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Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Cross Cascade Pipeline 

September 1998

Lead Agencies:

U.S.D.A. Forest Service
Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council

Prepared in Compliance with
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
and the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)

Viewing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

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  • Please read the Letter to Reviewers and the Fact Sheet for information about the draft EIS, location of public meetings, comment period, and other important information.

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List of commenters to DEIS. EFSEC has prepared an Excel file that lists the 1,774 persons, governmental agencies, tribes, and organizations that submitted comments or postcards to the DEIS.  The file includes the number of pages that were submitted by each commented.

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Table of Contents

Page

Reader's Guide to EIS Conventions 

RG-1

Summary 

S-1

Chapter 1. Purpose and Need 

1-1

1.1 INTRODUCTION

1-1

1.2 NEED FOR ACTION

1-2

1.2.1 Overview

1-2

1.2.2 History

1-4

1.2.3 Conclusion

1-5

1.3 PURPOSE AND NEED CRITERIA

1-5

1.4 BACKGROUND

1-6

1.4.1 Petroleum Supply and Demand in Washington State

1-6

1.4.2 Purpose and Need Considerations for the Project

1-7

1.4.3 Purpose and Need and the Public Interest

1-9

1.5 AGENCY ROLES AND DECISIONS TO BE MADE

1-11

1.6 RELEVANT FEDERAL AND STATE PLANS AND GUIDELINES

1-16

1.7 POTENTIAL USERS OF CROSS CASCADE PIPELINE PROJECT

1-17

Chapter 2. Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action 

2-1

2.1 INTRODUCTION

2-1

2.2 OVERVIEW OF EXISTING SETTING AND ACTION

2-1

2.2.1 Pipeline Capacity

2-2

2.2.2 Right-of-Way Requirements

2-2

2.3 PROPOSED ACTION: PETROLEUM PRODUCT PIPELINE

2-4

2.3.1 Ability to Meet the Purpose and Need

2-4

2.3.2 Description of Corridor Location and Project Features

2-5

2.3.3 Construction

2-15

2.3.4 Operation

2-29

2.3.5 Construction and Operational Costs

2-31

2.3.6 Mitigation Associated with the Proposed Action

2-33

2.4 NO ACTION

2-33

2.4.1 Ability of the No Action Alternative to Meet the Purpose and Need

2-33

2.4.2 Description of No Action

2-35

2.5 PROJECT SITING OPTIONS

2-45

2.5.1 Columbia River Approach Options

2-45

2.5.2 Columbia River Crossing Options

2-45

2.5.3 Pipeline Micrositing Options

2-47

2.5.4 Terminal Site Options

2-49

2.5.5 Pump Station Site Options

2-51

2.6 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATIED FROM DETAILED STUDY

2-52

2.6.1 Project Alternatives

2-53

2.6.2 Project Corridor Alternatives

2-59

Chapter 3. Affected Environment, Environmental Consequences, and
                  Mitigation Measures

