Notice of Preparation for the Sunset Weir and Pumps Fish Passage Project Supplemental Environmental Impact Report

Notice is hereby given that the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), as the Lead Agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the Sunset Weir and Pumps Fish Passage Project.

Comment Period: August 1, 2024 - August 30, 2024

Public Scoping Meeting

An In-person meeting with a virtual option will be held on August 15, 2024 at the Yuba City Council Chambers, 1201 Civic Center Boulevard, Yuba City, CA 95993 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

DWR is the Lead Agency under CEQA and will prepare an SEIR for the Sunset Weir and Pumps Fish Passage Project (proposed Project). Written comments regarding the issues that should be addressed in the SEIR, including potential alternatives to the proposed Project and the scope of the analysis, are invited.

Project Area

The Proposed Project is located on the Feather River, approximately two miles southeast of Live Oak in Sutter County, California. The weir is operated and maintained by the Sutter Extension Water District (SEWD) to maintain hydraulic head for SEWD's Sunset Pump Station. SEWD currently operates the Sunset Pump Station to supplement flows from Thermalito Afterbay, made necessary due to lack of capacity in the Sutter Butte Main Canal. The Pump Station also acts as a buffer to offset periodic flow delivery inconsistencies in the Main Canal and ensure that they can meet obligations to customers.

Project Description

The proposed Project would consist of the removal of Sunset Weir and the restoration of unimpeded flow and fish passage conditions for the Feather River channel; replacement of the Sunset Pump Station to operate at a lower surface water elevation; rehabilitation of existing pump discharge pipelines; installation and operation of new fish screens at the Sunset Pump Station; bank stabilization downstream of the weir; and modification of up to seven upstream irrigation diversions (within the existing weir backwater area) to address lowered water surface elevations after weir removal.

The final grade of the restored Feather River channel would be designed to provide a stable transition from upstream to downstream, reduce scour downstream, and provide channel stability. The fish passage component of the Proposed Project would be achieved by removing the weir and restoring the channel to match the natural grade. Passage improvements are intended to benefit all species; however, designs would focus on passage for Central Valley fall-run and spring-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, and southern distinct population segment green sturgeon. Following the removal of the weir, the banks adjacent to the weir may be graded so the channel cross-section is similar to the geometry of the channel upstream and downstream. Disturbed areas at the channel banks, and other areas determined to be at risk of erosion following removal of the weir, would be protected with erosion control methods such as rock slope protection. All other areas disturbed by construction and above the channel waterline would be protected by the establishment of non-woody vegetation.

Environmental Review

DWR, as lead agency under CEQA, will prepare an SEIR to evaluate whether new significant effects would result from implementation of the proposed Project, as compared to the environmental impacts disclosed in the Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) prepared by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) for the General Order for Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 Water Quality Certification and Waste Discharge Requirements for Restoration Projects Statewide ("Statewide Restoration General Order", or SRGO) adopted August 16, 2022. The SEIR will be tiered off the PEIR pursuant to CEQA guidelines section 15152.

DWR has issued a Notice of Preparation (NOP) to inform trustee agencies, responsible agencies, the Office of Planning and Research, Native American Tribes, and the public that an SEIR is being prepared for the proposed Project. The NOP provides further information describing the proposed Project and its potential environmental effects to those who may wish to comment regarding the scope and content of the information to be included in the SEIR.

The SEIR will evaluate potentially significant environmental impacts of the proposed Project, on both a direct, indirect, and cumulative basis; identify feasible mitigation measures that may lessen or avoid such impacts; and identify alternatives that may lessen one or more potentially significant impacts associated with the construction and/or long term operations of the proposed Project.

The NOP is available for download.

Written or oral comments may be submitted at the public scoping meetings, or written comments may be submitted to the following locations. Please submit all comments by 5:00 PM on August 30, 2024.

Submit by mail to:
California Department of Water Resources, c/o Kevin Marr P.O. Box 942836 Sacramento, CA 94236-0001 with the letter subject heading "Comments on NOP for SEIR for Sunset Weir and Pumps Fish Passage Project"

Submit by email to: [email protected] with the subject heading "Comments on NOP for SEIR for Sunset Weir and Pumps Fish Passage Project"