United Water Conservation District’s Application for a Section 10(a)1(B) Incidental Take Permit

NOAA Fisheries is initiating a 30-day public comment period for an Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 10(a)(1)(B) Incidental Take Permit (ITP) application for United Water Conservation District’s (United) Freeman Diversion Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) including the Proposed Renovation, Operations, and Maintenance Activities at the Freeman Diversion, Ventura County, California.

The proposed application requests the issuance of an ESA ITP by NOAA Fisheries that would exempt take of the covered species incidental to the covered activities and implementation of the HCP Conservation Strategy. The covered NOAA Fisheries’ listed species is the endangered Southern California Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Covered activities include water diversion, operation, renovations, replacement, repair and maintenance of conveyance facilities and other existing infrastructure. To improve passage of endangered steelhead and renovate and expand the existing headworks of the Freeman Diversion, the applicant’s April 9, 2024, application proposes: (1) renovating the existing Denil fish ladder and diversion headworks; (2) resurfacing the diversion’s grade-control structure; (3) operating the fish-passage, water diversion, and sediment-management systems; (4) capturing and relocating steelhead; (5) expanding the off-channel water-conveyance infrastructure and diversion capacity to 750 cfs; (6) maintaining facilities and property; (7) developing conservation and monitoring programs; (8) restoring and enhancing habitat; and (9) implementing adaptive-management measures. The applicant seeks an ITP with a 50-year term to exempt take of endangered steelhead associated with the foregoing activities, which is described further in the applicant’s HCP. Additionally, the HCP specifies the steps that the applicant will undertake to avoid, minimize, mitigate, and monitor the impacts of the proposed activity and related take on endangered steelhead.

You may download the permit application and supporting documents (including the HCP) from the links below. As described in the Federal Register notice comments must be in electronic format only and submitted to the following email address: unitedwaterhcp.wcr@noaa.gov. To be considered comments must be received at the foregoing email address on or before August 29, 2024.