PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION

This project study area is located on the east fork of the Russian River near the city of Ukiah, California. The Russian River drains an area of 1,485 square miles; approximately two-thirds of the drainage area is in Sonoma County, and the remainder is in Mendocino County. The existing Corps project, Coyote Valley Dam (also known as Lake Mendocino Dam), which was completed in 1957, consists of a 160-feet-high earth-filled dam and a reservoir with a storage capacity of 122,400 acre-feet. The authorized project includes sediment, flood control, and domestic and agricultural water supply pools with a total storage capacity of 199,000 acre-feet. Because local interests considered it unnecessary at the time, an additional water-supply portion of the authorized project (77,000 acre-feet) was deferred following Congressional authorization of the project in 1950.  As a result of the 2008 National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Biological Opinion (BO) concluded that the existing Coyote Valley Dam is likely to jeopardize the survival and recovery of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed Central California Coast (CCC) steelhead and California Coastal (CC), the Endangered Habitats Conservancy (EHC), supports a project to provide improvements to the ESA listed species habitat as well as floodplain and riparian habitat that is critically limited in the Russian River watershed below the dam.  Together with the EHC, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), San Francisco District (SPN) has determined that these is strong potential for implementation of a policy compliant restoration project in accordance with Section 1135 of the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP).

 

            TOTAL FUNDING

            TOTAL COST                                                                                        $ 6,167,000

            FEDERAL COST                                                                                   $ 4,400,000

            NON-FEDERAL COST                                                                          $ 1,865,900

            TOTAL FEDERAL COST THROUGH FY 2014                                     $   100,000

            FY 2017 BUDGET                                                                                             TBD

            COST TO COMPLETE                                                                          $ 4,300,000

FY 16 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• FID approved by SPD in Apr 2016.

FY 17 ACCOMPLISHMENTS (based on the availability of funds and non-Federal sponsor)

• Finalize PMP
• Initiate FCSA
• Initiate Detailed Project Report (DPR) once FCSA is approved.

FY 18 ACCOMPLISHMENTS (based on the availability of funds and non-Federal sponsor)

• Continue with DPR

FY 19 ACCOMPLISHMENTS (based on the availability of funds and non-Federal sponsor)

• Completing DPR
• Initiate PCA agreement with non-Federal sponsor
• Initiate design and implementation (D/I)

ISSUES AND OTHER INFORMATION

• Endangered Habitats Conservancy (EHC) is the non-Federal sponsor.
• Will use remaining funding for PDT to finalize PMP for the FCSA with non-Federal sponsor.
• The FID determined there is a federal interest in continuing to a DPR and also to identify possible measures to water related social, environmental, and economic problems.
• Need to resolve coordination efforts in the PMP for the FCSA.

CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST

• Senator Diane Feinstein,
• Senator Barbara Boxer
• 2^nd District, Rep. Jared Huffman

POINT OF CONTACT

• Deputy for Project Management, Stu Townsley 415 503 6593

Updated on 27 February 2017

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