Final Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Feather River Salmonid Habitat Improvement Project
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) prepared an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of the proposed Feather River Salmonid Habitat Improvement Project (FRSHIP [Project]) in the city of Oroville, Butte County, California. The purpose of the Project is to replenish, restore, and enhance suitable salmonid spawning habitat on existing riffles in the Low Flow Channel, where most Feather River spawning activity occurs. The Project consists of the following key elements: (1) addition or replacement of approximately 16,000 cubic yards of spawning gravel to multiple locations within the river to improve spawning conditions in these areas, including building in-river access routes to reach these areas; (2) excavation of accumulated streambed material from the entrance of Moe’s Side Channel to improve hydraulic capacity and redistribute material at the head of Upper Auditorium Riffle to improve spawning conditions; (3) excavation of accumulated streambed material from the entrance and exit of the Bedrock Park side channel to increase flows and improve potential habitat accessibility; and (4) minor spoiling of excavated material in an area adjacent to the exit of the Bedrock Park Side Channel to avoid off-site haul of materials through a public park.
The Draft IS/MND was submitted to the State Clearinghouse ([SCH] No. 2022100104) for public review from October 6, 2022, to November 7, 2022. DWR received one letter of support for the project from the Mooretown Rancheria. No other comments were received. Consequently, no revisions were made to the IS/MND. DWR adopted the final MND and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), approved the Project, and executed the Notice of Determination (NOD) on November 18, 2022. NOD was filed with the State Clearinghouse on November 22, 2022.