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- Recirculation of Recaptured Water Year 2012 San Joaquin River Restoration Program Interim Flows
News Release Archive
Recirculation of Recaptured Water Year 2012 San Joaquin River Restoration Program Interim Flows
Media Contact:
Pet Luce, MP Region Public Affairs Officer, (916)978-5100, plucero@usbr.gov
For Release: February 07, 2012
The Bureau of Reclamation has released for public review the Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (Draft EA/FONSI) for the Recirculation of Recaptured Water Year (WY) 2012 San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP) Interim Flows.
Reclamation estimates that 20,000 to 80,000 acre-feet of recaptured Interim Flows (based on 90- and 50-percent exceedence levels) could be made available for recirculation back to Central Valley Project (CVP) Friant Division contractors as Class 1 or Class 2 supplies during WY 2012. (Class 2 is additional water, when available, beyond the firm amount of 800,000 acre-feet of Class 1 water.) The EA evaluates a maximum possible amount of up to 260,000 acre-feet. This recaptured water will be available at South-of-Delta facilities for direct delivery to the Friant Division or through transfers and exchanges between Friant contractors and non-Friant contractors.
The federal action would involve Reclamation entering into various delivery, transfer or exchange agreements to recirculate the recaptured water to the Friant and non-Friant contractors. The deliveries, transfers and exchanges would be completed through several potential mechanisms utilizing federal, state and local facilities. Friant contractors may transfer or exchange their water to other Friant or non-Friant contractors, not in excess of the existing non-Friant contractors’ CVP contract allocations.
The 2006 Stipulation of Settlement in NRDC, et al., v. Rodgers, et al., provides for the development of a recapture and recirculation plan as a part of the implementation of the SJRRP water management goal. The goal is to reduce or avoid adverse water supply impacts to all of the Friant Division long-term contractors that may result from the Interim Flows.
The Draft EA/FONSI for the proposed action were prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and are available online at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=9063. If you encounter problems accessing the documents online, please call 916-978-5100 or e-mail mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.
Please send written comments to Michelle Banonis, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-170, Sacramento, CA 95825, by 5 p.m. Friday, February 24, 2012. Comments may also be faxed to 916-978-5469 or e-mailed to mbanonis@usbr.gov.
For additional information or to request a copy of the Draft EA/FONSI, please contact Margaret Gidding at 916-978-5461 (TTY 800-735-2922) or mgidding@usbr.gov. Copies of the Draft EA/FONSI may also be viewed at Reclamation’s South-Central California Area Office, 1243 N Street, Fresno, CA 93721 (559-487-5041). For more information about the SJRRP, please visit www.restoresjr.net.
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