News Release Archive

Reclamation Releases a Draft Feasibility Report and Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero@usbr.gov

For Release: February 06, 2012

The Bureau of Reclamation today released a Draft Feasibility Report and Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation (Shasta Investigation), examining the potential to enlarge Shasta Dam and Reservoir to achieve multiple water resources purposes. The Shasta Investigation is one of five surface water storage studies included in the 2000 CALFED Bay-Delta Programmatic Record of Decision and is a continuing feasibility study under the authority of Public Law 96-375.

Shasta Dam, on the upper Sacramento River about 9 miles northwest of Redding, Calif., is 602 feet high with a current reservoir capacity of 4.55 million acre-feet. Reclamation completed construction of the dam and reservoir in 1944 for flood control, irrigation water supply, municipal and industrial water supply, hydropower generation, fish and wildlife conservation and navigation purposes.

The draft documents address the potential impacts, costs and benefits of the No Action alternative and five action alternatives evaluated to date. Reclamation and cooperating agencies are analyzing alternative dam raises from 6.5 to 18.5 feet and corresponding increases of reservoir storage from 256,000 to 634,000 acre feet. The documents are available on Reclamation’s website, http://www.usbr.gov/mp/slwri/documents.html.

With a commitment to transparency, Reclamation is releasing these documents to share the information generated since completion of the Plan Formulation Report in 2007. A complete Draft EIS will be prepared for formal public review and comment, consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as additional scientific information and understanding of the conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is developed and incorporated into the Shasta Investigation. A comprehensive public outreach effort will be part of the NEPA process.

For questions, please contact Katrina Chow, Project Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-700, Sacramento, CA 95825, or fax 916-978-5094 or e-mail kchow@usbr.gov. To request an electronic copy of the draft documents, please contact Louis Moore at 916-978-5106 (TTY 916-978-5608) or e-mail wmoore@usbr.gov. Copies of the documents may also be viewed at Reclamation’s Regional Library, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, 916-978-5593. For more information about the Shasta Investigation, please visit http://www.usbr.gov/mp/slwri/index.html.

# # #

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:

Draft Feasibility Report and Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation Website