[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 190 (Friday, October 1, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58947-58948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-22048]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Renewal of the Sacramento River Settlement Contracts, Shasta, 
Tehama, Butte, Glenn, Colusa, Sutter, Yolo, and Sacramento Counties, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft environmental impact 
statement (Draft EIS) and notice of public hearing (DES 04-50).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969 (as amended), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) as lead 
Federal Agency, has made available for public review a Draft EIS for 
the renewal of long-term contracts to deliver water from the Central 
Valley Project (CVP) to the Sacramento River Settlement Contractors. 
The Sacramento River Settlement Contractors are entities and 
individuals that typically receive both non-CVP water, referred to as 
base supply, and supplemental water from the CVP, referred to as 
Project Water. The proposed contract renewals would continue the 
delivery of base supply and Project Water for an additional 40 years. 
The Draft EIS describes and

[[Page 58948]]

presents the environmental effects of five alternatives, including no 
action, for the renewal of up to 145 contracts which include 
approximately 1.8 million acre-feet of base supply per year and 
approximately 380,000 acre feet of Project Water per year.

DATES: Submit written comments on the Draft EIS on or before Monday, 
November 15, 2004, to Mr. Buford Holt at the address provided below. 
One Public Hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 27, from 3 
p.m. to 6 p.m. in Willows, CA.

ADDRESSES: The location for the October 27 Public Hearing is the Eubank 
Room in the Willows Public Library, 201 N. Lassen St., Willows, CA.
    Copies of the Draft EIS may be requested from Ms. Sammie Cervantes, 
Public Affairs Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, 
Sacramento, CA 95825 or by calling 916-978-5104, TDD 916-978-5608. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for locations where copies of the 
Draft EIS are available for public viewing.
    Send written comments on the Draft EIS to Mr. Buford Holt, Bureau 
of Reclamation, Northern California Area Office, 16349 Shasta Dam 
Boulevard, Shasta Lake, CA 96019; by fax at (530) 275-2441; or by e-
mail to [email protected]. Comments should be received on or before 
November 15, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Buford Holt, Environmental 
Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation, Northern California Area Office, at 
(530) 275-1554, TDD 530-275-8991.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CVP was first authorized as a Federal 
project in 1935 and includes facilities on the Sacramento River. Prior 
to the authorization of the CVP, individuals and entities along the 
Sacramento River were diverting water for irrigation and municipal and 
industrial uses under various claims of right. Construction of CVP dams 
on the Sacramento River and the Trinity River modified the flows of the 
Sacramento River. In order to settle controversy over assertions of 
Sacramento River water rights, the United States, acting through the 
Bureau of Reclamation, negotiated the Settlement Contracts to provide 
agreement on diversion of Sacramento River water and CVP water. Using 
jointly conducted studies, the parties negotiated to arrive at mutually 
agreed amounts of Base Supply and Project Water. ``Base Supply'' is 
water the Settlement Contractor's divert free of charge in recognition 
of their un-quantified water rights, which existed prior to the 
construction of the CVP. In addition, Reclamation agreed to provide the 
Settlement Contractors with certain designated monthly quantities of 
CVP water, referred to as ``Project Water'', primarily in the months of 
July, August, and/or September. Project Water is subject to all of the 
pricing and other requirements of Federal Reclamation Law. The term of 
the initial Sacramento River Settlement Contracts was not to exceed 40 
years, and the contracts were set to expire on March 31, 2004; however, 
Congress has granted a two-year extension of the contracts.
    The Draft EIS addresses impacts related to the proposed March 2005 
renewal of up to 145 Sacramento River Settlement Contracts to continue 
delivery of supplemental Project Water for agricultural and municipal 
and industrial (M&I) uses. Water would continue to be delivered through 
existing CVP facilities, with no new construction required. With the 
exception of Sutter Mutual Water Company and the Anderson-Cottonwood 
Irrigation District, the proposed contracts provide for the continued 
delivery of the same quantities of Project Water provided for under the 
expiring Settlement Contracts. Under the proposed action, the 
Sacramento River Settlement Contractors would divert approximately 1.8 
million acre-feet of Base Supply per year from the Sacramento River, 
and approximately 380,000 acre-feet of Project Water per year from the 
Sacramento River. Twenty of the 145 Settlement Contractors account for 
approximately 94 percent of the total Settlement Contract amount. The 
proposed contract-renewal amounts range in size from 10 to 825,000 
acre-feet per year. Contracts would be renewed for a 40-year term. The 
renewal of contracts provides for continued delivery of CVP water to 
the same lands and for the same purposes of use, with the exception of 
Natomas Central Mutual Water Company which has requested a change from 
agricultural use to M&I use in the Metro Air Park portion of its 
service area. The Draft EIS describes and analyzes the effects of the 
proposed contract-renewals on fish resources, vegetation and wildlife, 
hydrology and water quality, recreation, cultural resources, land use, 
geology and soils, and air quality.
    Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public viewing at the 
following locations:
     Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the 
Interior, 1849 C Street, NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, DC 
20240-0001.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office Library, Building 67, 
Room 167, Denver Federal Center, 6th and Kipling, Denver, CO 80225-
0007, 303-445-2072;
     Bureau of Reclamation, Office of Public Affairs, 2800 
Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825-1898 (Sacramento County), 916-978-
5100;
     Bureau of Reclamation, Northern California Area Office, 
16349 Shasta Dam Boulevard, Shasta Lake CA 96019-8400 (Shasta County), 
530-275-1554;
     Bureau of Reclamation, Mid Pacific Construction Office, 
1140 West Wood Street, Willows, CA 95988-0988 (Glenn County), 530-934-
7066.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Red Bluff Field Office, 22500 
Altube Road, Red Bluff, CA 96080 (Tehama County), 530-529-3890.
    It is Reclamation's practice to make comments, including names and 
home addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual 
respondents may request that Reclamation withhold their home address 
from public disclosure, which Reclamation will honor to the extent 
allowed by law. There also may be circumstances in which Reclamation 
would withhold a respondent's identity from public disclosure, as 
allowed by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, 
you must state this request prominently at the beginning of your 
comment. Reclamation 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.
    Special Services: Persons requiring any special services at the 
October 27, 2004, public meeting should contact Sammie Cervantes at 
(916) 978-5104. Please notify Ms. Cervantes as far in advance of the 
particular meeting as possible, but no later than 3 working days prior 
to the meeting to enable Reclamation to secure the services. If a 
request cannot be honored, the requester will be notified.

    Dated: September 20, 2004.
John F. Davis,
Deputy Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 04-22048 Filed 9-30-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P