17 minute read
Figure 3.12-1. Viewshed Analysis and KOPs
Figure 3.12-1. Viewshed Analysis and KOPs
This page intentionally left blank.
3.12.2.7 Construction and Operational Impacts
For the purposes of this analysis, the effects of Project construction and operation on visual and aesthetic resources in the study area were assessed based on a comparison of predicted change caused by the Project with the scenic quality inventory of the study area. The results are based on consideration of existing scenic quality rating/scores, existing landscape character, presence or absence of introduced features (roadways, transmission lines, fences, agriculture, etc.), and the potential effect of the Project as either a new or additional modification.
Construction activities will create visual and aesthetic impacts for the duration of those activities, including the presence and visibility of construction equipment, materials, and personnel; construction staging and laydown areas; and vegetation clearing. Operations will create visual and aesthetic impacts from above-ground Project features, including the bridge, access roads, lower reservoir intake structure, upper reservoir, penstock, and transmission line. Additional information is presented by KOP as follows.
During construction, daytime Project activities will be visible from KOP 1 due to the close 0.3-mile distance from the Project. Construction will result in temporary increases in traffic along area roads, including Seminoe Road, but it is already a highly traveled route and as such, impacts will be minor from a visual impact perspective. Nighttime construction activities may introduce temporary lighting; existing lighting is limited but is present from nearby Seminoe State Park developments and dam facilities.
A simulation of KOP 1 is depicted in Appendix K. Based on this simulation, the new bridge over Seminoe Tailrace (north of Seminoe Dam) would be visible. Vegetation and water visibility is not anticipated to measurably change because of the new bridge. Color, as depicted, blends in with lighter exposed natural surfaces and is consistent with the dam and other introduced features. Texture is fine when compared to the coarseness of the surrounding undeveloped hillsides and is consistent with the smooth dam texture. The bridge introduces a new horizontal line and vertical lines to the landscape, which is mountainous, but similar to the line provided by the dam and area access roads. The new bridge as depicted, contrasts with adjacent natural scenery of rocky mountainsides but is consistent with the dam and access roads.
While the bridge adds another introduced cultural modification to the landscape, this view is already highly modified due to Seminoe Dam structure and associated access roads. The level of change from the Project would be low, and as depicted would meet VRM Class II objectives.
3.12.2.9 KOP 2: Seminoe State Park, North Red Hills
During construction, Project activities will be visible, but due to the approximately 0.8-mile distance, activities will appear as weak contrast and not attract attention. Nighttime construction activities may introduce temporary lighting; existing lighting is limited but is present from nearby Seminoe State Park developments and dam facilities.
A simulation of KOP 2 is depicted in Appendix K. Based on this simulation, the new transmission line would be visible. Two steel lattice towers are depicted on the left side of the simulation along the skyline; note that two existing lattice towers are also visible along the skyline. The lattice towers introduce new vertical features to the landscape. Changes in vegetation and water visibility are not anticipated to occur from the Project transmission line. Color as depicted for the transmission line generally blends in with the tans and greens visible at the base of the mountains, across Seminoe Reservoir, with the lattice towers providing a contrast to the skyline. Texture is fine and blends with the surrounding area. The transmission line introduces a new horizontal line to the landscape, at contrast to the mountainside, but is consistent in form to the base of the mountains where landform is more rolling. The new transmission line provides weak contrast to the surrounding natural scenery of the mountains and rolling foothills.
While the transmission line adds another introduced cultural modification to the landscape, the view already contains such features, including the outbuilding, fencing, and transmission lines. The level of change from the Project would be low, and as depicted would meet VRM Class II objectives.
3.12.2.10 KOP 3: Seminoe Reservoir Viewpoint
During construction, daytime Project activities will be visible from KOP 3 due to the close 0.6-mile distance from the Project. Workers will result in temporary increases in traffic along area roads, including Seminoe Road, but it is already a moderately traveled route and as such, impacts will be minor from a visual impact perspective. Nighttime construction activities may introduce temporary lighting; existing lighting is limited but is present from nearby Seminoe State Park developments and dam facilities.
A simulation of KOP 3 is depicted in Appendix K. Based on this simulation, the lower intake structure in Seminoe Reservoir would be visible due to the low water elevation at the time of the site visit. Note that at full pool, only the top of the structure is anticipated to be visible. Vegetation and water visibility is not anticipated to measurably change from the lower intake structure or access. Color as depicted, blends in with the lighter exposed reservoir banks. Texture is fine when compared to the coarseness of the surrounding undeveloped hillsides and is consistent with the smooth texture of the exposed reservoir banks. Line is similar to existing reservoir banks and is consistent with the coves present along the edge of the reservoir.
