EMERGENCY FLOOD CONTROL AND BANK PROTECTION

NORTH FORK STILLAGUAMISH RIVER

OSO, SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WASHINGTON

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

1. Background. On J anuary 25, 2006, a large landslide occurred on the North Fork
Stillaguamish River near Oso, off of Highway 530 (T 32N, R 7E, NW part of Section 12) in
Snohomish County, Washington. The approximate size of the initial slide was 200 yards in
width by 200 yards in length. It completely blocked the existing channel of the North Fork
Stillaguamish. The blocked portion is a rather steep bend, resulting in the river cutting inside the
curve. Inside the bend of the river is a small private community of 10 homes. It was necessary
to take immediate action to protect the residences from flooding if a rainstorm was to raise river
flows.

Snohomish County Emergency Management responded and requested assistance from the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District (USACE). Action was taken to stabilize the bank and
train the river in a new channel.

2. Description of Action. This action is an emergency measure with followup action to further
stabilize the site and includes the following measures. After the slide pushed the river into
pastures on the left (south) bank, trees were mechanically uprooted along the upper 150 feet of a
new channel alignment, and the new channel was notched incrementally from downstream to
upstream. The upstream end of the new channel was opened to allow the river to enter it. A
450-foot stretch was stabilized with large rocks, on an incline of about 1.5V on 1H. J ust
downstream, along a 250-foot stretch, two groins of large woody debris were placed
perpendicularly into the bank in trenches about 5-feet wide by 4-feet deep, and cabled down
using extendable-fluke Manta Ray anchors and large rock. Sandbags were placed between the
woody groins, and willow shoots were planted between the layers of bags. The rootwads were
placed outward into the river channel. A log jam was placed in crisscross fashion on the inside
of the upstream end of the new channel to help keep the river from cutting into the corner. It was
placed on a rock foundation about 2.5 feet below the event water level, 30-feet long by 5-feet
wide. A log revetment at the downstream end was anchored with manta ray anchors. The slope
behind it consists of fill with smaller trees and woody debris, and some willows were planted in
the top of the bank.

A rock end-wall was placed at the upstream end of the rock revetment. It has about a 3H:1V
slope and is buried about five feet below existing ground line. Having such a line of defense
made of rock is important for future flood fights as it keeps the river from cutting behind the rock
revetment. Some trees were removed along the rock revetment to allow the construction
equipment access to the rivers edge. The top of bank along the rock revetment and log jam area
was hydroseeded and ecology blocks were put up to prevent it from being used as a road.



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A new road was built with 4x8 quarry spalls overlaid with 1-inch gravel. Sand bags were
placed near residences by the local fire department and the Snohomish County Department of
Emergency Management.

Following the emergency action, the Stillaguamish Tribe built a log revetment set back to the
right (north) of the new channel, bracing the toe of the slide. That was not part of the action
being evaluated in this EA.

In fall of 2006 a flood of record occurred, and the river migrated rightward (northward) to the
base of that revetment. A gravel bar was formed at the toe of the new rock revetment, effectively
setting the emergency bank armoring back from the river.

Snohomish County proposes mitigation at two sites.

Steelhead Haven: Since the new channel was created in early 2006, the channel has migrated
northward toward the cribwall and deposited a gravel bar between the emergency bank
protection structures and the thalweg. The gravel bar extends out from the riprap approximately
100 feet to the water during typical winter flows. The riprap forms the margin of the active
channel during higher flows.

The county will re-grade the bank at a 3-to-1 slope using materials from the gravel bar. The
bank currently is 8 to 10 feet above the gravel bar. Grading would be done from the gravel bar
by pushing material up to the bank using a bulldozer or similar piece of machinery. Snohomish
County will build a soil lift on the upper two feet of bank to provide a planting area. The front
edge of the planting area would be formed using logs anchored into the bank. Besides forming a
solid front edge to retain soils, the logs would protect the planting area during high water events.
The planting area will be approximately 10 to 15 feet wide and extend from the wood structure at
the upper end of the project area down to the wood structure at the lower end of the project,
approximately 600 feet. The plant community will comprise native woody vegetation typical of
disturbed areas and suited to growing in well-drained soils and full sun (conceptual plant list: red
alder, Douglas fir, snowberry and thimbleberry). The planting area will be covered with three to
four inches of wood chip mulch to assist plant establishment by providing erosion control,
protection against weed establishment, and moisture retention. The area will be monitored and
maintained for 10 years to ensure establishment of native species and control of invasive species.
The area is already being treated for control of J apanese knotweed as part of a larger control
effort within the basin.

Chatham Acres: Chatham Acres is located several miles upstream from the Steelhead Haven
site on the North Fork Stillaguamish. The 23-acre site is armored by 4 rock groins and riprap
between the groins. The bank was armored in 2000 to protect homes from high flows. The
Chatham Acres development was purchased by Snohomish County several years ago as part of a
Flood Emergency Prevention grant. All of the homes have been removed, and the site is being

restored by Snohomish Countys Surface Water Management Native Plant Program. The site is
on the inside of the meander bend, mostly forested, and has a large side channel complex that
cuts across the site.
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Snohomish County will remove three of the four rock groins, 200 feet of large randomly spaced
rock, and 100-foot sections of rock between groins 1 and 2 and between groins 3 and 4.
Combined, over 450 lineal feet of rock will be removed. In order to access these areas, an
overgrown access road would need to be cleared. This road was used in 2000 when the rock was
placed and is mostly vegetated with Himalayan blackberry. Rock removal would be done from
the banks, and minimal in-water work is anticipated. All disturbed areas will be planted with
native woody vegetation. These plantings would not be monitored and maintained as those at
Steelhead Haven but would be included in the revegetation efforts at the site by the Native Plant
Program.

