DR-4407-CA Public Notice 002

INITIAL PUBLIC NOTICE: Ukiah Electric Utility Fuel Reduction and Undergrounding, Mendocino County, California │ HMGP-4407-382-066

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) intends to provide federal financial assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to the City of Ukiah in Mendocino County, California, for fuel reduction activities in the city of Ukiah. The proposed action would mitigate impacts from potential wildfire hazards by reducing the fuel load along critical electric utility line corridors and undergrounding more than 1.5 miles of overhead wires and equipment on the west side of the city. Pursuant to Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management) and Executive Order 11990 (Wetlands Management) and FEMA’s implementing regulations at Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 9, FEMA hereby provides interested parties with a notice of its intent to carry out an action affecting a floodplain and wetland.

The purpose of the proposed action is to improve fire mitigation and aid suppression activities in case of a wildfire. By removing hazardous fuels, fires would burn slower and with less intensity, aiding suppression efforts and decreasing the potential for loss of life and property during a wildfire. Undergrounding would protect infrastructure from damage during fire and ensure continuity of services during disaster events. The proposed action consists of fuel reduction methods, including brush removal and tree thinning in a 24-foot-wide corridor (12 feet on each side) around the identified electrical lines and poles, trimming trees to 12 feet of clearance below the power lines, and clearing all tree limbs which overhang power lines beyond 12 feet. This treatment would take place in 14 project areas, totaling approximately 9,412 linear feet of distribution line. In addition, approximately 8,392 feet of overhead lines and related equipment would be undergrounded to protect City communications and lighting from the threats of wind, fire, and other natural disasters.

Portions of the project area are located in the 100-year floodplain, as depicted on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Numbers 06045C1514F, effective date June 2, 2011; 06045C1513F, effective date June 2, 2011; 06045C1511F, effective date June 2, 2011; and 06045C1512F, effective date June 2, 2011. The FIRM maps identify portions of the project area as being within Zone AE, an area that has a one percent probability of flooding every year and where predicted floodwater elevations have been established.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) identifies Gibson Creek transecting the project area at the Park Boulevard and Todd Road intersection (39.151, -123.217) and at the western end of West Standley Street (39.150, -123. 225). The NWI identifies a freshwater forested shrub wetland associated with Gibson Creek. Proposed activities would not require work within the channel of Gibson Creek and would not require any vegetation removal or ground disturbance within the riparian corridor of Gibson Creek; however, a portion of the project area overlaps the NWI-mapped freshwater forested/shrub wetland associated with Gibson Creek at both locations.

Additional information about FEMA’s proposed action, including maps showing the potential impacts on floodplains and wetlands, may be obtained by writing the FEMA Region IX Environmental Officer at FEMA, 1111 Broadway, Suite 1200, Oakland, California 94607, or fema-rix-ehp-documents@fema.dhs.gov, or calling (510) 627-7027. All requests should be received no later than 15 days after publication of this notice.