[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 193 (Friday, October 4, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62262-62263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25438]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Carlsbad Project Water Operations and Water Supply Conservation

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement and Announcement of Public Scoping Meetings.

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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) and the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (NMISC) 
will prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on Carlsbad 
Project water operations and water supply conservation to address 
changes in the operation of Sumner Dam, located on the Pecos River, New 
Mexico, and implementation of a proposed water acquisition program in 
the Pecos River Basin. Reclamation is the lead federal agency and the 
NMISC will serve as a joint lead agency for NEPA compliance for the 
proposed action. The purpose of Reclamation's proposed federal action 
is to conserve the Pecos bluntnose shiner, a federally threatened fish 
species, and to conserve the Carlsbad Project water supply. The 
underlying need for Reclamation action is compliance with the 
Endangered Species Act and Reclamation's responsibility to conserve the 
Carlsbad Project water supply.
    Operation of Sumner Dam, and related operations of Santa Rosa, 
Brantley, and Avalon Dams, and the authorities under which those 
facilities are operated, will be reviewed to identify operational 
flexibility and opportunities to accomplish the purposes of the 
Carlsbad Project. As the EIS progresses, there may develop a need to 
assess some change in the operation of Fort Sumner Irrigation District 
Diversion Dam (owned by Reclamation and operated by the Fort Sumner 
Irrigation District). Effects of proposed operational changes on water 
supply and other affected resources will be analyzed and options to 
mitigate for any adverse impacts will be identified. A water 
acquisition program will be proposed to conserve Carlsbad Project water 
supply. The EIS will also identify potential effects to Texas state 
line water deliveries and to the state of New Mexico's ability to 
comply with the Pecos River Compact and the U.S. Supreme Court Amended 
Decree in Texas v. New Mexico and will include reasonable options to 
avoid or minimize effects. The proposed operational changes and 
mitigation options will be within the existing authority of 
Reclamation, and will comply with state, federal, and other applicable 
laws and regulations. During the process, opportunities to provide 
additional environmental, recreational, and water supply benefits may 
be identified and incorporated.
    The following agencies, governmental bodies, and irrigation/
conservancy districts will be invited to participate in the EIS 
process: Carlsbad Irrigation District, Pecos Valley Artesian 
Conservancy District, Fort Sumner Irrigation District, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Pecos Valley Water Users Organization, Chaves 
County, De Baca County, Eddy County, and Guadalupe County.
    To receive input from interested organizations and individuals, 
public scoping meetings will be held and additional input invited. 
Scoping is an early and open process for determining the scope of 
issues to be addressed and for identifying the significant issues 
related to a proposed action. The purpose of scoping is to obtain 
information that will focus the environmental documentation on 
significant issues. The scoping period is open through December 6, 
2002.

DATES AND ADDRESSES: Public scoping meetings will be held during the 
month of October in Santa Rosa, Ft. Sumner, Carlsbad, and Roswell, New 
Mexico. The dates and times of the meetings are as follows:
    [sbull] Monday, October 21, 2002, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., City Hall 
Meeting Room, 141 5th Street, Santa Rosa, New Mexico 88435.
    [sbull] Tuesday, October 22, 2002, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Village 
Community House, 1204 North 4th Street, Ft. Sumner, New Mexico 88119.
    [sbull] Wednesday, October 23, 2002, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Pecos River 
Village Conference Center, 711 Muscatel, Room 3, Carlsbad, New Mexico 
88220.
    [sbull] Thursday, October 24, 2002, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Bureau of 
Land Management Conference Room, 2909 West 2nd Street, Roswell, New 
Mexico 88201.
    The release date of the draft EIS for public comment as well as the 
dates that the public hearings will be conducted to receive comments on 
the EIS will be announced in the Federal Register and in the local news 
media.
    Reclamation also invites written input to the scoping process. 
Written comments regarding the scope and content of the EIS should be 
addressed to Lori Robertson, Bureau of Reclamation, Albuquerque Area 
Office, 505 Marquette, NW., Suite 1313, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102; 
faxogram (505) 248-5356; e-mail: [email protected]. In order to be 
most useful, comments should be received by December 6, 2002. Our 
practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of 
respondents, available for public review. Individual respondents may 
request that we withhold their home address from public disclosure, 
which

