- Reclamation
- News & Multimedia
- News Releases
- News Release Archive
- Reclamation Releases Revised Draft EIS and Responses to Comments for Walker River Basin Acquisition Program
News Release Archive
Reclamation Releases Revised Draft EIS and Responses to Comments for Walker River Basin Acquisition Program
Media Contact:
Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero@usbr.gov
For Release: February 11, 2010
The Bureau of Reclamation has made available to the public the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Walker River Basin Acquisition Program (Acquisition Program). The Revised Draft EIS includes responses to public comments made on the July 2009 Draft EIS for the Acquisition Program. Reclamation has determined that compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is not required, and has submitted a Notice of Cancellation of the EIS to the Federal Register. Comments are not being solicited on the Revised Draft EIS and a Final EIS and Record of Decision will not be prepared. The Revised Draft EIS is for informational purposes only rather than for Reclamation decision making under NEPA.
Public Laws 109-103 and 111-85 direct Reclamation to provide funding for the Acquisition Program to the University of Nevada, Reno, or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The NFWF is administering the Acquisition Program. The funding will provide water to Walker Lake to improve the lake's ecology by acquiring from willing sellers, land, water appurtenant to the land, and related interests in the Walker River Basin in Nevada. Walker Lake is located near Hawthorne in western Nevada.
Reclamation decided that while NEPA compliance is not required, there was value in completing a Revised Draft EIS to disclose potential impacts of the Acquisition Program, and to respond to public comments on the July 2009 Draft EIS. The Revised Draft EIS analyzes a No Action Alternative and three acquisition alternatives; the NFWF is considering implementation of a combination of all three alternatives for their Acquisition Program.
The Revised Draft EIS may be viewed at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=2810. If you encounter problems accessing the document online, please call 916-978-5100, or e-mail mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov. The Revised Draft EIS may also be viewed at Reclamation's Lahontan Basin Area Office, Carson City; the Lyon County Main Office, Yerington; Mineral County Clerk's Office, Hawthorne; and the county libraries in Smith, Hawthorne, and Yerington. For additional information or copies of the Revised Draft EIS, please contact Mrs. Caryn Huntt DeCarlo at 775-884-8352, or e-mail chunttdecarlo@usbr.gov.
# # #
The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.
Relevant Link:
