMENTS

FONSIs
2021 Projects FONSI  (07/07/2021)
2021 Projects Mitigation Action Plan  (07/07/2021)
2021 Projects Public Letter  (07/07/2021)

2020 Projects FONSI  (06/18/2020)
2020 Projects Mitigation Action Plan  (June 2020)

FINAL EA
Final EA  (June 2020)
Public Letter  (06/26/2020)

DRAFT
Comments received
Public Letter  (05/01/2020)
Draft EA  (May 2020)
Comment Form

SCOPING
Scoping comments received
Public Letter  (01/21/2020)
Project Map 
Comment Form