Mount Rainier and Spirit Lake are seen from the summit of Mount St. Helens.
The National Forest Service this week released a draft decision on activities including the replacement of the Spirit Lake tunnel intake gate system, geotechnical drilling of the debris blockage, and the access required to implement the projects.
The Environmental Assessment and Draft Decision Notice/FONSI, and related information provides project details, and is available online at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=57259. A 45-day objection period will begin following the publication of a legal notice in The Columbian newspaper.
Only those who previously submitted comments to the Notice of Proposed Action released December 17, 2019 for a 30-day comment period will have eligibility to file an objection, unless the objection is based on new information arising after the designated comment period.
The draft decision finds that the project replace the intake gate system and address the debris blockage “not have significant effects on the quality of the human environment, considering the context and intensity of impacts.” Because of that determination, no Environmental Impact Statement will be drafted.
The Forest Service is directed to manage geologic hazards on National Forest System lands to ensure the protection of public safety, health, property and the environment. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, manage the outflow from Spirit Lake, which consists of the Spirit Lake tunnel, intake gate, and debris blockage on the pumice plain.
“Failure to adequately manage the outflow and lake level could result in the release of 314,000 acre-feet of water and 2.4 billion cubic yards of sediment, rivaling the devastating mudflows of the 1980 eruption. Management of Spirit Lake outflow contributes to the safety and economic vitality of downstream communities, and Columbia River shipping and Interstate 5 transport,” according to the Forest Service.