[[Page 62263]]

we will honor to the extent allowable by law. If you wish us to 
withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at 
the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Lori Robertson, Bureau of 
Reclamation, 505 Marquette, NW., Suite 1313, Albuquerque, New Mexico 
87102; e-mail: ; telephone (505) 248-5326, or Mr. John W. Longworth, 
New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, Bataan Memorial Building, 
State Capitol, PO Box 25102, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504; e-mail: 
[email protected]; telephone (505) 827-7847.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federal involvement in the Pecos River Basin 
began in 1905 with authorization of the Carlsbad Project. Reclamation 
stores and delivers Carlsbad Project water for the benefit of the 
Carlsbad Irrigation District (CID). Reclamation's Carlsbad Project 
facilities on the Pecos River now include Sumner Dam, Brantley Dam, and 
Avalon Dam. The Black River Diversion Dam is also a Carlsbad Project 
facility. Reclamation and CID are also permitted to store Carlsbad 
Project water in Santa Rosa Lake provided total storage in all four 
reservoirs does not exceed 176,500 acre-feet. The Fort Sumner Diversion 
Dam is owned by Reclamation but it is not associated with the Carlsbad 
Project. The Fort Summer Irrigation District operates the facility and 
holds title to all water rights diverted at the dam.
    In 1987, the Pecos bluntnose shiner was listed by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service as a threatened species and approximately 101 miles of 
the Pecos River were designated as critical habitat. Releases from 
Sumner Dam in 1989 adversely affected the Pecos bluntnose shiner. 
Reclamation consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 
received a biological opinion from them in 1991 indicating that 
operation of Reclamation's Pecos River facilities was jeopardizing the 
continued existence of the Pecos bluntnose shiner. In 1992, Reclamation 
began a cooperative research program aimed at determining how to meet 
the needs of the Pecos bluntnose shiner and downstream water users. 
Through a multi-agency collaborative effort, a hydrologic model has 
been developed and various biological reports have been prepared.
    For several years, Reclamation and the NMISC have worked together 
to address Pecos River water issues. Recently, the two agencies 
developed an approach for environmental review of proposed Pecos River 
Basin activities. One EIS would be prepared for Reclamation's Carlsbad 
Project water operations and water acquisition (Carlsbad Project Water 
Operations and Water Supply Conservation EIS which is the subject of 
this Notice of Intent). Another EIS would be prepared for a 
miscellaneous purposes contract that would allow the NMISC to use 
Carlsbad Project water allocated to approximately 6,000 acres of 
Carlsbad Irrigation District land for purposes other than agriculture 
(Miscellaneous Purposes Contract EIS). Reclamation and the NMISC plan 
to conduct both EIS processes concurrently to the extent possible and 
fully coordinate environmental analyses.
    The range of alternatives to be analyzed in this EIS would likely 
include various operational scenarios for Sumner Dam and various 
sources and quantities of water for the water acquisition program. 
Adjustments to the timing, magnitude, frequency, duration, and rate of 
change of releases from Sumner Dam will likely be addressed. The 
quantity of water stored in or bypassed through Sumner Reservoir during 
low-flow periods will be addressed. To the extent that revised 
operations diminish the Carlsbad Project water supply, the alternatives 
will include various water acquisition options. Water offsets could be 
through acquisition of water rights voluntarily offered for sale or 
lease and other cooperative mitigation efforts. The concept of adaptive 
management would be incorporated to allow refinement of operations or 
changes to targets and ranges as new information becomes available, and 
in response to environmental conditions.
    The environmental evaluation will assess potential effects that the 
proposed action may have on Indian Trust Assets. It will also assess 
potential disproportionate effects on minority or low-income 
communities. Currently, there are no known environmental justice or 
Indian Trust Asset issues related to the proposed action. Operational 
scenarios and water right acquisitions and other cooperative mitigation 
efforts have the potential to adversely affect New Mexico's ability to 
maintain compliance with the Pecos River Compact and Amended Decree. 
Effects of each alternative on New Mexico's state line deliveries and 
its Pecos River Compact obligations will be evaluated. With successful 
mitigation measures, the most significant issues associated with the 
proposed action are thought to be economic and social change associated 
with permanent retirement of irrigated farmland.

    Dated: September 17, 2002.
Rick Gold,
Regional Director, Upper Colorado Region.
[FR Doc. 02-25438 Filed 10-3-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P