Notices

NOTICE OF PREPARATION
 

Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Tudor Flood Risk Reduction Project

To:                State Clearinghouse, Responsible and Trustee Agencies, Property Owners,
                       and All Interested Parties

Subject:     Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Tudor
                       Flood Risk Reduction Project

Date:          January 6, 2023
 

Lead Agency Name and Physical Address:

Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency
1445 Butte House Road Suite B Yuba City, CA 95993

Contact Person and Mailing Address:

Michael Bessette, PE, Executive Director

P.O. Box M
Yuba, City CA 95992

(530) 755-9859

Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency (SBFCA) is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Project identified below and is requesting comments on the scope and content of the EIR. SBFCA is the Lead Agency pursuant to CEQA and will produce an EIR for the Tudor Flood Risk Reduction Project (proposed Project). ECORP Consulting, Inc. will prepare the EIR and is requesting information regarding environmental issues and reasonable alternatives to be included in the EIR from any interested parties.

Project Location

The Project Area is located in Sutter County, California, west of Garden Highway (HWY 99) north of the Feather River, east of the Sutter Bypass, and northwest of the town of Nicolaus (see Figure 1. Project Location and Vicinity). The site is approximately 8,700 linear feet (1.65 miles) in length and comprises 40.4 acres. The Project Area corresponds to a portion of the unsectioned New Helvetia Land Grant and portions of Sections 10, and 11, Township 12 North, Range 3 East (Mount Diablo Base and Meridian) of the “Nicolaus, California” 7.5-minute quadrangle (U.S. Geological Survey [USGS] 1952, photorevised 1973). The approximate center of the Study Area is located at latitude 38.902098° and longitude -121.604828° within the Honcut Headwaters-Lower Feather River Watershed (Hydrologic Unit Code #18020159; Natural Resources Conservation Service [NRCS], USGS, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [USEPA] 2016).

Existing Site Conditions

The Project Area is a subset of the Sutter Basin, and is focused between the Sutter Bypass East Levee and HWY 99 just opposite the Feather River from Nicolaus, California. The levee landside is bound by an irrigation canal, rice field, and orchards that are owned and operated by Odysseus Farms. The irrigation canal is located between approximate stations 11+00 and 58+00, an irrigation pipe crossing (penetration through the levee) is located near station 52+25, a PG&E transmission tower is located at the landside of the levee near station 70+00, and HWY 99 intersects the levee near station 98+00 (see Figure 2. Project Area). The levee waterside is bound by open space that is owned and maintained by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Levee improvements are currently anticipated to tie into the west side of HWY 99. This portion of the Feather River West Levee (FRWL) is operated and maintained by State Maintenance Area 3 (MA3).

Vegetation communities or land cover types found within the vicinity include riparian woodland, 
ruderal grassland, and paved/developed areas. The riparian woodland community is found along the riverbanks. The riparian woodland vegetation is a relatively narrow corridor of mature trees with varying densities of understory cover, depending on levels of human use.

Project Description

Planned levee remedial measures for the Project include construction of a cutoff wall, a berm tie-in to the HWY 99 embankment, pipe penetration improvements, and surficial geometry corrections. Improvement measures were developed based on the 100-year design water surface elevation (DWSE) provided in Design Water Surface Profiles for the Feather River West Levee Project, Addendum #2, dated December 2013 and prepared by Peterson Brustad, Inc.

Fill material for the levee and clay core would be obtained from either an off-site borrow source(s) or from excess material obtained from Project excavations. The construction contractor will be required to obtain off-site borrow materials, which may be imported to the Project Area from local sources or existing permitted commercial sources. Borrow sources for earthen materials are anticipated to be in the vicinity of Sutter and Yuba Counties. Other materials, such as aggregate base, bentonite for cutoff walls, pipe, concrete products, and materials needed to support construction, would be obtained from off-site commercial vendors and sources.

The Project incorporates construction areas along the land and water sides of the levee. These areas would be utilized by the contractor for access, hauling, spoiling of material, storage, fueling, and other construction related activities. Prior to and during construction of remedial measures, staging areas would be established to allow for efficient use and distribution of materials and equipment. Staging areas would be identified by the contractor during construction and would be located within Project Area limits provided in Figure 1.

It is anticipated that construction would be completed in one construction season, beginning in April of 2025, and ending in December of 2025.

It is estimated that typical construction activities could occur up to 12 to 14 hours per day (based on daylight hours and the construction phase), six days a week, Monday through Saturday, and between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Sundays may be utilized for equipment maintenance. Crew sizes would vary depending on the construction phase and are estimated to be between 25 to 50 people. Work outside of the hours specified above for round-the-clock construction activities would be limited to cutoff wall installation but only if approved by SBFCA and if justified to complete the Project on schedule.

Issues to be Addressed in the EIR

It has been determined that an EIR is required because the Project could result in potentially significant impacts to environmental resources. The EIR will identify the potentially significant environmental effects of the Project, including those resulting from construction, operation, and maintenance of the Project. The EIR may also discuss and analyze reasonable alternatives to the Project, including a No Project alternative. Other alternatives may be added to the analysis based on input received during the 30-day scoping period following issuance of this NOP, focused on avoiding or reducing any of its significant environmental effects while still attaining the goals of the Project, or by the EIR team in response to potentially significant environmental impacts identified during the EIR process.

Scoping Meeting

For the public and regulatory agencies to have an opportunity to obtain information and submit 
comments on the scope of the EIR for the Project, a virtual presentation and meeting will be held during the EIR scoping period. The meeting will be held in two sessions, to allow a greater participation by agencies during working hours and the general public during evening hours, on Monday, January 23, 2023.

Session 1 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87947572972?pwd=TVpyakZPSU1mNjhHSnpuVVRodWhNUT09
Meeting ID: 879 4757 2972
Passcode: 316098

Session 2 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88595903984?pwd=b3dReHliU1YwcnhQZDl4R3ZFeEZrZz09
Meeting ID: 885 9590 3984
Passcode: 856762

The scoping meeting will start with a brief presentation at 4 and 6 p.m., providing a summary of 
SBFCA process for reviewing the Project, an overview of the Project, and information on how members of the public can comment on the scope of the EIR. Following the presentation, interested parties will be provided an opportunity to provide comments about the Project. 

Due to the time limits mandated by State law, your response to this NOP must be sent at the earliest possible date but not later than 30 days after issuance of this NOP. The response deadline is Monday, February 6, 2023. Please send your response to Michael Bessette, Executive Director, via email at comments@sutterbutteflood.org or at the mailing address provided above. Please include the Project title, “Tudor Flood Risk Reduction Project,” in the subject line of your email or letter.

Please see below to download complete notice attachments.