3.1-1

3.1 INTRODUCTION  

3.1-1

3.2 GEOLOGY, SOILS, AND SEISMICITY 

3-3

3.2.1 Affected Environment

3-3

3.2.2 Environmental Consequences

3-22

3.2.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-35

3.3 BOTANICAL RESOURCES 

3-39

3.3.1 Affected Environment

3-39

3.3.2 Environmental Consequences

3-52

3.3.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-63

3.4 WETLANDS  

3-65

3.4.1 Affected Environment

3-65

3.4.2 Environmental Consequences

3-70

3.4.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-78

3.5 WILDLIFE 

3-81

3.5.1 Affected Environment

3-81

3.5.2 Environmental Consequences

3-94

3.5.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-104

3.6 WATER

3-109

3.6.1 Affected Environment

3-109

3.6.2 Environmental Consequences

3-125

3.6.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-143

3.7 FISHERIES

3-147

3.7.1 Affected Environment

3-147

3.7.2 Environmental Consequences

3-160

3.7.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-172

3.8 AIR QUALITY

3-175

3.8.1 Affected Environment

3-175

3.8.2 Environmental Consequences

3-179

3.8.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-185

3.9 NOISE

3-187

3.9.1 Affected Environment

3-187

3.9.2 Environmental Consequences

3-190

3.9.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-192

3.10 TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION

3-193

3.10.1 Affected Environment

3-193

3.10.2 Environmental Consequences

3-196

3.10.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-200

3.11 CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES

3.-203

3.11.1 Affected Environment

3.-203

3.11.2 Environmental Consequences

3.-212

3.11.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3.-213

3.12 LAND AND SHORELINE USE

3-215

3.12.1 Affected Environment

3-215

3.12.2 Environmental Consequences

3-223

3.12.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-236

3.13 AGRICULTURE

3-237

3.13.1 Affected Environment

3-237

3.13.2 Environmental Consequences

3-240

3.13.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-243

3.14 RECREATION

3-245

3.14.1 Affected Environment

3-245

3.14.2 Environmental Consequences

3-254

3.14.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-258

3.15 VISUAL QUALITY AND AESTHETICS

3-259

3.15.1 Affected Environment

3-259

3.15.2 Environmental Consequences

3-267

3.15.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-280

3.16 SOCIOECONOMICS

3-281

3.16.1 Affected Environment

3-281

3.16.2 Environmental Consequences

3-287

3.16.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-297

3.17 PUBLIC SERVICES AND UTILITIES

3-301

3.17.1 Affected Environment

3-301

3.17.2 Environmental Consequences

3-315

3.17.3 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-326

3.18 HEALTH AND SAFETY

3-327

3.18.1 Affected Environment

3-327

3.18.2 Environmental Consequences

3-334

3.18.3 Oil Spill Scenarios

3-346

3.18.4 Additional Proposed Mitigation Measures

3-348

Chapter 4. Irreversible or Irretrievable Commitments of Resources

4-1

4.1 INTRODUCTION

4-1

4.2 PROJECT IMPACTS

4-1

4.3 NO ACTION

4-2

Chapter 5. Consultation and Coordination

5-1

References

R-1

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

AC-1

Glossary

G-1

List of Preparers/Reviewers

LIST OF PREPARERS

P-1

LIST OF REVIEWERS

P-3

Distribution List

D-1

Index

I-1

Appendix A.  Spill Risk Information

Appendix B.  Wetland Impact Information

Appendix C.  Mitigation Measures and Best Management Practices

Appendix D.  Fisheries Information for Pipeline Waterway Crossings

Appendix E.  Evaluation of Micrositing Options and Alternative Routes

EIS Map Supplement

Top of page

 

List of Tables

Table Page

S-1

Overview of Permit, Approval, and Consultation Requirements for the Proposed Pipeline Project

S-2

S-2

Evaluation of Constructing the Columbia River Approach Options

S-7

S-3

Columbia River Crossing Options Evaluated in the EIS

S-9

S-4

Summary of Moderate to Major Construction Impacts and Mitigation for Proposal and No Action

S-15

S-5

Summary of Moderate to Major Operation Impacts and Mitigation for Proposal and No Action

S-25

1-1

Permit, Approval, and Consultation Requirements for the Proposed Pipeline Project

1-12

2-1

Summary of Right-of-Way Requirements by County, Proposed Pipeline Project

2-3

2-2

Summary of Right-of-Way Ownerships

2-4

2-3

Block Valve Locations, Proposed Pipeline Project

2-12

2-4

Exclusionary Periods for Construction and Operational Activities for the Proposed Action

2-17

2-5

Summary of Major Rivers and Unique Crossing Construction Methods, Proposed Pipeline Project

2-22

2-6

Hydrostatic Testing Cross-Country Segments

2-27

2-7

Achievable Flow Rates

2-31

2-8

Pipeline Project Costs, by County

2-32

2-9

Estimated Costs of Transporting Petroleum Products under the No Action and Proposed Project Alternatives

2-33

2-10

Central and Eastern Washington Product Transport Demand 1996 - 2019

2-38

2-11

Volume of Product Transported into Central and Eastern Washington by Pipeline, Truck and Barge, 1987-1996

2-42

2-12

Initial Columbia River Crossing Options Evaluated

2-46

2-13

Evaluation of Terminal Site Options

2-50

2-14

Transportation Costs of Alternatives

2-56

2-15

Alternative Pipeline Route Evaluation Summary

2-61

3.2-1

Geology and Geomorphology along Pipeline Corridor

3-4

3.2-2

Mass Wasting Inventory

3-10

3.2-3

Liquefaction Susceptibility

3-20

3.2-4

Mass Wasting Hazard Assessment

3-29

3.3-1

Common and Scientific Names of Plant Species

3-40

3.3-2

Plant Communities Mapped in the One-Half-Mile Study Area and the Major Vegetation Zones in Which They Occur

