News Release Archive

Reclamation To Evaluate Land Retirement In Drainage Plan For San Luis Unit

Media Contact: Jeffrey McCracken, 916-978-5100, jmccracken@mp.usbr.gov

For Release: February 11, 2004

Reclamation today announced it is including land retirement among the alternatives for providing drainage service for the San Luis Unit (SLU) of the Central Valley Project. Additional public scoping is needed to receive comments on developing new or modified alternatives for land retirement and to assist in identifying the significant issues and the scope of the related environmental analysis. Public scoping meetings are scheduled in:

Sacramento Monday, March 1, 2004 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Federal Building Cafeteria Conference Room 3 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825

Concord Tuesday, March 2, 2004 6 - 8 p.m. Heald College Conference Center Rooms 1 & 2 5130 Commercial Circle, Concord, CA 94520

Fresno Wednesday, March 3, 2004 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Piccadilly Inn Shaw Crown Room 2305 West Shaw, Fresno, CA 93711 Cayucos Thursday, March 4, 2004 6 - 8 p.m. Cayucos Veterans Hall 10 Cayucos Drive, Cayucos, CA 93430

Water districts within the SLU, state and Federal agencies, and environmental organizations have urged Reclamation to include land retirement as an alternative along with drainage facilities and treatment alternatives. Reclamation met with agencies and districts to discuss how to include land retirement and provided the Court with a revised schedule for preparation of the San Luis Drainage Feature Re-evaluation and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The draft EIS is now scheduled for public release in May 2005.

Written comments are due no later than Wednesday, March 31, 2004. Comments may be mailed, e-mailed or faxed to Jason Phillips, Project Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, MP-700, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825; jphillips@mp.usbr.gov; fax 916- 978-5094.

For more information or for special assistance to attend these meetings, please contact Marian Echeverria at 916-978-5105 (TDD 978-5608) or mecheverria@mp.usbr.gov. Background information on the Re-evaluation is available at www.usbr.gov/mp/sccao/sld.

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