3. Summary of Impacts. Main impacts of the preferred alternative include the following, none
of which are considered significant:

Short-term stabilization of river channel
Unquantifiable contribution to global climate change through machinery exhaust emissions
Prevention of channel migration leftward toward residential area
Short-term sediment loading (though possibly less than with no action)
Minor short-term impacts to air quality due to exhaust emissions
Stabilization which might promote regrowth of vegetation and forest
Short-term impact on fish habitat and, therefore, fish production including loss of shade,
cover, and insect and organic input; also short-term sedimentation
Relatively quick re-establishment of a migration channel compared to the no-action
alternative
Short-term loss of riparian habitat for birds and mammals including a feeding and migration
corridor
Likely adverse effects to species listed under the Endangered Species Act including Puget
Sound Chinook, Puget Sound steelhead, and Coastal/Puget Sound bull trout, for which
mitigation is proposed
Minor effects to esthetics

4. Permits and Approvals.

a. ESA. The ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544), amended in 1988, establishes a national program
for the conservation of threatened and endangered species of fish, wildlife, and plants and the
habitat upon which they depend. Section 7(a) of the ESA requires that Federal agencies consult
with the USFWS and NMFS (Services), as appropriate, to ensure that their actions are not likely
to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered or threatened species or to adversely modify
or destroy their critical habitats.

The emergency action may have adversely affected Puget Sound Chinook, Chinook critical
habitat, Puget Sound steelhead, Coastal/Puget Sound bull trout, and bull trout critical habitat.
Separate biological assessments were prepared and sent to NMFS and the USFWS, outlining
likely adverse effects and initiating formal consultation, in letters dated J anuary 31 and March
13, 2008, respectively. The Services provided to the Corps a joint Biological Opinion dated
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J une 30, 2008 for the emergency action and follow-on mitigation actions. The County will
physically implement actions recommended by NMFS and USFWS for retention of emergency
features and implementation of mitigation actions.

The Corps will add special conditions as follows from the Biological Opinion through its review
and approval process under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act when it receives a permit
application from Snohomish County for retention of emergency features and implementation of
mitigation actions.

Conservation Recommendations:

1. Monitor and maintain both sites (Oso slide and Chatham Acres) to ensure success of
newly planted vegetation.

2. Please notify both the NMFS and the USFWS if the COE carries out any of these
recommendations so that we will be kept informed of actions that minimize or avoid adverse
effects and those that benefit listed species or their designated critical habitats.

Reasonable and Prudent Measures:

1. The COE shall ensure that incidental take from project construction activities within the
OHWL, including downstream turbidity, is minimized.

2. The COE shall ensure that incidental take from shoreline and channel modification is
minimized.

3. The COE shall ensure completion of a monitoring and reporting program to confirm that
this Opinion is meeting its objective of limiting the extent of take and minimizing take from
permitted activities, per (50 CFR 402.14(i)(1)(iv) and (I)(3).

Terms and Conditions:

1. To implement Reasonable and Prudent Measure No. 1, the COE shall ensure that:
a. Any in-water work is conducted during the most current WDFW approved in-water
work window.
b. Erosion control T&Cs, including conservation measures and best management
practices, are monitored and corrective action will be taken, if necessary, to ensure the protection
of riparian areas and waterways.

2. To implement Reasonable and Prudent Measure No. 2, the COE shall ensure that planting
plans for disturbed areas are designed to provide successful establishment of native vegetation on
site in the long-term. These plans should be provided to the Services for review following
planting.

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3. To implement Reasonable and Prudent Measure No. 3, the COE shall ensure that a report
documenting implementation of the action as proposed and compliance with the terms and
conditions indicated above is completed. This report shall include the estimated areas of
disturbance and volumes of removal and fill. The report will include dates and times of activities,
by activity type. The report should include photographs of the project area before, during, and
after construction. The report should also include the level of incidental take that has been
observed, including captured, distressed, or dead bull trout or Chinook salmon. All required
reports shall be submitted to the Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Office and Washington
State Habitat Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service within one year of project
completion.

b. Clean Water Act. The Federal action was undertaken to prevent imminent loss of
property in an emergency. Snohomish County will apply for permits under Sections 401 and 404
of the Clean Water Act for emergency features to be retained and for implementation of
mitigation actions. A Section 404 analysis for the emergency action is appended to this
Environmental Assessment.

c. Coastal Zone Management Act, and Snohomish County Unified Development Code. A
CZMA consistency determination is appended to the Environmental Assessment and concludes
that the emergency activities comply with the policies, general conditions, and activities as
specified in the Washington Shoreline Management Program (Washington Administrative Code
173-27-040), and the Snohomish County plan (Snohomish County Unified Development Code,
Sec. 30-44.110). The emergency action is considered to be consistent to the maximum extent
practicable with the State of Washington Shoreline Management Program and policies and
standards of the Snohomish County Unified Development Code. As part of its permit
application under the Clean Water Act Section 404 and the Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10,
Snohomish County will seek concurrence on this determination, and obtain all necessary permits
for permanent retention of emergency and follow-on features, including mitigation features.

d. National Historic Preservation Act. Section 106 of the NHPA (16 U.S.C. 470) requires
that Federal agencies evaluate the effects of Federal undertakings on historical, archeological,
and cultural resources and afford the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation opportunities to
comment on the proposed undertaking. The lead agency must examine whether feasible
alternatives exist that would avoid eligible cultural resources. If an effect cannot reasonably be
avoided, measures must be taken to minimize or mitigate potential adverse effects. An
evaluation was conducted, and is referenced in this document. No listed properties or
archeological resources are known in the project area. A letter was sent to the Stillaguamish
Tribe on September 26, 2006, soliciting information or concerns on historic properties that may

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