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- Reclamation Releases Draft EA/FONSI for 2009 Drought Water Bank for Public Review and Comment
News Release Archive
Reclamation Releases Draft EA/FONSI for 2009 Drought Water Bank for Public Review and Comment
Media Contact:
Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, 03/05/2009 10:59
For Release: March 05, 2009
The Bureau of Reclamation has released a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the 2009 Drought Water Bank (Bank) for a 15-day public review. California is in its third critically dry year, and Reclamation's deliveries for all water uses - urban, agricultural, and environmental - are reduced for Water Year 2009; therefore, it is likely that some California water providers will need to supplement their supplies with water transfers from willing sellers. To help facilitate water transfers, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is proposing to initiate a 2009 Bank. DWR would purchase water from willing sellers upstream of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and the water would be transferred to buyers using State Water Project (SWP) or Central Valley Project (CVP) facilities. Reclamation approval of the proposed transfer of CVP water would be a Federal action which is subject to requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), requiring the development of an EA.
The Governor of California requested emergency drought assistance under the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 (Act), Public Law 102-250, as amended, and the Commissioner of Reclamation determined that emergency drought assistance is merited. Reclamation's Mid-Pacific Region would participate in the Bank pursuant to Section 101 of the Act to ensure that operations of the two projects can be coordinated effectively to maximize the movement of water from willing sellers to buyers. Reclamation would review and approve, as appropriate, proposed transfers of CVP water in accordance with the Interim Guidelines for the Implementation of Water Transfers under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) (http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvpia/3405a/index.html). The water would be made available for transfer through a combination of crop idling, crop substitution, groundwater substitution, and reservoir re-operation and would be available for purchase by public and private water providers in California based on certain needs criteria developed by DWR (http://www.water.ca.gov/drought/).
The Draft EA analyzes the potential upper limit of water that may be made available under the Bank in 2009; however, actual purchases would depend on hydrology, interested buyers, the amounts that sellers would be willing to transfer, and compliance with CVPIA transfer requirements. The Draft EA and Draft FONSI were developed to meet requirements of NEPA and are available for public review at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=3591. If you encounter problems accessing documents online, please call 916-978-5100 or e-mail ibr2mprpao@mp.usbr.gov.
Written comments on the Draft EA and Draft FONSI are due by close of business Thursday, March 19, 2009, and should be mailed to Ms. Becky Victorine, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-410, Sacramento, CA 95825, e-mailed to rvictorine@mp.usbr.gov, or faxed to 916-978-5290. For a copy of the documents or for additional information, please contact Ms. Victorine at 916-978-5050 or e-mail rvictorine@mp.usbr.gov.
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