[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19944-19945]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-10631]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project, Yakima, WA, INT-DES 
98-17

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft programmatic environmental 
impact statement and notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Department of the Interior, Bureau 
of Reclamation (Reclamation), has prepared a draft programmatic 
environmental impact statement (Draft PEIS) for implementing provisions 
of Phase 2 of the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project 
(Enhancement Project). The purpose of the Enhancement Project is to 
meet the competing needs of the Yakima River basin through improved 
water conservation and management and other appropriate means. The 
Enhancement Project legislation also authorizes actions on the Yakima 
Indian Reservation which will result in improvements to their 
irrigation system and enhance local resources.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft PEIS must be submitted by July 22, 
1998, to the address listed under the Addresses Section. Public 
hearings to accept oral comments on the Draft PEIS will be held on June 
2, 1998, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. in Toppenish, 
Washington; and on June 3, 1998, from 1 to 3 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. 
in Yakima, Washington.

ADDRESSES: The public hearings will be held at:
     Yakima Indian Nation, Eagle Seelatsee Auditorium, 401 Fort 
Road, Toppenish, Washington.
     DoubleTree Inn, 1507 North First Street, Yakima, 
Washington.
    Copies of the Draft PEIS are available for inspection at the 
following addresses and at libraries in the project vicinity.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Columbia Area Office, 1917 
Marsh Road, Yakima, Washington 98907.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Regional Office, 
1150 N. Curtis Road, Suite 100, Boise, Idaho 83706-1234.
    Written comments on the Draft PEIS should be submitted to: Mr. 
Robert Black D-8580, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, PO 
Box 25007, Denver, Colorado 80225-0007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Robert Black, Telephone (303) 445-2704.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Those wishing to obtain a copy of the Draft 
PEIS or schedule time, in advance, to make oral comments at the 
hearing(s) may contact Mr. Black at the above address and telephone or 
call toll free to 1-800-861-5443. Speakers will be called in order of 
their requests. Requests to comment may also be made at each hearing, 
and speakers will be scheduled to follow the advance requests. Oral 
comments will be limited to 10 minutes per individual. All oral 
comments will be included in the hearing record. Written comments will 
be accepted into the hearing record for 14 days following the public 
hearing date. These comments may be submitted in addition to review 
comments made during the 90-day review period and should be identified 
as hearing comments. Special needs assistance requests should be 
submitted to Mr. Black by May 15, 1998.
    The Draft PEIS evaluates the effects of Title XII of the 
Enhancement Project legislation. The provisions and measures of the 
Enhancement Project legislation form the parameters and the methods for 
achieving the protection, mitigation, and enhancement of fish and 
wildlife through improved water management, instream flows, water 
quality, the creation and enhancement of wetlands, and improved 
reliability of irrigation water supplies. Central to this legislation 
is the Yakima River Basin Water Conservation Program which attempts to 
balance competing demands on the basin's water supply. This voluntary 
program will reduce demands on the available water supply by promoting 
conservation measures to improve the efficiency of water delivery and 
use, instream flows for fish and wildlife, and the reliability of the 
irrigation water supply.
    Specific measures that will be implemented depend upon proposals 
contained in the water conservation

[[Page 19945]]

plans, feasibility investigations of measures selected for 
consideration, and program criteria. Consequently, the Draft PEIS is a 
broad scope document to provide ``umbrella'' coverage for implementing 
the Enhancement Project with subsequent tiering for NEPA compliance of 
specific follow-on actions, as appropriate.
    Six alternatives, including no action, are considered in the Draft 
PEIS. The no action alternative is presented as the most likely future 
condition that could be expected without the implementation of 
additional Title XII provisions beyond the currently established 
riverflows, which includes the new operational criteria required by the 
legislation. This alternative provided the basis for impact 
comparisons. Five action alternatives present the implementation of all 
elements of the Enhancement Project at different levels of 
implementation of project components. A preferred alternative has not 
been selected in the Draft PEIS. Alternative 1 includes implementation 
of all the Enhancement Project measures except the Basin Conservation 
Program. Alternative 2 consists of all the measures cited in 
Alternative 1 plus different levels (Alternatives 2A, 2B, and 2C) of 
water conservation program implementation at various locations within 
the Yakima basin. Alternative 2A consists of all the measures cited in 
Alternative 1 plus a 7.5-percent basin-wide reduction in diversion 
demand (except for the Wapato Irrigation Project and the Yakima-Tieton 
Canal). Alternative 2B consists of all the measures cited in 
Alternative 1 plus a 15-percent reduction in diversion demand from the 
Yakima River downstream from the Roza Diversion Dam (except for the 
Wapato Irrigation Project and the Yakima-Tieton Canal). Alternative 2C 
consists of all the measures cited in Alternative 1 plus a 21-percent 
reduction in diversion demand at diversion points between the Sunnyside 
and Roza Canals. Alternative 3 consists of all the measures cited in 
Alternative 1 except for implementation of the Kachess Reservoir 
augmentation and specific tributary measures.
    Environmental consequences that would result from implementation of 
any of the alternatives should have no significant adverse impacts, 
such that irrigation contracts will not be modified and any minor 
adverse impacts identified could be mitigated to a level of 
insignificance by implementation of mitigation measures. Beneficial 
impacts are considered to be enhanced water quality, increased 
streamflow, and overall reinforcement of fish and wildlife habitat, as 
well as an increase in the reliability of irrigation water supplies.

    Dated: April 13, 1998.
John W. Keys, III,
Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region.
[FR Doc. 98-10631 Filed 4-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-M