Seattle District - US Army Corps of Engineers


Public Scoping Meetings about proposed changes in flood control and fish operations

Contact: Jeff Laufle (206) 764-6578, or Stephen Martin (206) 764-3631 Oct. 19, 2001 SEATTLE—Changes in flood control and fish operations of Libby, Grand Coulee and Hungry Horse Dams are the subjects of a series of scoping meetings beginning Oct. 29. The locations and dates of the meetings are: Oct. 29.....Grand Coulee Dam, Coulee Dam, Wash. Oct. 30.....Newport High School, Newport, Wash. Nov. 1......Kootenai River Inn, Bonners Ferry, Idaho Nov. 8......Bonneville Power Administration, Portland, Ore. Nov. 13.....City Hall, Libby, Mont. Nov. 14.....Best Western Outlaw Inn, Kalispell, Mont. Nov. 15.....Eureka High School, Eureka, Mont. Each of the meetings begins at 7 p.m. and is preceded at 6 p.m. by an Open House. Meetings will be held in October and November to give the public an opportunity to provide input to the scope and content of a federal Environmental Impact Statement—EIS—regarding upper Columbia alternative flood control and fish operations. This EIS is being prepared in response to recent biological opinions issued in December 2000 by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife and National Marine Fisheries Services concerning effects of federal dam operation on species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The biological opinions call for the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation to undertake actions at federal dams to assist in the recovery of threatened and endangered fish species, including sturgeon. The purpose of this EIS is to evaluate specific actions from the biological opinions concerning flood control and other operational strategies intended to benefit fish in the upper Columbia River basin while better assuring reservoir refill. Those unable to attend the scoping meetings may provide written comments regarding this project by Nov. 30 to: Stephen Martin, Environmental Coordinator Seattle District, US Army Corps of Engineers, PM-PL-ER PO Box 3755 Seattle, WA 98124-3755 Please see our link: Upper Columbia Alternative Flood Control and Fish Operations Environmental Impact Statement