UMATILLA, Ore.-- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District (Corps) invites your comments on the Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for the St. Hilaire Columbia River Pump Station Expansion and East Improvement District (EID) New Pump Station project.
The Corps plans to amend St. Hilaire’s existing irrigation pump station Real Estate easement to allow for the expansion of their existing pump station. The Corps is also proposing to issue a new easement to the EID for the construction of a new pump station within St. Hilaire’s existing easement area/footprint. The new, adjacent pump station would be owned and operated by EID, which is comprised of nine farms that own more than 28,000 acres of farmland. The action is necessary due to an ongoing and critical groundwater shortage issue in the Lower Umatilla Basin.
The 15-day review and comment period was from February 23 through March 9, 2018. One comment was received which has been addressed and incorporated into the Final FONSI.
Release no. 18-030