The lower intake structure adds an introduced cultural modification to the landscape, which is not present outside of some existing visible access roads. However, such changes should not attract the attention of the casual observer, especially during normal water levels when the majority of the lower intake structure would be covered with water. The basic elements of form, line, color, and texture found in the surrounding areas (particularly the character of the exposed reservoir banks) would be repeated by the lower intake structure as depicted in this simulation. As such, VRM Class II objectives would be met.
3.12.2.11 KOP 4: Seminoe Tailrace
During construction, Project activities will be visible due to the immediate proximity to the Project. Workers will result in temporary increases in traffic and presence within the area for bridge and access road construction and may impede recreational use of the North Platte River in this location. Impacts will be moderate to high from a visual impact perspective. Nighttime construction activities may introduce temporary lighting; existing lighting is limited but is present from nearby Seminoe State Park developments and dam facilities.
A simulation of KOP 4 is depicted in Appendix K. Based on this simulation, the new bridge over the river would be visible and a prominent introduced feature. Some vegetation removals would be anticipated for bridge construction, however, for the most part existing vegetation would be unchanged. Visibility of the waterbody is not anticipated to measurably change because of the new bridge but may be slightly obscured by new pilings. Color as depicted, contrasts with the tans of the mountains but is consistent with lighter surfaces. Texture is fine when compared to the coarseness of the surrounding mountainsides. The bridge introduces a strong horizontal line to the landscape, which is mountainous. The new bridge as depicted provides a strong contrast with the adjacent natural scenery of rocky mountainsides, evergreen trees, and the North Platte River.
The bridge adds a prominent introduced cultural modification to the landscape. Such changes would attract the attention of the casual observer. Form, line, color, and texture contrast with the surrounding areas as depicted in this simulation. As such, VRM Class II objectives would not be met.
3.12.2.12 KOP 5: Bennett Mountains WSA
During construction, Project activities will be visible and create short-term impacts from the presence and visibility of construction equipment, materials, and personnel and construction staging and laydown areas. The WSA is not heavily trafficked by recreators as it is closed to motorized vehicles. Furthermore, recreation within the WSA occurs primarily during the summer months and the WSA is prone to summer lightning strikes and occasional wildfires which may cause recreational closures. For recreators accessing the western edge of the WSA, a moderate to high visual impact is anticipated. Nighttime construction activities may introduce temporary lighting. Project operations will introduce permanent, minor sources of lighting.
A simulation of KOP 5 is depicted in Appendix K. Based on the simulation, the upper reservoir and associated penstock are visible in the foreground and appear in the simulation as a prominent horizontal feature. The straight lines of upper reservoir and penstock are bold when compared to the mountains, evergreen trees, and desert grasslands and dunes in the surrounding landscape. The tan color of upper reservoir and penstocks is consistent with the exposed rock of the mountains and grasslands but contrasts with the darker browns and greens of the vegetation, specifically the evergreen trees, in the surrounding area. The smooth and fine texture of the reservoir and penstocks also contrasts with the coarseness of the surrounding mountains.
The upper reservoir and penstock add prominent introduced cultural modifications to the landscape. Such changes would attract the attention of the casual observer. Form, line, color, and texture all contrast with the surrounding areas as depicted in this simulation. As such, VRM Class II objectives would not be met.
3.12.3 Cumulative Environmental Effects Related to Aesthetic Resources
As noted in Table 3.2-1, the geographic scope for aesthetic resources is lands within 0.5 mile of the Footprint of Potential Disturbance. Assessing the effect at the viewshed scale allows for the effect to be considered with other landscape features that could have an effect on visual resources. As detailed in Table 3.2-2, there are two projects that occur within the geographic scope for geologic and soil resources: 1) Gateway West Transmission Line Project, and 2) Gateway South Transmission Line Project. These projects tie into the existing Aeolus Substation, which represents less than 7 percent (approximately 462 acres) of the Project’s Footprint of Potential Disturbance and the only physical proximity between the Project and others within the geographic scope for potential effects on aesthetic resources.
Issues Identified for Analysis
Cumulative effects on aesthetic resources would result from incremental impacts on scenery and the viewsheds associated with public viewing areas based on the construction and operation of the Project in context with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions. The incremental impacts on landscapes and viewsheds would result from changes to the existing landform through earthwork including road construction, alteration of existing vegetation patterns due to vegetation management, and the introduction of man-made structures that typically would be incongruent or similar with existing features that define landscape character.
A cumulative effect on scenery would result from the industrialization of natural appearing landscapes through the construction of multiple projects and the alteration of the existing landscape’s characteristics, including landform, vegetation, water, color, adjacent scenery, scarcity, and cultural modification.
Cumulative effects would occur where viewers would perceive the alteration of the landscape components of landform, vegetation, and structure through the introduction of the Project in addition to present and future projects. Multiple transmission lines and structural components associated with Seminoe Dam are part of the existing environment in the geographic scope.