3-41

3.3-3

Shrub-Steppe Plant Communities Mapped in the 200-Foot Study Corridor

3-44

3.3-4

Sensitive Plant Species and USFWS Species of Concern that Occur, or Have the Potential to Occur in the One-Half-Mile Study Area Based on Database Information

3-46

3.3-5

Size and Location of Sensitive Plant Species Populations Observed During Field Surveys in the 200-Foot-Wide Study Corridor

3-48

3.3-6

Survey and Manage Lichen and Fungi Species that have been Collected or Known to Occur in the Snoqualmie Pass Area

3-49

3.3-7

Pipeline Construction Impact Area on Plant Communities Within the 60-Foot-Wide Construction Corridor

3-53

3.3-8

Pipeline Construction Impact Area on Shrub-Steppe Plant Communities Within the 60-Foot- Wide Construction Corridor

3-55

3.3-9

Operational Impact Area on Plant Communities Within the 30-Foot-Wide Maintenance Corridor

3-59

3.4-1

Common and Scientific Names of Plant Species Mentioned in Section 3.4 - Wetlands

3-65

3.4-2

Number of Wetlands within the 30-Foot Construction Corridor by Category in Eastern and Western Washington

3-68

3.4-3

Summary of Area of Impact by Wetland Vegetation Class and by County

3-70

3.5-1

Threatened and Endangered Species Evaluated in the Vicinity of the Proposed Pipeline Project

3-82

3.5-2

Sensitive Animal Species that Are Not Significant Elements of the Affected Environment for the Proposed Pipeline Project

3-87

3.5-3

Sensitive Animal Species Likely Present in the Vicinity of the Proposed Pipeline Project

3-89

3.5-4

General Habitat Types and Examples of Typical Common Wildlife Species within Proposed Pipeline Corridor

3-92

3.6-1

Surface Water Characteristics Along the Proposed Pipeline Corridor

3-113

3.6-2

Aquifer Types and Associated Issues of Concern

3-120

3.6-3

Groundwater Sensitivity and Potential Impact Rating Criteria

3-135

3.6-4

Groundwater Conditions along Proposed Pipeline Corridor

3-138

3.7-1

Presence and Status of Fish that Occur in the Proposal Areas

3-148

3.7-2

Proposed Invasive Stream Crossing Sites with Salmonid Spawning Habitat Present at or just Downstream of Site

3-162

3.7-3

Construction Timing of Stream Crossings

3-163

3.8-1

National and State of Washington Ambient Air Quality Standards

3-176

3.9-1

Maximum Permissible Environmental Noise Levels (dBA) Ecology and King/ Snohomish County Combined

3-187

3.9-2

Weighted Sound Levels and Human Response

3-188

3.10-1

Summary of Right-of-Way Ownerships

3-193

3.11-

1 Indian Groups Contacted by OPL or the USFS

3-205

3.11-2

Sites Identified Within the 200 ft Survey Corridor

3-209

3.11-3

Isolates Identified Within the 200 ft Survey Corridor

3-211

3.12-1

Existing Land Uses Onsite and Adjacent to Pump Stations and Terminal

3-218

3.12-2

Evaluation of Proposal's Consistency with Relevant Federal and State Plans

3-230

3.12-3

Proposal's Consistency with Relevant Local Plans

3-232

3.13-1

Description of Agricultural Land Potentially Affected by Pipeline Project

3-238

3.14-

Public Campgrounds Located within 8 km of Pipeline Corridor

3-246

3.14-2

Non-Motorized Trails within 8 km of Pipeline Corridor

3-247

3.14.3

Community-Oriented Recreational Facilities within 8 km of Pipeline Corridor

3-248

3.14-4

Shoreline Access Points within 8 km of Pipeline Corridor

3-250

3.14-5

Campground Supply and Demand Levels

3-252

3.14-6

ROS Classification Descriptions

3-253

3.14-7

Campground Impacts

3-256

3.15-1

Summary of Affected Environment for Visual Resources, Proposed Pipeline Route

3-260

3.15-2

Summary of Visual Impacts Per Proposed Pipeline Route Segment

3-269

3.16-1

Population Distribution in the Pipeline Corridor Counties

3-282

3.16-2

Gender and Ethnic Group Distribution of the Pipeline Corridor County Populations

3-283

3.16-3

Employment and Income for the Pipeline Corridor Counties as of 1993

3-285

3.16-4

Proposal Area Socioeconomic Indicators

3-286

3.16-5

Projected Numbers of Transient Workers for Counties where the Pipeline would be Located

