[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1217-1218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-367]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Central Valley Project Improvement Act, Criteria for Evaluating 
Water Management Plans

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: To meet the requirements of the Central Valley Project 
Improvement Act (CVPIA) and the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982, the 
Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) developed and published the 
Criteria for Evaluating Water Conservation Plans, dated April 30, 1993. 
In September 1996, Reclamation revised the document and renamed it the 
Criteria for Evaluating Water Management Plans (Criteria). These 
Criteria were developed based on information provided during public 
scoping and public review sessions held throughout Reclamation's Mid-
Pacific (MP) Region. Reclamation uses these Criteria to evaluate the 
adequacy of all water management plans developed by Central Valley 
Project contractors. The Criteria were developed and the plans 
evaluated for the purpose of promoting the most efficient water use 
reasonably achievable by all MP Region contractors. Reclamation made a 
commitment (stated within the Criteria) to publish a notice of its 
draft determination of the adequacy of each contractor's water 
management plan in the Federal Register to allow the public a minimum 
of 30 days to comment on its preliminary determinations.

DATES: All public comments must be received by February 8, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Please mail comments to Lucille Billingsley, Bureau of 
Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-410, Sacramento CA 95825.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
To be placed on a mailing list for any subsequent information, please 
contact Lucille Billingsley at the address above, or by telephone at 
(916) 978-5215 (TDD 978 5608).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under provision of section 3405(e) of the 
CVPIA (Title 34 Pub. L. 102-575), ``The Secretary (of the Interior) 
shall establish and administer an office on Central Valley Project 
water conservation best management practices that shall * * * develop 
criteria for evaluating the adequacy of all water conservation plans 
developed by project contractors, including those plans required by 
section 210 of the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982.'' Also, according to 
Section 3405(e)(1), these criteria will be developed ``* * * with the 
purpose of promoting the highest level of water use efficiency 
reasonably achievable by project contractors using best available cost-
effective technology and best management practices.''
    The Criteria states that all parties (districts) that contract with 
Reclamation for water supplies (municipal and industrial contracts over 
2,000 irrigable acre-feet and agricultural contracts over 2,000 
irrigable acres) will prepare water management plans which will be 
evaluated by Reclamation based on the following required information 
detailed in the steps listed below to develop, implement, monitor, and 
update their water management plans. The steps are:
    1. Describe the district.
    2. Inventory water resources available to the District.
    3. Best Management Practices (BMP's) for Agricultural Contractors.
    4. BMP's for Urban Contractors.
    5. Exemption Process.
    Sacramento County Water Agency has developed a water management 
plan which Reclamation has evaluated and preliminarily determined to 
meet the requirements of the Criteria.
    Public comment on Reclamation's preliminary (i.e., draft) 
determinations is invited at this time. A copy of the plan will be 
available for review at Reclamation's MP Regional Office

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located in Sacramento, California, and MP's South-Central California 
Area Office located in Fresno, California. If you wish to review a copy 
of the plan, please contact Ms. Billingsley to find the office nearest 
you.

    Dated: December 31, 1998.
Robert F. Stackhouse,
Regional Resources Manager, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 99-367 Filed 1-7-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-M