[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 25, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54456-54457]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-18879]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Walker River Basin Acquisitions Program, Mineral, Lyon, and 
Douglas Counties, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) and notice of public scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 
Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to prepare an EIS for the 
Walker River Basin Acquisitions Program. The primary purpose of the 
program is to comply with the requirements of Public Law 107-171 
(Desert Terminal Lakes Program), which appropriates funds to provide 
water to at-risk natural desert terminal lakes, and with Public Law 
109-103, which allocates funds to the University of Nevada for two 
specific purposes. The first purpose is to implement a program for 
environmental restoration to acquire from willing sellers land, water 
appurtenant to the land, and related interests in the Walker River 
Basin, Nevada. Acquired water rights would be transferred to provide 
water to Walker Lake. The second purpose of the University's funding is 
to establish and operate an agricultural and natural resources center. 
The actions to be analyzed in this EIS will be the purchase of water 
rights and related interests from willing sellers in the Walker River 
Basin, Nevada.

DATES: A series of public scoping meetings will be held to solicit 
public input on the alternatives, concerns, and issues to be addressed 
in the EIS. The meetings dates are:
     Monday, October 22, 2007, 6 to 8 p.m., Reno, NV.
     Tuesday, October 23, 2007, 6 to 8 p.m., Yerington, NV.
     Wednesday, October 24, 2007, 6 to 8 p.m., Hawthorne, NV.
     Thursday, October 25, 2007, 6 to 8 p.m., Bridgeport, CA.
    Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent by November 
26, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meetings locations are:
     Reno at Rancho San Rafael Park, Main Ranch House, 1595 N. 
Sierra Street.
     Yerington at Yerington High School, gymnasium, 114 Pearl 
Street.
     Hawthorne at Mineral County Public Library, meeting room, 
110 1st Street.
     Bridgeport at Bridgeport Memorial Hall, 73 N. School 
Street.
    Send comments on the scope of the EIS to Mrs. Caryn Huntt DeCarlo, 
Bureau of Reclamation, 705 N. Plaza Street, Room 320, Carson City, NV 
89701, via e-mail to [email protected], or faxed to 775-884-
8376.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Huntt DeCarlo, 775-884-8352.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area is in the Walker River 
Basin

[[Page 54457]]

within Nevada, and includes both the East and West Walker Rivers. The 
goal of the program is to acquire water rights sufficient to increase 
the long-term average annual inflow to Walker Lake by up to 50,000 
acre-feet. To increase Walker Lake inflows by up to 50,000 acre-feet 
annually may require acquiring more than 50,000 acre-feet of water 
rights due to annual hydrologic variability.

Special Assistance for Public Scoping Meeting

    If special assistance is required at the scoping meetings, please 
contact Caryn Huntt DeCarlo at 775-884-8352, TDD 775-882-3436, or via 
e-mail at [email protected]. Please notify Mrs. Huntt DeCarlo 
as far in advance of the meetings as possible to enable Reclamation to 
secure the needed services. If a request cannot be honored, the 
requestor will be notified. A telephone device for the hearing impaired 
(TDD) is available at 775-882-3436.

Public Disclosure

    Before including your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, 
or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should 
be aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: September 18, 2007.
Robert Eckart,
Acting Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. E7-18879 Filed 9-24-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P