[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 223 (Wednesday, November 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68912-68913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27372]
[[Page 68912]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[RR02054000, 14XR0680A1, RX021489433320900]
Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meetings for the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Central Valley Project
Municipal and Industrial Water Shortage Policy, Central Valley, CA
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation has made available for public review
and comment the Central Valley Project (CVP) Municipal and Industrial
Water Shortage Policy (M&I WSP) Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS). The Draft EIS addresses updating the CVP M&I WSP and
implementation guidelines. The CVP M&I WSP would be used by Reclamation
to: (1) Define water shortage terms and conditions for applicable CVP
M&I water service contractors, as appropriate; (2) establish CVP water
supply levels that, together with the M&I water service contractors'
drought water conservation measures and other water supplies, would
assist the M&I water service contractors in their efforts to protect
public health and safety during severe or continuing droughts; and (3)
provide information to M&I water service contractors for their use in
water supply planning and development of drought contingency plans.
DATES: Send written comments on the Draft EIS on or before January 12,
2015.
Four meetings to receive oral or written comments will be held on
the following dates:
Monday, December 8, 2014, 2-4 p.m., Sacramento,
California.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 6-8 p.m., Willows,
California.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014, 6-8 p.m., Fresno, California.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014, 6-8 p.m., Oakland,
California.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments or requests for copies to Mr. Tim
Rust, Bureau of Reclamation, Resources Management Division, 2800
Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, or via email to [email protected].
The meeting locations are:
Sacramento--Sacramento Inn and Conference Center, 1401
Arden Way, Sacramento, California 95825.
Willows--Veteran's Memorial Hall, 525 W. Sycamore Street,
Willows, California 95988.
Fresno--Piccadilly Inn Airport, 5113 E. McKinley Avenue,
Fresno, California 93727.
Oakland--Oakland Courtyard Airport, 350 Hegenberger Road,
Oakland, California 94621.
To request a compact disc of the Draft EIS, please contact Mr. Tim
Rust as indicated above, or call (916) 978-5516. The Draft EIS may be
viewed at Reclamation's Web site at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvp/mandi/index.html. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for locations where
copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tim Rust, Program Manager, Bureau
of Reclamation, via email at [email protected], or at (916) 978-5516; or
Mr. Michael Inthavong, Natural Resources Specialist, Bureau of
Reclamation, via email at [email protected], or at (559) 487-5295.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CVP is operated under Federal statutes
authorizing the CVP, and by the terms and conditions of water rights
acquired pursuant to California law. During any year, constraints may
occur on the availability of CVP water for M&I water service
contractors. The cause of the water shortage may be drought,
unavoidable causes, or restricted operations resulting from legal and
environmental obligations or mandates. Those legal and environmental
obligations include, but are not limited to, the Endangered Species
Act, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA), and conditions
imposed on CVP's water rights by the California State Water Resources
Control Board. The 2001 draft CVP M&I WSP, as modified by Alternative 1
B of the 2005 draft environmental assessment, establishes the terms and
conditions regarding the constraints on availability of water supply
for the CVP M&I water service contracts.
Allocation of CVP water supplies for any given water year is based
upon forecasted reservoir inflows and Central Valley hydrologic
conditions, amounts of storage in CVP reservoirs, regulatory
requirements, and management of Section 3406(b)(2) resources and refuge
water supplies in accordance with CVPIA. In some cases, M&I allocations
in water shortage years may differ between CVP divisions due to
regional CVP water supply availability, system capacity, or other
operational constraints.
The purpose of the update to the 2001 CVP M&I WSP, as modified by
Alternative 1 B of the 2005 draft environmental assessment, is to
provide detailed, clear, and objective guidelines for the distribution
of CVP water supplies during water shortage conditions, thereby
allowing CVP water users to know when, and by how much, water
deliveries may be reduced in drought and other low water supply
conditions.
The increased level of clarity and understanding that will be
provided by the update to the 2001 draft CVP M&I WSP is needed by water
managers and the entities that receive CVP water to better plan for and
manage available CVP water supplies, and to better integrate the use of
CVP water with other available non-CVP water supplies. The update to
the 2001 draft CVP M&I WSP is also needed to clarify certain terms and
conditions with regard to its applicability and implementation. The
proposed action is the adoption of an updated CVP M&I WSP and its
implementation guidelines.
The EIS analyzes five alternative actions. Alternative 1 is No
Action, and represents the current 2001 draft CVP M&I WSP, as modified
by Alternative 1 B of the 2005 Environmental Assessment, which is
currently guiding Reclamation's allocation of water to agricultural and
M&I water service contractors during water shortage years. Alternative
2, Equal Agricultural and M&I Allocation, provides M&I and agricultural
water service contractors with equal allocation percentages during
water shortage conditions. Alternative 3, Full M&I Allocation
Preference, provides M&I contractors with 100 percent of their contract
allocation until CVP supplies are not available to meet those demands,
while agricultural water service contractor deliveries are reduced as
needed. Alternative 4, Updated M&I WSP, modifies Alternative 1 to
provide a different definition of unconstrained years used in
calculating historical use, and provides higher level of deliveries to
M&I water service contractors by attempting to provide minimum public
health and safety (PH&S) unmet need amounts without a guarantee.
Alternative 5, M&I Contractor Suggested WSP, is similar to Alternative
4 but attempts to meet PH&S unmet need deliveries through modification
of operational priorities.
Public Review of Draft EIS
Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review at the
following locations:
1. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, Regional Library,
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825.
2. Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849
C Street
[[Page 68913]]
NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, DC 20240-0001.
Special Assistance for Public Meetings
If special assistance is required to participate in the public
meeting, please contact Mr. Louis Moore at (916) 978-5106, or via email
at [email protected]. Please contact Mr. Moore at least 10 working days
prior to the meeting. A telephone device for the hearing impaired (TDD)
is available at (916) 978-5608.
Public Disclosure
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Dated: October 28, 2014.
Pablo Arroyave,
Deputy Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-27372 Filed 11-18-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4332-90-P