SACRAMENTO, California – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District will host two public meetings May 4-5 to discuss real estate actions associated with future safety improvements at the Isabella Dam facility.
Real estate actions to be discussed at the meeting, and assessed within a draft supplemental environmental assessment to be made available for public review and comment, include the acquisition of affected lands and the demolition and removal of all structures acquired by the Corps to construct necessary upgrades to Isabella Dam. The draft SEA will also describe and assess the relocation of a Corps maintenance and operations facility affected by the dam safety modifications.
An additional SEA will be released this summer to discuss measures proposed to off-set impacts to recreation, as well as the relocation of the Lake Isabella Office and fire station of the U.S. Forest Service Kern River Ranger District. Additional public meetings will be held and notices will be distributed once the report is released.
The draft SEA is scheduled to be published April 28, 2015, on the project web page at http://bit.ly/IsabellaDam. Public comments will be accepted until May 13. Public meetings will provide an opportunity for individuals to learn more about the environmental impacts associated with real estate actions, ask questions to Corps team members and submit comments.
The public meetings will be held:
May 4, 2015; 5-7 p.m.
Kernville Community Center
11447 Kernville Road
Kernville, CA 93238
May 5, 2015; 9-11 a.m.
Kern Valley Vets Center
6405 Lake Isabella Blvd.
Lake Isabella, CA 93240
This draft SEA is tiered to the Isabella Lake Dam Safety Modification Project environmental impact statement, and updates the analysis provided in that document with a focus on real estate acquisitions and relocation actions proposed. When pertinent, the EIS is referenced.
Copies of the Isabella Lake DSM Project EIS and Record of Decision may be obtained at this website or by contacting the Sacramento District Public Affairs Office, 1325 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814; Phone (916) 557-5100; email: isabella@usace.army.mil.
Completed in 1953, Isabella Lake Dam is located approximately 42 miles northeast of Bakersfield. The reservoir is impounded by two earthen dams on the Kern River and Hot Springs Valley. Today, Isabella Lake and its dams reduce flood risk for Bakersfield and the surrounding region, and is a primary water source for water users throughout Kern County. The Isabella Lake Dam Safety Modification Project will address overtopping, seismic and seepage issues identified with Isabella Lake’s Main and Auxiliary dams to reduce the likelihood of dam failure. In 2013, the Corps entered the pre-construction engineering and design phase of the project. Relocation construction work is scheduled to begin in 2016. Construction of the dam modifications is scheduled to begin in 2017.