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- Reclamation Hosts Open House for Additional Comments on Interim Winter Operation Alternatives at Ririe Dam and Reservoir
News Release Archive
Reclamation Hosts Open House for Additional Comments on Interim Winter Operation Alternatives at Ririe Dam and Reservoir
Media Contact:
John Redding , (208) 383-2207
Allyn Meuleman
For Release: November 26, 2013
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho - The Bureau of Reclamation will host a public open house on December 17 to seek comments on alternatives it will use in a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed Interim Operations of Ririe Reservoir and Dam located on the Willow Creek drainage about 15 miles northeast of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
The open house will be held from 6–8 p.m. at the Hotel on the Falls, 475 River Parkway in Idaho Falls, Idaho. People needing sign language interpretation or other accessible accommodations should contact Don Bowden at (208) 678-0461 ext. 13 by December 6.
Reclamation is proposing to reduce the Ririe Reservoir winter drawdown for a 10-year interim period to improve refill reliability and increase water availability for irrigation without increasing downstream flood risk.
The EA is required under the National Environmental Policy Act. It will evaluate impacts of alternatives on the human population and the natural environment. This comment period follows initial public scoping in 2011, as well as new information gathered from test flows conducted in February 2013. Reclamation will issue the Draft EA in the spring of 2014. The deadline for written comments is Jan. 17, 2014. They can be sent to Mr. Rich Jackson, Natural Resource Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Snake Field Office, 470 22nd Street, Heyburn ID 83336 or by email at ririeea@usbr.gov.
Ririe Dam is operated as one of seven federal storage facilities on the Snake and Henrys Fork rivers. It is a multi-purpose project that provides irrigation, flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. The dam was completed in 1977 and is about 15 miles northeast of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
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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.
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