Results
Areas where transmission line projects would be co-located such that they are visually related (such as in the proposed Project), cumulative effects would be reduced or eliminated. Matching spans to the extent practicable and sharing construction and maintenance of access roads will further reduce cumulative effects. The Gateway West Transmission Line Project has completed construction (within the geographic scope) and
Gateway South Transmission Line Project is undergoing construction and is expected to be completed prior to Project construction.
Transmission lines associated with the Project are anticipated to be co-located adjacent to existing transmission lines. This will reduce the visual dominance of the transmission lines on the landscape since they will be viewed with other existing transmission lines. These projects are located at the eastern terminus of the Footprint of Potential Disturbance in an industrial area near Aeolus Substation. This is the only area of visual overlap between projects, and is an area heavily developed and currently impaired from an aesthetic perspective. Other direct effects from the Project are associated with the construction of the upper reservoir and bridge, neither of which are in the same viewshed as Aelous Substation. Therefore, while the Project anticipates direct effects on aesthetic resources, it does not anticipate cumulative impacts.
The Project’s reservoir, bridge, roads, and other aboveground facilities would add incrementally to the cumulative visual impacts based on past actions (creation of Seminoe Dam), but not future ones, as none are foreseeable. Cumulative visual impacts would dissipate the farther they occur from the Project.
3.12.4.1 Agency Consultation
The NOI and PAD for the proposed Project were filed with the FERC on April 20, 2020. Comments were received from several agencies including BLM and WGFD, and individual stakeholders. Black Canyon held a virtual joint public-agency meeting on July 21, 2020, and has continued consultation with stakeholders since that time. Black Canyon distributed its proposed resource study plans for the Project on August 3, 2020, and March 23, 2021. Black Canyon distributed the DLA on June 6, 2022. Responses to stakeholder comments and Black Canyon’s Record of Consultation are provided in Appendix A. BLM provided comments on aesthetic resources in their comments on the DLA. Responses to comments on the DLA are provided in Appendix L.
3.12.4.2 Applicant Recommendations
As described in Table 2.1-5, the following PM&Es are applicable to aesthetic resources:
• Outdoor Lighting Plan: Black Canyon proposes to develop a Project outdoor lighting plan to incorporate lighting design features that help minimize disturbance to wildlife species during construction and operation of the Project. • Visual Resources: Black Canyon proposes to:
o Use BLM environmental colors (Standard Environmental Colors, Color Chart CC001) for surface coatings of fences, gates, and other above-ground facility features. o Design the upper reservoir, bridge, and lower intake structure so that materials repeat and/or blend in with the existing form, line, color, and texture of the landscape to the extent feasible.
3.13 Socioeconomic Resources
3.13.1 Affected Socioeconomic Environment
The proposed Project is located in Carbon County, Wyoming, near the City of Rawlins. Tourism and recreation on public lands within Carbon County contribute to the custom, culture, and economy of the area (Carbon County 2021). Within Carbon County, tourism and recreation have remained centered around outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. Over time, guest ranches, resorts, outfitters, and outdoor tours have become popular tourism attractions. The recreational and tourism activities offered within Carbon County attracts people from other parts of Wyoming, other states, and other countries to the area (Carbon County 2021).
Natural and mineral resources are important economic factors in Carbon County. Agriculture has consistently been a main driver for the economy of the county, along with the timber industry which has decreased in more recent years; however, the sawmill in Saratoga remains open and provides employment opportunities for the area. Carbon County was named for its deposits of coal, and coal mining once provided jobs to hundreds of people, particularly near Hanna. However, no coal mines are currently operating in the county. The local economy has several stabilizing influences such as employment opportunities created by the Wyoming State Penitentiary, the presence of a major eastwest interstate, and the continued operation of the Union Pacific Railroad. However, household income, per capita income, and average wages within Carbon County fall short of the trends identified throughout the State of Wyoming (Carbon County 2021).
The socioeconomic management goals of the BLM Rawlins RMP include the following:
1. Provide opportunities to develop national energy resources on BLM-administered lands within the RMPPA; 2. Provide opportunities to develop resources other than those related to energy (e.g., grazing, recreation, wildlife, fisheries, and tourism) on BLM-administered lands within the RMPPA; and 3. Provide opportunities to sustain the cultural, social, and economic viability of local and regional communities by using decision review processes that include considerations of various potential impacts of BLM decisions, including housing, employment, population, fiscal impacts, social services, cultural character, and municipal utilities (BLM 2008b). 3.13.1.1 Population and Demographics
The state of Wyoming has a land area of 97,093 square miles, a population of 578,803 (2021 census estimate), and an average population density of 6.0 persons per square mile. Data show that the population in Wyoming is 49.1 percent female and 50.9 percent male; 23.1 percent of the population is under the age of 18 years and 17.1 percent of the population is over the age of 65 (U.S Census Bureau 2010; 2020; 2021).
