ECORP frequently manages public works projects for the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency (SBFCA). They rely on our skilled and knowledgeable staff who have an excellent working relationship with SBFCA and environmental agency staff, and our comprehensive suite of environmental services. We provide biological resource management, cultural resource management, construction monitoring, and environmental documentation and compliance services, including regulatory permitting and emergency approvals under:
- Sections 401 and 404 of the federal Clean Water Act.
- Section 408 authorizations, Section 7 of the federal ESA.
- Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
- Section 1600 of the California Fish and Game Code.
- Section 2081 of the California Endangered Species Act
ECORP staff works closely with agency staff, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), and the California Office of Historic Preservation.
Select SBFCA Public Works Projects
The following projects represent some of our services used on public works projects for the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency. If you do not see a service of interest mentioned, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for further details and examples.
Project Name: Feather River West Levee Project, Sutter and Butte Counties.
Description:
In 2015, the SBFCA retained ECORP to serve as a Tribal Liaison between the SBFCA and the United Auburn Indian Community as it relates to an ongoing legal dispute over impacts to sacred lands associated with a levee repair project authorized by the USACE.
In 2014, prior to ECORP’s involvement with the project, repair activities resulted in the unanticipated discovery of human remains and associated deposits that led to a dispute and legal challenge involving the SBFCA, the Tribe, and California Native American Heritage Commission, and their respective legal counsel.
Services Provided for This Project:
The SBFCA retained ECORP to negotiate and mediate a comprehensive Settlement Agreement between the Agency and Tribe to alleviate concerns under the Public Resources Code and is assisting in the compliance strategy for an alternative approach to Section 106 NHPA consultation.
ECORP also led the AB 52 Tribal consultation and authored the cultural and tribal cultural resources sections of a Supplemental EIR for the project. ECORP is currently serving as the Cultural Compliance Officer for this project to help ensure that SBFCA and the tribe remain in compliance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement.
Project Name: Oroville Wildlife Area Flood Stage Reduction Project, Butte County.
Description:
In 2018, the SBFCA retained ECORP to assume regulatory and permitting compliance from the former consultant to allow construction to proceed for the project. The project consisted of vegetation management and restoration, hydraulic improvements, and recreation enhancement at the Oroville Wildlife Area to:
- Improve the connectivity of the Feather River to its historic floodplain
- Reduce flood stages within the main channel
- Provide more frequently inundated floodplain rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids
- Reduce fish stranding potential
- Reduce the extent of invasive plant species
- Plan for future habitat restoration.
Services Provided for This Project:
As part of the vegetation management and restoration component of the project, ECORP prepared a Habitat Mitigation and Monitoring Plan for CDFW and a Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle (VELB) Mitigation and Monitoring Plan for USFWS. ECORP assisted with the monitoring and reporting in compliance with these plans through the completion of the restoration.
ECORP conducted pre-construction surveys, biological and archaeological monitoring, post-construction reporting, and overall permit compliance. We performed pre-construction surveys and monitoring for the giant garter snake, western pond turtle, nesting birds and raptors, and the VELB. The SBFCA has also retained ECORP to conduct floodplain and fisheries monitoring after implementing hydraulic improvements and completion of restoration activities as part of CDFW grant funding.
Project Name: Live Oak Boat Ramp Sediment and Invasive Species Removal Project, Sutter County.
Description:
Sediment buildup in portions of the Feather River, exacerbated by the 2017 Oroville Dam Spillway incident, created the need for the project because it:
- Caused dangerous conditions for recreational users,
- Made some boat launch facilities nearly unusable, and
- Hampered public safety as it affected emergency vessel launching capabilities.
The SBFCA retained ECORP to provide environmental services for dredging approximately 1.5 acres of invasive water primrose and approximately 3,400 cubic yards of sediment from the Live Oak Boat Ramp facility.
Services Provided for This Project:
ECORP conducted AB 52 Tribal consultation support for SBFCA, prepared biological and cultural resources technical studies, prepared an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration, and prepared permit applications for a Section 404 Nationwide permit from the USACE, Section 401 Water Quality Certification from the RWQCB, 1600 Streambed Alteration Agreement from CDFW, and construction lease from the California State Lands Commission.
ECORP also provided full permit compliance support throughout construction, including pre-construction surveys, fish exclusion, biological and water quality monitoring, and agency notifications and reporting.
Project Name: Emergency Levee Repairs, Reaches 14-16 of the Feather River West Levee.
Description:
ECORP provided Sutter Butte County Flood Control Agency (SBFCA) with support for cultural and biological resources, agency permitting, and Tribal liaison for the emergency repair of a 2.9-mile reach of the Feather River West Levee in Yuba City under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Operations, Maintenance, Repair, Replacement, and Rehabilitation authority. SBFCA obtained authorization to fill Waters of the United States under Regional General Permit (RGP) 8. Emergency repairs were required to protect 65,000 residents from levee breach in the 2017-2018 flood season.
