NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ...

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE EIGHTMILE DAM REBUILD AND RESTORATION PROJECT CHELAN COUNTY, WASHINGTON The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) Office of Columbia River (OCR) is releasing a Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) on June 21, 2024 for the Eightmile Dam Rebuild and Restoration Project. Ecology OCR is the lead agency for this Final EIS, prepared in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The project proponent is the Icicle and Peshastin Irrigation Districts (IPID). Location: Eightmile Dam is located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, approximately 10 miles southwest of Leavenworth, WA. The site is accessible via an approximately 3-mile pedestrian trail. The trailhead is located on Forest Service Road 7601 accessible via Icicle Road, within Township 24N, Range 16E WM, Section 33. Description of Proposal: The existing dam was constructed in the 1920s. The dam is owned and operated by IPID. The dam and outlet works have sustained damage over time; on occasion the spillway has overtopped, and the earthen embankment has eroded, limiting IPID’s ability to refill the lake to the historical spillway elevation, and resulting in increased potential for additional erosion and failure. Additionally, the Jack Creek Fire in 2017 burned trees and vegetation in the Eightmile Lake basin that led to unstable conditions and the potential for high run-off or flash flooding, adding to the risk of dam failure. In 2018, IPID worked with Ecology’s Dam Safety Office (DSO) and Chelan County Emergency Management to temporarily repair the dam and address the immediate threat of dam failure. The repairs do not meet current dam safety requirements for high hazard dams. IPID proposes to rebuild and restore Eightmile Dam to meet the following objectives: Restore the storage capacity of Eightmile Lake so that it meets IPID’s irrigation and water supply needs under its existing water rights; Comply with DSO regulations for a High Hazard Dam; Provide additional water to enhance instream flow volumes in Icicle Creek and, to the extent possible, time dam outflows to meet fish utilization needs. IPID has developed design alternatives for rebuilding the dam with technical review from the DSO. Alternatives would each have a low-level outlet pipe located entirely within the area delineated by IPID’s Special Warranty Deed with the US Forest Service. Ecology issued a determination of significance on December 18, 2020, and formally initiated the SEPA EIS scoping process. On April 19, 2023, Ecology issued the Draft EIS and opened an extended 45-day comment period that ended on June 5, 2023. Comments from the scoping process and the Draft EIS comment period were used to inform and update the Final EIS. This Final EIS evaluates a No Action Alternative and three (3) action alternatives, including: Narrow Spillway with Gates Wide Spillway without Gates Narrow Spillway without Gates Based on comments received on the Draft EIS, Ecology in coordination with IPID has identified Alternative 2 (Wide Spillway without Gates) as the preferred alternative for the proposed action. This Final EIS was prepared in compliance with the State of Washington Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), Chapter 43.21C RCW, and the SEPA Rules (Chapter 197-11 WAC). Additional information is available on the project website at https://ecology.wa.gov/eightmile. For questions relating to the needs and operations of IPID, please email questions to: ipid@nwi.net Availability of the Final EIS: The Final EIS and other information regarding the Eightmile Dam Rebuild and Restoration Project may be accessed online at the following link: https://ecology.wa.gov/eightmile To request printed copy of the Final EIS, please contact: By mail to: Washington Department of Ecology Central Region Office/Office of Columbia River Attn: Eightmile FEIS, 1250 West Alder St., Union Gap, WA 98903 By email to: 8mile@ecy.wa.gov Printed copies of the Final EIS are also available for review at no charge at: Washington Department of Ecology Office of Columbia River, 1250 West Alder St., Union Gap, WA 98903 SEPA Responsible Official: G. Thomas Tebb Director, Office of Columbia River Washington State Department of Ecology Date of Issue: June 21, 2024 Published in the Leavenworth Echo/Cashmere Valley record on June 26, 2024. #8037