[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 186 (Thursday, September 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55412-55413]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-24261]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Revised Basin Management 
Plan Project, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft environmental impact 
statement and notice of public hearing [DES 03-53].

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation has prepared a draft 
environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Pajaro Valley Water 
Management Agency (PVWMA) Revised Basin Management Plan Project.
    The purpose of the project is to address groundwater overdraft and 
seawater intrusion problems in the Pajaro Valley Basin. The proposed 
action is the approval of the connection of a PVWMA pipeline to the 
Santa Clara Conduit; the funding for the design, planning, and 
construction of a recycled water facility; and the delivery to and use 
of Central Valley Project (CVP) water in the Pajaro Valley.

DATES: Submit written comments on the DEIS on or before November 24, 
2003 to Lynne Silva, Reclamation, at the below address.
    A public hearing will be held to receive comments from interested 
parties, organizations, and individuals on the environmental impacts of 
the proposal. The hearing will be held on October 29, 2003 at 7:00 pm 
at the address below.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the Watsonville Senior 
Center, 114 East 5th Street, Watsonville, CA 95076.
    Written comments on the DEIS should be addressed to Ms. Lynne 
Silva, Reclamation, at the below address.
    Copies of the DEIS may be requested from Reclamation's South-
Central California Area Office or from PVWMA's office at the following 
addresses:

[sbull] Bureau of Reclamation, South-Central California Area Office, 
1243 N Street, Fresno, CA 93721-1813.
[sbull] Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, 36 Brennan Street, 
Watsonville, CA 95076.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Lynne Silva, Bureau of 
Reclamation, South-Central California Area Office, telephone (559) 487-
5807; or Mr. Charles McNiesh, Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, 
(831) 722-9292.

[[Page 55413]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PVWMA is responsible for managing 
groundwater resources in the Pajaro Valley, located along the central 
coast of California. In the coastal area and throughout much of the 
groundwater basin in the Pajaro Valley, overdraft conditions have 
caused groundwater levels to drop below sea level, creating a landward 
pressure gradient that causes seawater from the Pacific Ocean to move 
inland, where it mixes with fresh water. Seawater intrusion 
increasingly is degrading groundwater quality and limiting the utility 
of groundwater for irrigation and domestic purposes. PVWMA proposes to 
prevent further overdraft of the groundwater basin and to halt seawater 
intrusion by implementing the Revised Basin Management Plan Project. As 
part of the project, PVWMA would import water supplies from the San 
Joaquin Valley in California using Central Valley Project (CVP) 
facilities, and develop a recycled water supply. These actions require 
Reclamation approval of: (1) Connection of a water pipeline to the 
Santa Clara Conduit of the San Felipe System of the CVP, (2) the 
design, planning, and construction of the Watsonville Area Water 
Recycling Project under Public Law 102-575, Title XVI, Section 1619, as 
amended, and (3) the environmental analysis of the use of CVP water in 
the Pajaro Valley.
    The DEIS describes and presents the environmental effects of three 
alternatives, including the alternative of taking no action.
    At the hearing, PVWMA staff will make a brief presentation to 
describe the proposed project, its purpose and need, alternatives, and 
scenarios for construction and operation. The public may comment on 
environmental issues addressed in the DEIS. If necessary, due to large 
attendance, comments may be limited to five minutes per speaker. 
Written comments will also be accepted.
    Reclamation's 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 be other 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: July 25, 2003.
Kirk C. Rodgers,
Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 03-24261 Filed 9-24-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P