Notice of Availability of Draft SEIS/SEIR
USACE has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/SEIR) to address design refinements made to the 2016 ARCF Final EIS/EIR. Refinements include changes to designs associated with the Magpie Creek Project, American River Erosion Contract 3B, 4A, and 4B, Sacramento River Erosion Contract 3, American River Mitigation Site, Sacramento River Mitigation Site, and installation of a Piezometer Network.

We will hold virtual public meetings on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 and Tuesday, January 16, 2024 to present this document. Links and times for the meetings will be posted here and sent to the project mailing list two weeks before each event. Public comments will be accepted from December 22, 2023 until February 5, 2024 and can be submitted to ARCF_SEIS@usace.army.mil.

We will post the Notice of Availability (NOA) and the Draft SEIS/SEIR here as soon as we can prior to the public meetings. 

Scoping
USACE is preparing to draft a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/SEIR) to analyze changes made during final preliminary design of multiple contract actions within the American River Common Features (ARCF) project that could result in potentially significant environmental effects. This supplemental document will centralize where the public and agencies can look for the most current project information and will bring environmental considerations up to date. The SEIS/SEIR will focus on new or different features of project designs that have evolved since the original 2016 ARCF General Reevaluation Report (GRR) Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR) was completed, while analyzing the potential environmental impacts of these changes. 

The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the draft SEIS/SEIR can be found HERE.  
The NOI incorrectly states that the public comment period closes on November 31, 2022. A correction was made to accurately reflect the correct public comment period closing date of December 1, 2022. The correction can be found HERE.  The public scoping period has been extended to December 31, 2022.

Virtual public meetings were held November 2 and November 30, 2022, to discuss the development of the Draft SEIS/SEIR. Public comments will be accepted until December 31, 2022, and can be submitted to ARCF_SEIS@usace.army.mil.

Virtual Scoping Meeting Presentation Slides (Updated November 30)
Virtual Scoping Meeting Recording

Objective: This water-side bank protection repair project is located within the City of Sacramento, California. This particular reach of riverbank has been identified as being at high risk for levee failure due to erosion and needs to be brought up to modern bank protection standards.

Duration:  Construction is slated to begin in spring 2024 and continue through October 2024. Site preparation work in advance of construction will be conducted between October 2023-February 2024.  

Work Areas: This repair site is located only on portions of the south side (left bank) of the American River near the Business I-80 Bridge.

Additional News/Notes: 

American River Contract 3A Final SEA/SEIR - November 2022
Final SEA Report
Final SEIR Report
Final SEA-SEIR Appendices
Final SEA Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
Final SEIR Notice of Determination 

Lower American River Erosion Contract 3A Virtual Public Meeting
May 5, 2022
This virtual public meeting discussed the Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment/Environmental Impact Report.  Project leaders gave a presentation discussing the proposed work, environmental impacts, and answered questions related to the project. 

Public Meeting Presentation Slides

American River Contract 3A Draft SEA/SEIR - April 2022/July 2022 (Recirculated)
Draft SEA Notice of Availability (Recirculated)
Draft SEA (Recirculated)
Draft SEA Appendix (Recirculated)

Notice of Availability
Draft SEA/SEIR Report
Frequently Asked Questions

The construction roadway through Glenn Hall Park will remain until completion of the work near I-80 bridge.  The construction roadway through the park is now being used by Caltrans and their contractor, Granite construction.

In order to revegetate the sites and restore their natural beauty, topsoil must be protected from runoff erosion until grasses and other vegetation can take root.  This is done with erosion control fabric and fiber rolls which are held in place by stakes.  The protective devices were designed for the current rain and high water conditions and they are doing a good job protecting the site. The fabric, fiber rolls and stakes are all biodegradable and will last long enough for vegetation to establish before deteriorating. (The green stakes may appear to be plastic, but they are biodegradable and will degrade into water, C02 and compost.).

The recently completed projects sites will be fully revegetated in subsequent “greening” contracts. Revegetation of the levee slope and riverbank typically occurs in the springtime, following completion of the erosion protection construction. The on-site mitigation and plant establishment is monitored and maintained as needed by the project sponsors for 3 to 5 years.

We will place project-related signage around the work site for public safety, project information and indicating any temporary traffic or recreational impacts.  We will also send an informational mailer to property owners located adjacent to the project work area who would be directly affected by project activities. Details related to the erosion protection construction, including project work hours and haul routes will be described in the mailer and on signage, where appropriate.

Since much of the Lower American River is constrained by a narrow flood plain there are other areas which must be protected against erosion.  Additional erosion protection measures will be constructed upstream of Howe Avenue under the Contract 3B project. This work is anticipated to occur in the 2025-2026 timeframe. We are preparing a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Supplemental Environmental Impact Review (SEIS/SEIR) that will include details associated with the Contract 3B project.  We anticipate the draft SEIS/SEIR will be available for public review in the summer/fall 2023 timeframe.

Our design engineers developed and planned erosion protection measures to be as effective as possible while causing the least amount of impact to the existing environment. Only vegetation that is directly affected by construction is removed. In many cases designs have been revised to avoid high value habitat and recreational features such as mature trees.  The type of improvements associated with erosion protection typically involve placing rock along the riverbank, covering it with soil to establish planting benches and revegetating the bank. The project features cannot be properly installed around existing vegetation located in the project footprint. This means that if the material is in the construction footprint, it would be removed prior to the installation of the protective rock materials.

Tree roots can provide some protection from erosion at low flows, but under other conditions they may be a liability.  For example, at high flows water may rise into the canopy of many trees within the parkway.  When high velocities push against the canopy of trees the resulting forces can pull the entire tree out of the ground leaving a hole, accelerating erosion, and potentially compromising the levee. Additionally, high velocities around tree trunks may cause turbulence downstream which creates erosion. For these reasons trees are restricted from some areas near the levees. 

But these are not the reasons why trees are being removed in our current work areas.  The trees are being removed because rock protection cannot be properly installed around existing vegetation therefore it must be removed within the construction footprint (see question 2 above).  After construction the area will be replanted with native trees, shrubs and grasses to gain the erosion and habitat benefits that they afford.

The offsite mitigation sites identified for Contract 1 include Rio Americano East and West, Rossmoor East and West, and Glenn Hall/Paradise Beach as shown on the map below. The mitigation site plantings will include a broad variety of native trees and bushes which vary by site. The tree species will include a mixture of Sycamore, Cottonwood, Valley Oak, Interior Live Oak. Bush and plant species will include, among others, Coyote Brush, Western Redbud, Rose, Coffeeberry, Elderberry, Clematis, Western Goldenrod, Evening Primrose, Mugwort, Rose, Yarrow, Deergrass, and Creeping Wildrye.