[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 29 (Friday, February 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7260-7262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2727]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[DES 09-02]


Aspinall Unit, Colorado River Storage Project, CO

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Aspinall Unit Operations Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Federal agency 
responsible for operation of the Aspinall Unit, has prepared and made 
available to the public a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) 
on Aspinall Unit operations pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 
4332.

DATES: A public review period commences with the publication of this 
notice. Written comments on the DEIS

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are due by Friday, April 24, 2009, and should be submitted to Steve 
McCall at the address given below. Public hearings will be held during 
the month of April in Gunnison and Delta, Colorado. The public hearings 
schedule is as follows:
     Tuesday, April 7, 2009--6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.--Gunnison 
County Fairgrounds, 275 S. Spruce Street, Gunnison, Colorado.
     Wednesday, April 8, 2009--6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.--Bill 
Heddles Recreation Center, 530 Gunnison River Drive, Delta, Colorado.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the DEIS and requests for copies should 
be addressed to Steve McCall, Bureau of Reclamation, Western Colorado 
Area Office, 2764 Compass Drive, Suite 106, Grand Junction, Colorado 
81506; telephone (970) 248-0638; facsimile (970) 248-0601; e-mail: 
[email protected]. The DEIS is also available on Reclamation's Web 
site at http://www.usbr.gov/uc/ (click on Environmental Documents).
    Copies of the DEIS are available for public review and inspection 
at the following locations:
     Main Interior Building, Natural Resources Library, Room 
1151, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240-0001.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office Library, Denver 
Federal Center, Sixth and Kipling, Building 67, Room 167, Denver, 
Colorado 80225-0007.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Regional Office, 125 
South State Street, Room 7418, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1147.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Western Colorado Area Office, 2764 
Compass Drive, Suite 106, Grand Junction, Colorado 81506.

Libraries

     Delta County Public Library, Delta, Colorado.
     Mesa County Public Library, Grand Junction, Colorado.
     Montrose County Public Library, Grand Junction, Colorado.
     Gunnison County Library, Gunnison, Colorado.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve McCall, Bureau of Reclamation, 
Western Colorado Area Office, 2764 Compass Drive, Suite 106, Grand 
Junction, Colorado 81506; telephone (970) 248-0638; facsimile (970) 
248-0601; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS describes the environmental impacts 
of alternatives to operate the Aspinall Unit to assist in implementing 
flow recommendations for endangered fish provided by the Upper Colorado 
River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (Recovery Program). Under the 
direction of the Recovery Program, Aspinall Unit releases were 
evaluated beginning in 1992. At the completion of the research, the 
Recovery Program published the Flow Recommendations to Benefit 
Endangered Fishes in the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers (McAda, 2003). 
The recommendations include spring peak and base flow targets for 
various hydrologic conditions in the Gunnison River Basin.
    The purpose of modifying operations of the Aspinall Unit is to 
provide sufficient releases of water at times, quantities, and duration 
necessary to avoid jeopardy to endangered fish species and adverse 
modification of their designated critical habitat in the lower Gunnison 
River while maintaining the authorized purposes of the Aspinall Unit.
    The Upper Colorado River Basin at one time was inhabited by 14 
native fish species, four of which are now endangered. These four fish 
are the Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, bonytail, and humpback 
chub. They exist only in the Colorado River Basin. The four fish are 
endangered because of adverse impacts to their habitat over the last 
125 years. The two types of habitat impacts that appear to have had the 
greatest effect have been water development and introduction of non-
native fish (McAda, 2003).
    Reclamation is required to comply with the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA) for operation of its facilities, including the Aspinall Unit. 
Within the exercise of its discretionary authority, Reclamation must 
avoid jeopardizing the continued existence of listed species and 
destroying or adversely modifying designated critical habitat.

Background

    The Aspinall Unit, located on the Gunnison River in western 
Colorado, is an authorized storage unit of the Colorado River Storage 
Project (CRSP). The Aspinall Unit includes three dams and reservoirs 
(Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal) along a 40-mile reach of the 
Gunnison River. The Aspinall Unit is one of the four key features of 
the CRSP intended to develop the water resources of the Upper Colorado 
River Basin and is operated in accordance with the CRSP Act and 
applicable Reclamation and other Federal laws.

Purpose and Need for Action

    Under the proposed action, the Aspinall Unit will be operated to 
avoid jeopardizing the continued existence of, and assist in the 
recovery of, the endangered fishes. This will help facilitate future 
water development to proceed in the Upper Colorado River Basin in 
compliance with applicable laws, compacts, court decrees, and Indian 
trust responsibilities. The proposed action is needed because 
Reclamation is required to comply with the Endangered Species Act for 
the operation of facilities, including the Aspinall Unit. Within the 
exercise of its discretionary authority, Reclamation must avoid 
jeopardizing the continued existence of listed species or adversely 
modifying designated critical habitat.

Proposed Federal Action

    Reclamation proposes to operate the Aspinall Unit to avoid 
jeopardizing the continued existence of downstream endangered fish 
species while maintaining and continuing to meet all of the project's 
authorized purposes. Reclamation would implement the proposed action by 
modifying the operations of the Aspinall Unit, to the extent possible, 
to help achieve river flows recommended by the Recovery Program. This 
change in Aspinall Unit operations would assist in conserving 
endangered fish in the Gunnison and Colorado rivers and would maintain 
authorized project purposes.
    Hearing Process Information: Oral comments at the hearings will be 
limited to five minutes. The hearing officer may allow any speaker to 
provide additional oral comments after all persons wishing to comment 
have been heard. All comments will be formally recorded. Speakers not 
present when called will lose their privilege in the scheduled order 
and will be recalled at the end of the scheduled speakers. Speakers are 
encouraged to provide written versions of their oral comments, and any 
other additional written materials, for the hearing/administrative 
record.
    Written comments should be received by Reclamation's Western 
Colorado Area Office using the contact information provided above no 
later than Friday, April 24, 2009, for inclusion in the hearing/
administrative record. Under the NEPA process, written and oral 
comments, received by the due date, are given the same consideration. 
Written comments, Reclamation responses, and public hearing statements 
(oral comments) will be used in the preparation of the final 
environmental impact statement.

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

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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: January 15, 2009.
Ann Gold,
Acting Regional Director--UC Region.
 [FR Doc. E9-2727 Filed 2-12-09; 8:45 am]
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