[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 16 (Monday, January 26, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3599-3600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-1553]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Environmental Water Account, San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San 
Joaquin Delta, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Bureau of 
Reclamation (Reclamation) and the California Department of Water 
Resources (DWR) have prepared a Final EIS/EIR for the Environmental 
Water Account (EWA).
    The purpose of the EWA is to provide water for the protection and 
recovery of at-risk native fish species beyond the amount of water 
available from existing regulatory actions related to State Water 
Project/Central Valley Project operations.
    The Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS/EIR was published in 
the Federal Register on Wednesday, July 16, 2003, (66 FR 42130). The 
written comment period on the Draft EIS/EIR ended Monday, September 15, 
2003. The Final EIS/EIR contains responses to all comments received and 
changes made to the text of the Draft EIS/EIR as a result of those 
comments and any additional information received during the review 
period.

DATES: Reclamation will not make a decision on the proposed action 
until at least 30 days after release of the Final EIS/EIR. After the 
30-day waiting period, Reclamation will complete a Record of Decision 
(ROD). The ROD will state the action that will be implemented and will 
discuss all factors leading to the decision.

ADDRESSES: A compact disc of the Final EIS/EIR may be requested from 
Ms. Sammie Cervantes, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, 
Sacramento, CA 95825, or by calling 916-978-5104, TDD 916-978-5608, or 
by e-mail at [email protected]. The Final EIS/EIR is accessible at 
the following Web sites: http://www.mp.usbr.gov or http://www.dwr.water.ca.gov.
    See Supplemental Information section for locations where a compact 
disc of the Final EIS/EIR is available for review.

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Sammie Cervantes, Bureau of 
Reclamation, at 916-978-5104, TDD 916-978-5608, or by e-mail at 
[email protected]; or Ms. Delores Brown, DWR, at 916-227-2407, or 
by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EWA is a cooperative management program, 
the purpose of which is to provide protection to the at-risk native 
fish species of the Bay-Delta estuary through environmentally 
beneficial changes in SWP and CVP operations at no uncompensated water 
cost to the projects' water users. This approach to fish protection 
requires the acquisition of alternative sources of water supply, called 
EWA assets, that allow export pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin 
Delta to be modified to provide fishery benefits while also replacing 
the regular project water supply that otherwise might be interrupted or 
lost because of the changes to project operations. EWA assets may also 
be used to augment streamflows and Delta outflow.
    Public workshops to discuss the purpose and content of the Draft 
EIS/EIR were held on the following dates and locations: Wednesday, July 
16, 2003, in San Diego, CA; Monday, July 21, 2003, in Red Bluff, CA; 
Tuesday, July 22, 2003, in Fresno, CA; Wednesday, July 23, 2003, in 
Tracy, CA; and Tuesday, July 29, 2003, in Sacramento, CA. Public 
hearings were held on Monday, August 25, 2003, in Sacramento, CA; 
Tuesday, August 26, 2003, in Red Bluff, CA; and Thursday, August 28, 
2003, in Fresno, CA.
    A compact disc of the Final EIS/EIR is available for review at the 
following locations:
     Department of Water Resources, Division of 
Environmental Services, 3251 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95816;
     Bureau of Reclamation, Public Affairs Office, 
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825;
     California Bay-Delta Authority, 650 Capitol 
Mall, 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95812;
     Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office Library, 
Building 67, Room 167, Denver Federal Center, 6th and Kipling, Denver, 
CO 80225, 303-445-2072;
     Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of 
the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, 
DC 20240-0001; and

[[Page 3600]]

     At various county libraries, contact Sammie 
Cervantes at 916-978-5104, TDD 916-978-5608, for specific locations.
    It is Reclamation's practice to publicly disclose respondents' 
comments, including names and addresses. Respondents may request that 
their address be withheld from disclosure; this will be honored to the 
extent allowable by law. There may also be circumstances in which a 
respondent's identity may be withheld from disclosure; again, this will 
be honored 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. All submissions from organizations or 
businesses will be publicly disclosed in their entirety.

    Dated: January 14, 2004.
John F. Davis,
Deputy Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 04-1553 Filed 1-23-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P