[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56852-56853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-22636]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Fish Passage Improvement Project at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, 
Tehama County, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/EIR) and notice of public 
hearing.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation and the Tehama-Colusa Canal 
Authority (TCCA) have made available for public review and comment the 
DEIS/EIR for the Fish Passage Improvement Project at the Red Bluff 
Diversion Dam.
    The DEIS/EIR outlines the proposed project alternatives that seek 
to address issues related to the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, including 
fish passage and water supply. Current dam operations do not adequately 
allow passage of threatened and endangered fish species. Additionally, 
current dam operations create a situation where agricultural demand 
outstrips the dam's capacity to deliver water. To address these 
critical issues, TCCA and Reclamation are working together to determine 
an appropriate solution.
    The project goals are to:
    [sbull] Substantially improve the long-term reliable level of 
anadromous fish passage, both upstream and downstream, past the Red 
Bluff Diversion Dam.
    [sbull] Substantially improve the long-term ability to reliably and 
cost-effectively move sufficient water into the Tehama-Colusa Canal and 
the Corning Canal systems to meet the needs of the water districts 
served by the TCCA.
    The TCCA and Reclamation are working together as ``co-lead'' 
agencies, sponsoring this project to achieve the same project purpose 
and need. However, they are independent agencies with various interests 
and methods for approaching a project such as this one. Work conducted 
to date has built upon a wide array of previous studies conducted at 
the dam.

DATES: A public hearing will be held on September 25, 2002, to provide 
the public with an opportunity to study and comment on environmental 
issues

[[Page 56853]]

addressed in the DEIS/EIR. The open house portion of the hearing will 
be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will consist of informational displays 
staffed by project team members who will be answering questions. The 
formal portion of the hearing will be from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., where oral 
comments will be taken by a certified court reporter. Comments will 
also be taken throughout the meeting via comment sheets.
    Comments on the DEIS/DEIR will also be accepted on or before 
October 29, 2002, in the following formats:
    Written--Written comments should be addressed to Mr. Art Bullock, 
TCCA, at the address below.
    Comment Sheets--Comment sheets will be available to all that attend 
the public hearing, and can be returned at the public hearing, faxed to 
Mr. Art Bullock, TCCA, at 530-934-2355, or mailed to Mr. Bullock at the 
below address.
    Electronic--Comments may be submitted electronically by e-mailing 
the project team: [email protected].

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the Red Bluff Community 
Center Gymnasium, 1500 South Jackson, Red Bluff, CA 96080.
    Comments on the DEIS/EIR should be sent to Mr. Art Bullock, General 
Manager, Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, PO Box 1025, Willows, CA 95988. 
A copy of the Executive Summary, DEIS/EIR, and/or technical appendices 
may be obtained by calling Mr. Bullock at the telephone number below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Art Bullock, Tehama-Colusa Canal 
Authority, telephone: 530-934-2125, e-mail: [email protected]; or Mr. 
Max Stodolski, Bureau of Reclamation, telephone: 530-529-3890, fax: 
530-529-3895, e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since construction of the Red Bluff 
Diversion Dam, concern has been expressed regarding the dam's effect on 
both upstream and downstream fish migration. The dam was built with 11 
movable gates. Raising the gates eliminates the dam's effect and allows 
the river to flow unimpeded. Lowering the dam gates allows for gravity 
diversion into canals and results in the creation of Lake Red Bluff.
    Over the years, the dam gates have been raised more frequently in 
an attempt to enhance fish passage. Therefore, the ability to divert 
irrigation water has been gradually decreased from year-round to the 
current 4-month (gates-in) operations from May 15 to September 14. 
During the remainder of the year, the dam gates are open, allowing a 
free flowing, unimpeded river. Detailed studies show the current design 
of the fish ladders and the operations of the dam gates do not 
adequately allow passage of threatened and endangered fish species.
    The DEIS/EIR addresses impacts related to the proposed 
alternatives. Through detailed feasibility studies, six alternatives, 
including the ``No action'' alternative, have been created to address 
the identified water delivery and fish passage issues.
    The alternatives identified in the DEIS/EIR are:
    1. No action--The current operating conditions remain the same with 
a 4-month dam ``gates-in,'' that creates Lake Red Bluff from May 15 to 
September 14. The impacts of this option must be studied to a similar 
level of detail as the others. It is used as a baseline of comparison 
for the other alternatives.
    2. Bypass--This option creates a fish-friendly channel around the 
dam with sufficient water flow to attract and transport fish moving 
upstream and deliver juvenile fish moving downstream when the dam gates 
are lowered in late summer and early fall. Gates would continue to be 
lowered in the May 15 to September 14 period. A new pumping station 
would be required to provide reliable agricultural water supply from 
the river into the water delivery canals.
    3. Improved fish ladders--Two alternatives are being considered and 
are aimed at improving the efficiency of the ``fish ladders'' designed 
to create a passage for fish to swim around the dam. The design 
improvements will increase the flow of water through the fish ladders. 
By increasing the flow, more fish will be attracted to the ladders and 
successfully pass the dam. The two alternatives differ in the 
operations of the dam gates. One option proposes lowering the dam gates 
for the current 4-month operation and the other for a 2-month operation 
(July 1 through August 31). A new pumping station would be required to 
provide reliable agricultural water supply from the river into the 
water delivery canals.
    4. Existing fish ladders--This alternative retains the current fish 
ladders and decreases lowering of the dam gates to 2 months (July 1 
through August 31). The only source of improved fish passage would be 
the reduction in gate operations. A new pumping station would be 
required to provide reliable agricultural water supply from the river 
into the water delivery canals.
    5. Gates out--This option keeps the dam gates open year round, 
creating a free flowing river, unimpeded by the dam. Fish ladders or 
other bypass options would no longer be necessary and Lake Red Bluff 
would no longer be created. A new pumping station would be required to 
provide reliable agricultural water supply from the river into the 
water delivery canals.

Additional Information

    Additional information is also available at the project Web site: 
http://www.tccafishpassage.org/.
    Comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review. Individual respondents may request that 
their home address be withheld from public disclosure, which will be 
honored to the extent allowable by law.
    If you wish your name and/or address withheld, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your comment. Submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
available for public disclosure in their entirety.

    Dated: August 14, 2002.
Susan L. Ramos,
Assistant Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 02-22636 Filed 9-4-02; 8:45 am]
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