[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 13 (Friday, January 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3323-3324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-470]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[DES-05-80]


Upper Rio Grande Basin Water Operations Review

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meetings for the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Upper Rio Grande Basin 
Water Operations Review.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969 (as amended), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), with and on 
behalf of other joint-lead agencies (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
[Corps], Department of Defense; and the New Mexico Interstate Stream 
Commission [Commission], State of New Mexico), has prepared a draft 
environmental impact statement (DEIS) to assess the consequences of 
proposed changes to water operations in the Rio Grande basin above Fort 
Quitman, Texas. The DEIS is programmatic and is not intended to 
authorize specific projects that may also be applied to the upper Rio 
Grande system. It is anticipated that a plan for water operations at 
existing Reclamation and Corps facilities will be developed.
    The DEIS presents alternatives with respect to water operations and 
evaluates the environmental, economic, and social effects of these 
alternatives. Some of the alternatives considered include changing the 
channel capacity criteria at Albuquerque, storage or non-storage of Rio 
Grande water in authorized San Juan-Chama space in Abiquiu Reservoir, 
and operation of the Low Flow Conveyance Channel.

DATES: A 60-day public review period commences with the publication of 
this notice. Comments on the DEIS should be submitted no later than 
Tuesday, March 21, 2006, to Ms. Valda Terauds, Bureau of Reclamation, 
Albuquerque Area Office, 555 Broadway NE., Suite 100, Albuquerque, New 
Mexico 87102. Comments may also be submitted electronically at: http://www.spa.usace.army.mil/urgwops/.
    The joint-lead agencies will conduct eight public meetings to 
obtain public input on the DEIS. All of the meetings will take place 
from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The public meetings schedule is as follows:
     February 21, 2006, 6-9 p.m., International Boundary and 
Water Commission, 4171 North Mesa, El Paso, Texas;
     February 22, 2006, 6-9 p.m., Mesilla Valley Inn, 901 
Avenida de Mesilla, Las Cruces, New Mexico;
     February 23, 2006, 6-9 p.m., Ranchers Steak House, 606 
North California Street, Socorro, New Mexico;
     February 28, 2006, 6-9 p.m., Indian Pueblo Cultural 
Center, 2401 12th Street NW., Albuquerque, New Mexico;
     March 1, 2006, 6-9 p.m., Radisson Hotel, 750 North St. 
Francis, Santa Fe, New Mexico;
     March 2, 2006, 6-9 p.m., Espanola Public Library, Richard 
Lucero Center, 313 North Paseo de Onate, Espanola, New Mexico;
     March 8, 2006, 6-9 p.m., Corps Abiquiu Res. Office, 2.5 
Mile Highway 95, Abiquiu, New Mexico; and
     March 9, 2006, 6-9 p.m., U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Rural Development, 101 South Craft Drive, Alamosa, Colorado.

ADDRESSES: The DEIS is electronically available for viewing and copying 
at the Corps' Albuquerque District Web site at: http://www.spa.usace.army.mil/urgwops/. Alternatively, a compact disc or hard 
copy is available upon written request to Ms. Valda Terauds, Bureau of 
Reclamation, Albuquerque Area Office, 555 Broadway NE., Suite 100 
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102.
    Copies of the DEIS are available for public inspection and review 
at the following locations:
     Bureau of Reclamation, Albuquerque Area Office, 555 
Broadway NE., Suite 100, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102;
     Southern Peaks Public Library, 423 4th Street, Alamosa, 
Colorado 81101;
     Taos Public Library, 402 Camino de la Placita, Taos, New 
Mexico 87571;
     City of Espanola Library, 405 Paseo de Onate, Espanola, 
New Mexico 87532;
     Albuquerque Main Library, 501 Copper NW., Albuquerque, New 
Mexico 87102;
     Santa Fe Public Library, 145 Washington Street, Santa Fe, 
New Mexico 87501;
     El Paso Public Library, Clardy Fox Branch, 5515 Robert 
Alva Avenue, El Paso, Texas 79905;
     Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 East Picacho Avenue, 
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001; and
     Socorro Public Library, 401 Park Street, Socorro, New 
Mexico 87801.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Valda Terauds, Bureau of 
Reclamation, Albuquerque Area Office, 555 Broadway NE., Suite 100, 
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102; telephone 505-462-3584; facsimile 505-
462-3593; e-mail: [email protected].
    Ms. April Sanders, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Albuquerque 
District, 4101

[[Page 3324]]

Jefferson Plaza NE., Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87109; telephone 505-342-
3443; facsimile 505-342-3195; e-mail: [email protected].
    Mr. Nabil Shafike, Ph.D., New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, 
121 Tijeras NE., Suite 2000, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102; telephone 
505-764-3866; facsimile 505-764-3893; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to various legal authorities, and 
subject to allocation of supplies and priority of water rights under 
state law, Reclamation and the Corps operate dams, reservoirs, and 
other facilities in the upper Rio Grande basin to:
    (1) Store and deliver water for agricultural, domestic, municipal, 
industrial, and environmental uses;
    (2) Assist the Commission in meeting downstream water delivery 
obligations mandated by the Rio Grande Compact;
    (3) Provide flood protection and sediment control; and
    (4) Comply with existing laws, contract obligations, and 
international treaties.
    The Upper Rio Grande Basin Water Operations Review (Review) 
provides the basis of, and is integral to, preparation of the DEIS. The 
purpose of the Review and DEIS is to:
    (1) Identify flexibilities in operation of federal reservoirs and 
facilities in the upper Rio Grande basin that are within existing 
authorities of Reclamation, the Corps, and the Commission, and in 
compliance with federal and state laws;
    (2) Develop a better understanding of how these facilities could be 
operated more efficiently and effectively as an integrated system;
    (3) Formulate a plan for future water operations at these 
facilities that is within the existing authorities of Reclamation, the 
Corps, and the Commission; complies with federal, state, and other 
applicable laws and regulations; and assures continued safe dam 
operations;
    (4) Improve processes for making decisions about water operations 
through better interagency communication and coordination, and 
facilitation of public review and input; and
    (5) Support compliance by the Corps, Reclamation, and the 
Commission with applicable law and regulations, including, but not 
limited to, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered 
Species Act.
    The DEIS addresses water operations at the following facilities 
with the noted exceptions and limitations:
     Flood control operations at Platoro Reservoir (the Review 
and EIS will include only flood control operations at Platoro that are 
under Corps authority; water supply operations at Platoro are under 
local control)
     Closed Basin Division--San Luis Valley Project
     Heron Dam and Reservoir
     Abiquiu Dam and Reservoir
     Cochiti Dam and Reservoir
     Low Flow Conveyance Channel
     Flood control operations at Elephant Butte Dam and 
Reservoir (because of current litigation, water supply operations at 
Elephant Butte are not included in the Review or DEIS)
     Flood control operations at Caballo Dam and Reservoir 
(because of current litigation, water supply operations at Caballo are 
not included in the Review or DEIS).

Public Disclosure

    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 
also may 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 10, 2006.
Rick L. Gold,
Regional Director--Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region.
[FR Doc. 06-470 Filed 1-19-06; 8:45 am]
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