The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Northwestern Division, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) are serving as co-leads in preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on Columbia River System operations and configurations for 14 federal projects in the interior Columbia basin. The Agencies gathered public comments to help define the issues, concerns, and the scope of alternatives to be addressed in the EIS. Information was gathered during the scoping period from October 24th, 2016 through February 7th, 2017. The EIS will evaluate and update the Agencies’ approach for long-term system operations and configuration through the analysis of different alternatives to current operations and maintenance; including changes to flood risk management, navigation, hydropower, irrigation, fish and wildlife conservation, recreation and municipal and industrial water supply. The Agencies will also analyze potential effects on species, including those listed under the Endangered Species Act, cultural resources, tribal resources, and other social and natural resources. This EIS will be used to select a preferred alternative, which will be adopted by the Agencies in order to operate and maintain the Columbia River System. You can read more here.
The public comment period ended February 7th, 2017.
Notice the EIS NEPA Overview Process published by CRSO targets issuance of the Draft EIS in Fall 2019 – Spring 2020.
Dam Sense calls out that Snake River salmon & steelhead will not survive the CRSO timeline.