[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 8924]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-4456]



[[Page 8924]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Humboldt Project Conveyance, Pershing and Lander Counties, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2) (c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Humboldt 
Project Conveyance. Reclamation will be conducting public scoping 
meetings to elicit comments on the scope and issues to be addressed in 
the draft EIS. Reclamation is also seeking written comments, as noted 
below. The draft EIS is expected to be issued in early 2004. Public 
notification will occur for all scoping meetings to be held for this 
draft EIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to be 
considered should be sent to Reclamation at the address below by June 
15, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Caryn Huntt DeCarlo, 
Bureau of Reclamation, Lahontan Basin Area Office, 705 N. Plaza, Room 
320, Carson City, NV 89701; or by telephone at 775-884-8352; or faxed 
to 775-882-7592 (TDD 775-487-5933).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Caryn Huntt DeCarlo, Bureau of 
Reclamation, at the above address and telephone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Humboldt Project (Project) is located 
along the Humboldt River in northwestern Nevada. Reclamation began the 
Project construction in 1935, and in 1941 the first water was delivered 
to the agricultural lands from storage in Rye Patch Reservoir. The 
Pershing County Water Conservation District (PCWCD) assumed operation 
of the Project in 1941. PCWCD has had several Project repayment 
contracts with Reclamation that have all been repaid. Project features 
include Battle Mountain Community Pasture, Rye Patch Dam and Reservoir, 
and the Humboldt Sink. Battle Mountain Community Pasture, located near 
Battle Mountain, is approximately 30,000 acres and is managed for 
grazing by the PCWCD under a lease agreement with Reclamation. Rye 
Patch Reservoir is located 26 miles upstream from Lovelock, is 21 miles 
in length, and has a capacity of 190,000 acre-feet. The State of Nevada 
manages the recreation at the reservoir under a management agreement 
with Reclamation and the PCWCD. The Humboldt Sink is also part of the 
Project and is managed by the State of Nevada under a management 
agreement with Reclamation.
    Reclamation is preparing an EIS to analyze the action of conveying 
title of the Humboldt Project and associated lands to several entities. 
The conveyance is authorized under title VIII of Public Law 107-282. 
The preliminary estimate of acres of conveyance is as follows: PCWCD 
48,700 acres (portions of Rye Patch Reservoir and the Battle Mountain 
Community Pasture); Pershing County 960 acres (portion of the Humboldt 
Sink area); Lander County 1,100 acres (portion of the Battle Mountain 
Community Pasture); and the State of Nevada 19,700 acres (portions of 
Rye Patch Reservoir, Humboldt Sink, and in the Battle Mountain 
Community Pasture).
    The environmental impacts of the Project conveyance and associated 
alternatives will be assessed in the EIS. The environmental review in 
the EIS will focus on the potential for Project conveyance to cause 
adverse environmental impacts to natural and cultural resources such as 
recreation, endangered species and other fish and wildlife, and 
historic resources.
    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 we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There 
may also be circumstances in which we would withhold a respondent's 
identity from public disclosure, as 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.

    Dated: January 31, 2003.
Frank Michny,
Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 03-4456 Filed 2-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P