Carbon County has a land area of 7,897 square miles, a population of 14,537 (2020 census estimate), and 1.8 persons per square mile. The population in Carbon County is
46.8 percent female and 53.2 percent male; 22.7 percent of the population is under the age of 18 years and 18.0 percent of the population is over the age of 65 (U.S Census Bureau 2010; 2020).
The City of Rawlins is the county seat of Carbon County and is the largest commercial and population center in the Project vicinity. The City of Rawlins has a land area of 8.24 square miles, a population of 8,221 (2020 census estimate), which accounts for approximately 57 percent of the County’s population (14,537). The population in Rawlins is 45.3 percent female and 54.7 percent male; 25.1 percent of the population is under the age of 18 years and 11 percent of the population is over the age of 65 (U.S Census Bureau 2010; 2020).
From 2010 to 2020, the populations of Carbon County and Rawlins have decreased while the overall population of the state of Wyoming increased from 563,626 to 576,851 persons (U.S Census Bureau 2010; 2020; 2021). The population in the state of Wyoming is nearly 83.7 percent White, with Black or African American (1.3 percent), American Indian and Alaska Native (2.7 percent), Asian (1.1 percent), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander populations (0.1 percent), and Hispanic or Latino (10.1 percent) (U.S Census Bureau 2020; 2021). Carbon County is also primarily white (76.9 percent) as is the City of Rawlins (68.7 percent) (U.S Census Bureau 2020). Compared to the U.S. as a whole, racial diversity is low in Carbon County and throughout the state of Wyoming. Table 3.13-1 compares population data for the City of Rawlins, Carbon County, and the state of Wyoming, and includes information related to the gender, age, and racial composition of these populations.
Table 3.13-1. City of Rawlins, Carbon County, and State of Wyoming Population Data (2010 & 2020) City of Rawlins Carbon County Wyoming Population
Population (2010) 9,259 Population (2020) 8,221 Population Change (2010 to 2020) Population (2021) -12.6%
N/A
Gender
15,885 14,537 -9.3%
N/A 563,626 576,851 2.3%
578,803
Female
Male
Persons under 5 years old Persons under 18 years old Persons 65 years old and over 45.3%
54.7%
7.3%
25.1%
11.0%
Age
46.8%
53.2%
6.4%
22.7%
18.0% 49.1%
50.9%
6.0%
23.1%
17.1%
White
Black or African American
American Indian and Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
City of Rawlins Carbon County Wyoming
Race (2021)
68.7% 76.9% 83.7%
1.5% 1.2% 1.3%
1.9% 1.8% 2.7%
1.3%
0.1% 1.0%
0.1% 1.1%
0.1%
Hispanic or Latino 25.8% Two or More Race 3.3% 18.5%
1.9%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2010; 2020; 2021. N/A = Not available. 3.13.1.2 Housing and Income
10.1%
2.2%
The estimated number of households in the City of Rawlins was 3,327 with an average of 2.40 persons per household (U.S. Census Bureau 2020). The median household income from 2016-2020, measured in 2020 dollars, was $70,255 (U.S. Census Bureau 2020). Carbon County had an estimated 6,226 households from 2016-2020 with an average of 2.30 persons per household (U.S. Census Bureau 2020). The median household income from 2016-2020, measured in 2020 dollars, was $62,423 (U.S. Census Bureau 2020). Wyoming had an estimated 233,231 households with an average of 2.43 persons per household and a median household income of $65,304 (U.S. Census Bureau 2020).
The percentages of the population living in poverty are as follows: City of Rawlins (12.3%), Carbon County (10.4%), and Wyoming (9.2%) (U.S. Census Bureau 2020).
3.13.1.3 Workforce, Industry, and Education 3.13.1.4 Employment
Based on 2022 Wyoming Labor Market Information and Bureau of Labor Statistics, the labor force in the state of Wyoming is currently made up of 292,216 people, with 9,717 people unemployed and 282,499 employed (Wyoming Department of Work Force Services 2022a). Wyoming’s unemployment rate has fallen from 4.0 percent in December 2021 to 3.8 percent in January 2022 (Wyoming Department of Work Force Services 2022b). Sectors such as construction, retail, trade, and professional & business services, transportation and warehousing, and government tend to fall in January due to winter weather and the end of holiday shopping season (Wyoming Department of Work Force Services 2022b). The decreasing rates suggest that unemployment rates are returning to more normal levels after being elevated during the COVID-19 pandemic (Wyoming Department of Work Force Services 2022b). According to Data USA, from 2018 to 2019, employment in Carbon County declined at a rate of -2.89 percent, from 7,500 employees to 7,300 employees (Data USA 2019).
