[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 109 (Friday, June 6, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 31153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-14760]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Proposed Water Supply Exchange Contract, Yakima Project, 
Washington

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Reclamation 
(Reclamation) proposes to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) on a proposed water exchange contract with Trendwest Resorts, 
Inc. (Trendwest) in Kittitas County, Washington. The purpose of the 
water exchange contract is to provide a water supply for a Master 
Planned Resort, proposed for development by Trendwest on property owned 
by JELD-WEN, Inc. near Roslyn, Washington. Trendwest intends to 
purchase 3,500 acre-feet of privately owned water rights in tributaries 
to the Yakima River which it proposes to exchange for storage water 
from Reclamation's Yakima Project. The exchange would also enable 
Reclamation to augment instream flows for anadromous fish in streams 
tributary to the Yakima River.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Kaumheimer, Environmental Programs Manager, or Candace McKinley, 
Environmental Protection Specialist, at Reclamation's Upper Columbia 
Area Office, P.O. Box 1749, Yakima, Washington 98907-1749; telephone: 
(509) 575-5848.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Trendwest has submitted an application to 
Kittitas County (County) to develop a Master Planned Resort on a 7,420-
acre site near Roslyn. The County has made a determination of 
significance under the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) 
and has announced its intention to prepare an EIS under SEPA. Kittitas 
County has invited Reclamation, Washington Department of Ecology, and 
the Yakima Indian Nation to be cooperating agencies in that effort. The 
County's SEPA document will address impacts associated with development 
of the proposed resort, including impacts associated with water supply 
alternatives including the proposed water exchange with Reclamation.
    Reclamation will not initiate work on its NEPA document until the 
County has substantially completed its SEPA document. The selection and 
analysis of water supply alternatives in the SEPA EIS will help 
Reclamation determine which portions of the overall resort development 
should be considered connected actions for the NEPA analysis and 
whether an EIS or an environmental assessment would be the appropriate 
NEPA documentation. In the interim, Reclamation assumes that an EIS 
will be necessary. Reclamation may adopt, with or without supplementary 
information, the County's SEPA EIS as its NEPA document or may prepare 
a separate document, incorporating portions of the SEPA EIS by 
reference, as applicable.
    To date Trendwest has acquired water rights to approximately 1,448 
acre-feet of water in the Teanaway River and 360 acre-feet of water in 
Big Creek near Easton, Washington. Additional water purchases would be 
within the upper portions of the Yakima basin.

Public Involvement

    Reclamation plans to conduct public scoping meetings to identify 
water supply alternatives and impacts. These meetings will be held in 
mid-June of 1997 at locations in Kittitas and Yakima Counties, 
Washington. The dates, times, and locations of public scoping meetings 
will be noted in newspapers of general circulation in both Kittitas and 
Yakima Counties. Reclamation will summarize comments received during 
the scoping meetings into a scoping document which will be available to 
the public. The public is also invited to comment on the process 
Reclamation plans to use to meet its responsibilities under NEPA. 
Comments may be submitted to the address in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section.

    Dated: May 21, 1997.
John W. Keys, III,
Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region.
[FR Doc. 97-14760 Filed 6-5-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-M