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Environmental Assessments For Partial CVP Contract Assignments To City Of Tracy Available For Public Comment And Review

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

For Release: August 22, 2003

Reclamation has made available for public review and comment two separate Draft Environmental Assessments (EAs) for proposed partial water supply contract assignments from Banta Carbona Irrigation District (BCID) and West Side Irrigation District (WSID) CVP contracts to the City of Tracy (City) to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. The proposed assignments were the subject of joint EAs and an Initial Study.

Under the separate assignment agreements, up to 5,000 acre-feet annually of both the BCID's and WSID's existing contracted CVP supply water would be delivered to the City for urban uses. The actual volume to be delivered to the City would vary from year to year, depending on hydrologic conditions and the CVP's operations. The average annual allocation is projected to be closer to 3,000 acre-feet (6,000 acre-feet combined) because the water supply from the assignment would be subject to agricultural shortages.

The Proposed Action is needed to provide a reliable water supply for the City in the face of shortages of CVP water supply deliveries south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The shortages have resulted from regulatory constraints in the operation of CVP facilities that have reduced the volume of water available to the City pursuant to its own CVP contract for urban use purposes. Also, planned urban growth within the City will increase water demand beyond the volume of water currently available, and because the assignment water will be subject to dry-year agricultural shortage provisions, the City would not use the assignment water alone to support future urban development.

For additional information or to obtain copies of the Draft EAs, please contact Ms. Lynne Silva at Reclamation's Fresno office at 559-487-5807, TDD 559-487-5933. Copies of the Draft EAs may be viewed at Reclamation's South-Central California Area Office, 1243 N Street, Fresno, CA 93721, or online at: www.usbr.gov/mp/sccao/index.html: click on "documentation." Written comments must be received by close of business on Friday, September 26, 2003. Send written comments to Ms. Silva at the above address, or via electronic mail at: lsilva@mp.usbr.gov.

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Environmental Assessments For Partial CVP Contract Assignments To City Of Tracy