Proposed Closure of Brannian Creek Hatchery: Environmental Impact Assessment

The purpose of this Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is to evaluate the potential impacts of closing the Brannian Creek kokanee hatchery located in South Bay Lake Whatcom. Due to a large budget deficit facing the state of Washington, the closure of several hatcheries managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has been proposed as a possible cutback measure. This EIA investigates the positive and negative impacts associated with the proposed action of hatchery closure, an alternative action and if no action was taken. The assessment of impacts was done in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The proposed action closes down all hatchery operations at the Brannian Creek facility. The alternative action integrates a phased closure of the Brannian Creek hatchery facility with the construction of artificial spawning channels in tributaries. If no action is taken then the Brannian Creek hatchery facility is left in full operation