The subject levee is in Yuba City on reaches 14 through 16 from Stations 927 to 1080, a reach that roughly encompasses the Feather River West Levee from Gilsizer Slough in the north to Whiteaker Hall in the south. This levee has a long and dangerous history of distress and failures dating back to 1875 and as recently as February 2017 (i.e., emergency operation of the Oroville Dam Service Spillway).
Services Provided for This Project:
ECORP provided environmental documentation and compliance services including regulatory permitting and emergency approvals under Sections 401 and 404 of the federal Clean Water Act, Section 408 authorizations, Section 7 of the federal ESA, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and Section 1600 of the California Fish and Game Code. ECORP staff worked closed with agency staff including the USACE, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), and California Office of Historic Preservation.
Environmental Consulting Services Provided
- Biological Resources Management Services
- Construction Monitoring Services
- CEQA and NEPA Documentation Services
- Wetlands and Waters Assessment and Delineation
- Botanical Services
- Threatened, Endangered, and Special-Status Species Surveys
- Habitat Restoration, Conservation, and Land Management Services
- Architectural History Services
- CEQA and NEPA Review, Documentation, and Processing Services
- Cultural Resources Management Services
- Native American Consultation Support Services
Summary List of Additional Projects
Project Name: Yuba City Boat Ramp Sediment Removal Project, Sutter and Yuba Counties.
Description and Services Provided for This Project:
Sediment buildup in portions of the Feather River, exacerbated by the 2017 Oroville Dam Spillway incident, created the need for the project because it:
- Caused dangerous conditions for recreational users,
- Made some boat launch facilities nearly unusable, and
- Hampered public safety as it affected emergency vessel launching capabilities.
The Project restored and improved access to the Feather River by removing sediment from the Yuba City Boat Ramp.
ECORP conducted AB 52 Tribal consultation support for SBFCA, prepared biological and cultural resources technical studies, and prepared an Environmental Impact Report for the Project. ECORP also assisted with obtaining regulatory permits/approvals, including Section 10 Rivers and Harbors Act Letter of Permission (USACE), Section 401 Water Quality Certification and Waste Discharge Requirement (RWQCB), Biological Opinion (NMFS), Letter of Concurrence (USFWS), 2081 Incidental Take Permit and 1602 Streambed Alteration Agreement (CDFW), and California States Land Commission Construction Lease.
ECORP also provided full permit compliance support throughout construction, including pre-construction surveys, biological and water quality monitoring, and agency notifications and reporting.
Project Name: Critical Repair of the Feather River West Levee to Laurel Avenue, Sutter County.
Description and Services Provided for This Project:
In 2017, ECORP was contracted by SBFCA to provide cultural and biological resources monitoring, air quality reporting, and compliance reporting during construction phases for a 1-mile section, including water-side and land-side toes, of the Laurel Avenue Critical Repairs Project, south of Yuba City, in Sutter County, California. The construction project consisted of a partial deconstruction of the levee, excavation followed by installation of a bentonite slurry deep wall in the levee centerline, and reconstruction of the levee. The purpose of the construction project is to protect and alleviate the levee from water damage and prevent valley properties west of the levee from flooding due to levee breaches; the purpose of monitoring was to satisfy cultural and biological resources requirements at the state and federal regulatory levels.
Cultural and biological resources monitoring was provided by ECORP beginning in July 2017. When necessary, cultural resources monitoring also involved identifying and recording archaeological sites or artifacts and working closely with construction and Tribal personnel. Biological resources monitoring was provided during most construction activities, including equipment movement. Various aspects of the biological resources monitoring included: biological considerations (e.g., giant garter snake [Thamnophis gigas], nesting birds, and other animals encroaching the Project Area, including deer, snakes [gopher snake, rattlesnake, and other garter snakes], rabbits, and raptors), as well as environmental considerations including dust control and vehicle maintenance issues and locations. Biological resources monitors were present for activities from July 2017 through early 2018.
Project Name: Sutter Basin Flood Risk Management Project, Sutter County.
Description and Services Provided for This Project:
SBFCA retained ECORP In 2017, to assist the agency in its partnership with the USACE in providing cultural resources and biological resources support, and agency permitting for approximately 5 miles of repairs of the Feather River West Levee between Cypress Avenue and Tudor Road in Sutter County, California. The Project Area is a component of the Sutter Basin Flood Risk Management Project. The primary purpose of the Sutter Basin Flood Risk Management Project is to reduce overall flood risk to the Sutter Basin. ECORP conducted an aquatic resources delineation, a habitat assessment for Valley elderberry longhorn beetle, prepared a cultural resources inventory report, prepared permit applications for a Section 401 Water Quality Certification from the RWQCB and 1602 Streambed Alteration Agreement from CDFW, and provided support with tribal consultation and Section 106 compliance.
