USBR finds no significant impact

A project to improve the pump-generator plant at Grand Coulee Dam will have no significant impact on the environment — or on the local school district, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation states in a formal paper.

The Bureau released its Finding of No Significant Impact and Final Environmental Assessment for the proposed John W. Keys, III Pump Generating Plant Modernization Project on April 12.

The Grand Coulee Dam School District had objected to not being notified and asked for input on the project, contending it could significantly impact district finances if it caused even minor increases in student population.

The Bureau concluded the with at most 32 extra employees on the project, that shouldn’t be an issue.

“Often, transient tradesmen and workers in these situations do not relocate their families to the temporary job location,” the Bureau responded in the paper, estimating that as many as 16 extra students could enroll.

That does not “rise to the level of a significant impact,” the Bureau concluded.