Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report for Proposed General Waste Discharge Requirements for Federal Lands in the North Coast Region

Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report for Proposed General Waste Discharge Requirements for Federal Lands in the North Coast Region

The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, as the Lead Agency, is planning to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act for the following project: General Waste Discharge Requirements and General Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification for Discharges Related to Certain Land Management Activities on Federal Lands in the North Coast Region (Federal Lands Permit).This Notice of Preparation (NOP) serves to 1) solicit information on the scope of the environmental analysis for the Federal Lands Permit and 2) notify the public and regulatory agencies that the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will prepare a draft EIR to assess potential adverse environmental impacts that may result from implementing the Federal Lands Permit. The purpose of the Federal Lands Permit is to ensure that activities conducted on federal lands in the North Coast Region protect, maintain, or restore the beneficial uses of waters of the state. The Federal Lands Permit proposes to regulate discharges from federal lands to implement the Clean Water Act, Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, Statewide Nonpoint Source Enforcement and Implementation Policy, and Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region. The Federal Lands Permit will include a Water Quality Certification in conjunction with the Waste Discharge Requirements in effort to provide comprehensive coverage for those activities proposed for regulation under the Federal Lands Permit. The Federal Lands Permit proposes to regulate certain land management activities conducted on federal lands, including 1) timber harvest, 2) vegetation and fuels management, 3) road and trail work, 4) livestock grazing, 5) emergency activities, 6) fire recovery, and 7) aquatic habitat restoration. Most of the potential water quality impacts connected to these activities are associated with erosion and sediment delivery, alterations to riparian systems that may reduce shade and affect water temperatures, nutrients, bacteria, and chemicals to watercourses (see NOP for further description). Federal agencies seek to minimize or avoid these water quality impacts by adhering to existing federal guidance documents and their associated best management practices.

Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Trinity

Northern California

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Habitat Conservation Planning (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, North Central Region 2 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northern and Eureka Region 1 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways, California Department of Transportation, District 1 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, District 2 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, District 4 (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Fish and Game Commission (CDFGC), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Redding Region 5 (RWQCB), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Sacramento Region 5 (RWQCB), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Region 1 (RWQCB), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region 2 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Central Valley Flood Protection Board, Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Historic Preservation, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

Other (Permit Issuance)

Permit Issuance

Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Coastal Zone, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Growth Inducement, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Schools/Universities, Septic System, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire