Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge Floodplain Reconnection Project (DOE/EA-2276)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) proposes to provide funding to the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (KTOI) to restore floodplain connectivity to the Kootenai River historical floodplains within the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge (KNWR) in Boundary County, Idaho near Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

The KNWR is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The USFWS and the KTOI are the project sponsors. The project’s reconnection activities would include breaching levees, raising roads, replacing water control structures, enhancing wetlands, and re-establishing wetland connections. All of these actions would occur within an overall project area of about 2,330 acres.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:

To understand the potential environmental impacts of this proposal, BPA has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) following the procedures of the National Environmental Policy Act. The EA analyzes BPA’s proposed funding for the KNWR Floodplain Reconnection Project, as well as a no-action alternative in which BPA would not fund the project and it would not be implemented. The EA describes anticipated impacts to natural and human resources and identifies mitigation measures to help avoid or minimize impacts.

The USFWS is a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EA to support its decision-making for proposed modifications to refuge management. The USFWS’ project-specific webpage can be accessed here: https://www.fws.gov/project/kootenai-national-wildlife-refuge-floodplain-reconnection-project.  Information on how to comment on the EA is provided below.

The proposed schedule for the environmental review is as follows:

Draft EA available for public comment– September 18, 2024

Final EA (if warranted) – Fall/Winter 2024

Finding of No Significant Impact (if warranted) – Fall/Winter 2024

If decision to build, construction start – Summer 2025

CURRENT STATUS:

BPA and USFWS are making a draft EA available for public comment on September 18, 2024. A public meeting and presentation will be held on October 1, 2024 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at the County Annex/Parole Building - 6566 Main Street, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805. 

A virtual option for attending the public meeting will be available using Zoom. To attend the virtual public meeting, please register in advance using this weblink: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcldO6uqTIvHtdiFNT9tAUB1dABh271_fbH.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

At the public meeting there will be a presentation providing the findings of the EA. Project staff will be available to answer questions and accept comments about the environmental review. The comment period will close on October 17, 2024. When commenting, please refer to the full project name. All comments will be posted on the BPA comment website. There are several ways to comment:

DOCUMENTS:

DRAFT:

Comments received
Public Letter September 18, 2024
Comment Form September 18, 2024
Draft EA  September 2024

EA Determination  September 6, 2024

SCOPING:
Scoping comments received Public Letter  April 18, 2024 Project Map April 18, 2024 Comment Form  April 18, 2024 Public Meeting Posterboard PDF