Dear Interested Party:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District (USACE), will soon release a draft of the McNary Dam and Reservoir Project (Project) Master Plan, with an accompanying draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for review and comment. The McNary Master Plan will help guide how USACE manages federal Project lands on Lake Wallula located on the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities Washington and Umatilla Oregon, and up the Snake River to Ice Harbor Dam.
Master Plans are conceptual documents that focus on management and development of the natural, cultural, and recreational resources on USACE managed federal lands, generally for a period of approximately 20 years. Master Plans do not address dam operations (e.g., hydropower, navigation, fish passage).
As part of the Master Plan revision process, USACE will be inviting and accepting comments from the public, organizations, and governmental entities from July 10 through August 10, 2023. An open house public meeting is scheduled for July 11, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Doris Roberts Gallery, Richland Public Library, Richland, Washington, with a formal presentation at 6:00 p.m. There will also be an open house public meeting July 13, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. with a formal presentation at 6:00 p.m. at the Pacific Salmon Visitor Information Center, McNary Lock and Dam, Umatilla, Oregon.
Comments may also be submitted directly to USACE using the online comment form on the website or via email at McNaryMP@usace.army.mil. On the website you will also find an interactive map of McNary Project lands, and you may leave comments via the interactive map. To submit written comments via the U.S. Postal Service, mail them to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, ATTN: McNary Master Plan, 201 N. 3rd Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362-1876, postmarked no later than August 10, 2023. All comments received via mail, online or email will be considered and become part of the public record.
The revised draft Master Plan, draft FONSI, and EA, along with the 1982 McNary Master Plan and other associated documents, are available on the USACE website at https://www.nww.usace.army.mil/Locations/District-Locks-and-Dams/McNary-Lock-and-Dam/McNary-Master-Plan/.
For more information about the Master Plan revision, feel free to contact Mr. Brett Call, Master Planner, at Brett.E.Call@usace.army.mil or at 641-220-1554, or Ms. Laura Wiggins, Senior Environmental Specialist, at Laura.A.Wiggins@usace.army.mil or at 509-527-7249.
Laura Ann Wiggins
Sr. Environmental Specialist
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Walla Walla District
201 N 3rd Ave
Walla Walla, WA 99362
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