3-288

3.16-6

Preliminary Cost-Estimate Distribution by County for the Proposal

3-292

3.16-7

Construction Labor Loading

3-293

3.16-8

Estimated Annual Property Tax Revenues from the Proposal Listed by County

3-296

3.17-1

Police Department Staffing Levels in the Project Vicinity

3-302

3.17-2

Police Department Staffing Levels in the Kittitas Terminal Vicinity

3-303

3.17-3

Fire Districts/Departments in the Project Vicinity

3-304

3.17-4

Fire Districts/Departments in the Kittitas Terminal Vicinity

3-306

3.17-5

Ambulance Service Providers in the Project Vicinity

3-309

3.17-6

Ambulance Services Provided by the Ellensburg Fire Department in the Kittitas Terminal Vicinity

3-310

3.17-7

Acute Care Hospitals in the Project Vicinity

3-311

3.17-8

Acute Care Hospitals in the Kittitas Terminal Vicinity

3-312

3.17-9

Estimated Construction Material Quantity

3-320

3.18-1

Normalized Fatality Rates for Transportation Modes

3-330

3.18-2

Historical Spill Size Distributions from Truck Releases

3-332

3.18-3

U.S. Pipeline Failures by Cause

3-337

3.18-4

Proposed Pipeline Project Failure Rates

3-338

3.18-5

Estimated Spills per Year for the Proposed Project

3-338

3.18-6

Time Required for Detection of Pipeline Leaks by a Modern Computer-Supported Leak Detection System

3-339

3.18-7

Projected Spills and Fatalities Due to Trucking   Under the No Action Alternative

3-342

3.18-8

Projected Spills Due to Barge Operations Under the No Action Alternative

3-345

Top of page

List of Figures

Figure Page

S-1

Project Location

S-1

1-1

Existing Petroleum Product Shipping and Pipelines in Washington State

1-3

2-1

Project Location follows

2-2

2-2

Thrasher Station

2-7

2-3

North Bend Station and Stampede Station

2-8

2-4

Kittitas Terminal Site Plan

2-10

2-5

Typical Block Valve Layout

2-11

2-6

Snoqualmie Pass Trail Tunnel Cross Section - Looking East

2-16

2-7

Typical Railroad Crossing

2-20

2-8

Typical Dry or Flumed Stream and Equipment Crossing

2-23

2-9

Typical Diverted Stream Crossing

2-24

2-10

Wooden Bridge Crossing Detail

2-25

2-11

Alternative Routes for Yakima Training Center and Columbia River Crossings

follows 2-46

3.2-1

Epicenters and Dates of Larger Pacific Northwest Earthquakes

3-17

3.4-1

Wetland Locations from Thrasher Pump Station to Mile Post 27

follows 3-66

3.4-2

Wetland Locations from Mile Post 27 to Northwest Terminalling Company

follows 3-66

3.6-1

Physiographic Provinces and Water Resource Inventory Area Boundaries

follows 3-110

3.6-2

Climate and Landform Features of Physiographic Provinces Bisected by Proposed Pipeline and Typical Runoff Patterns of Natural Streams Draining Land within Those Provinces

3-111

3.6-3

Number of Channel Crossings by Method in Each WRIA

3-126

3.10-1

Roads in the Project Vicinity

3-194

3.10-2

Railroads in the Project Vicinity

3-197

3.12-1

Existing Land Uses in Columbia River Vicinity

follows 3-216

3.12-2

Existing Land Uses at the Thrasher Pump Station Site

3-219

3.12-3

Existing Land Uses at the North Bend Pump Station Site

3-220

3.12-4

Existing Land Uses at the Kittitas Terminal

3-221

3-14.1

Approximate Locations of Recreational Facilities in Project Vicinity

follows 3-246

3-14.2

U.S. Forest Service Recreational Opportunity Spectrum Designations

follows 3-252

3-14.3

Parks and Recreation Facilities in the Vicinity of the Columbia River and Yakima Training Center Crossing Alternatives

follows 3-258

3.15-1

Existing and Simulated Views of Pipeline Right-of-Way Through Rangeland

3-268

3.15-2

Existing View North Bend Pump Station

3-274

3.15-3

Simulated View North Bend Pump Station

3-275

3.15-4

Existing View Beverly-Burke Pump Station

3-276

3.15-5

Simulated View Beverly-Burke Pump Station

3-277

3.15-6

Existing and Simulated Views, Kittitas Terminal

follows 3-278

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