[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 14, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34031-34032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-16645]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Delta-Mendota Canal/California Aqueduct Intertie, Alameda County, 
CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (Draft EIS) and notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation, as the National Environmental 
Policy Act Federal lead agency, has made available for public review 
and comment the Delta-Mendota Canal/California Aqueduct Intertie 
(Intertie) Draft EIS. The Intertie is a proposed action in the August 
2000 CALFED Bay-Delta Program Programmatic Record of Decision. The 
Intertie Draft EIS evaluates constructing and operating a pipeline 
connecting the Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC) and the California Aqueduct. 
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to improve the DMC conveyance 
conditions that restrict the CVP Jones Pumping Plant to less than its 
authorized pumping capacity of 4,600 cubic feet per second. The Draft 
EIS describes and presents the environmental effects of the No-Action 
Alternative and three action alternatives. Two public hearings will be 
held to receive comments from agencies, individuals, and organizations 
on the Draft EIS.

DATES: Two public hearings have been scheduled to receive oral or 
written comments regarding environmental effects:
     Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 1 p.m.-3 p.m., Sacramento, CA.
     Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Stockton, CA.
    The Draft EIS will be available for a 45-day public review and 
comment period.
    Comments are due by Monday, August 31, 2009.

ADDRESSES: The public hearings will be held at the following locations:
     Sacramento, CA--Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs Conference Room W-2620.
     Stockton, CA--Arnold Rue Community Center, 5758 Lorraine 
Avenue (in Panella Park at Amaretto Street).
    Send written comments on the Draft EIS to Mr. Louis Moore, Bureau 
of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-700, Sacramento, CA 95825.
    Copies of the Draft EIS may be requested from Mr. Louis Moore, by 
writing to Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 
95825; by calling 916-978-5189 (TDD 916-978-5608); or by e-mailing 
[email protected]. The Draft EIS is also accessible from the following 
Web site: http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=1014. See Supplementary Information section for locations where 
copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Louis Moore, Bureau of 
Reclamation, at 916-978-5189 (TDD 916-978-5608) or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS documents the direct, 
indirect, and cumulative effects to the physical, biological, and 
socioeconomic environment that may result from the construction and 
operation of the Intertie facilities.

[[Page 34032]]

    The Intertie Draft EIS evaluates constructing and operating a 
pipeline connecting between the Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC) and the 
California Aqueduct. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to improve 
the DMC conveyance conditions that restrict the CVP Jones Pumping Plant 
to less than its authorized pumping capacity of 4,600 cubic feet per 
second. The Draft EIS evaluates four alternatives, including the No 
Action, Proposed Action (alternative previously analyzed in the 
Environmental Assessment), an alternative location of the same design, 
and a temporary structure. The Intertie would be located in an 
unincorporated area of the San Joaquin Valley in Alameda County, west 
of the city of Tracy, in a rural agricultural area that is owned by the 
State and Federal governments. The primary study area includes the 
Intertie alternative facilities and the associated transmission lines 
connecting to the Tracy substation, which is located at DMC Milepost 
3.5.
    Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review at the 
following locations:
     Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, Regional 
Library, 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.
     Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the 
Interior, 1849 C Street NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, DC 
20240-0001.
    If special assistance is required at the public hearings, please 
contact Mr. Louis Moore at 916-978-5189, TDD 916-978-5608, or by e-
mailing [email protected]. Please notify Mr. Moore as far in advance as 
possible to enable Reclamation to secure the needed services. If a 
request cannot be honored, the requestor will be notified.
    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: March 11, 2009.
Richard M. Johnson,
Acting Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
 [FR Doc. E9-16645 Filed 7-13-09; 8:45 am]
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