[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71070-71072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29577]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[INT-DES-11-58]


Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Integrated Water Resource Management Plan, Yakima River Basin Water 
Enhancement Project, Benton, Kittitas, Klickitat, and Yakima Counties, 
WA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation, in cooperation with the Washington 
State Department of Ecology, the joint lead agency, has prepared a 
draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Integrated 
Water Resource Management Plan, Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement 
Project. The draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DPEIS) 
is available for public review and comment.

DATES: Submit written comments on the draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement on or before January 3, 2012
    Three public open house meetings will be held on the following 
dates to share information about the proposed action:
     Monday, December 5, 2011, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 
5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Cle Elum, Washington.
     Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 
5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Ellensburg, Washington.
     Wednesday, December 14, 2011, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 
from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Yakima, Washington.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments or requests for copies to Candace 
McKinley, Environmental Program Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, 
Columbia-Cascades Area Office, 1917 Marsh Road, Yakima, WA 98901; or by 
email to [email protected].
    The draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement is also 
available on the Bureau of Reclamation's Web site at http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/yrbwep/2011integratedplan/index.html.
    The public open house meetings will be held at:
     Cle Elum--Cle Elum Ranger District, Tom L. Craven 
Conference Room, 803 W. Second Street.
     Ellensburg--Hal Holmes Center, 209 N. Ruby Street.
     Yakima--Yakima Area Arboretum, 1401 Arboretum Way.
    See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for locations where 
copies of the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement is 
available for public review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Candace McKinley, (509) 575-5848, ext. 
232; or email at [email protected]. TTY users may dial 711 to obtain a 
toll-free TTY relay.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In 1979, Congress initiated the Yakima River Basin Water 
Enhancement Project (YRBWEP) in response to long-standing water 
resource problems in the basin. The YRBWEP involves developing a plan 
to achieve four objectives: (1) Provide supplemental water for 
presently irrigated lands; (2) provide water for new lands within the 
Yakama Indian Reservation; (3) provide water for increased instream 
flows for aquatic life; and (4) identify a comprehensive approach for 
efficient management of basin water supplies.
    Initial efforts in the mid-1980s (Phase 1) focused on improving 
fish passage by rebuilding fish ladders and constructing fish screens 
at existing diversions. Phase 2 in the 1990s focused on water 
conservation/water acquisition activities, tributary fish screens, and 
long-term management needs. Efforts under these initial phases were 
hindered by the ongoing uncertainties associated with adjudication of 
the basin surface waters that began in 1978. With the adjudication 
process now largely completed, most of the water right uncertainties 
have been addressed.
    In 2003, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Washington 
State Department of Ecology (Ecology) initiated the Yakima River Basin 
Water Storage Feasibility Study to examine storage augmentation in the 
Yakima River basin. This study emphasized evaluation of a proposed 
Black Rock Reservoir, which was the focus of the Yakima River Basin 
Water Storage Feasibility Study Draft Planning Report/Environmental 
Impact Statement (PR/EIS) issued in January 2008.
    The narrow focus of the legislative authorization in combination 
with comments on the Draft PR/EIS prompted Ecology to separate from the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. In mid-2008, Ecology 
initiated a separate evaluation of the Yakima basin's water supply 
problems, including consideration of habitat and fish passage needs. 
Reclamation continued the NEPA process consistent with its legislative 
authorization and issued the Yakima River Basin Water Storage 
Feasibility Study Final PR/EIS in December 2008. Following issuance

[[Page 71071]]

of the Final PR/EIS, Reclamation selected the No Action Alternative. 
Ecology completed its study and issued a separate Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water 
Resource Management Alternative in June 2009 under SEPA. The Integrated 
Water Resource Management Alternative evaluated in the Ecology FEIS 
relied upon a range of water management and habitat improvement 
approaches to resolve the long-standing water resource problems in the 
basin.
    The DPEIS describes and analyzes the potential effects of two 
alternatives. Under the Action Alternative, Reclamation and Ecology 
would implement an Integrated Water Resource Management Plan based on 
the following elements:
    1. Fish Passage (fish passage improvements at Cle Elum, Bumping, 
Clear Lake, Keechelus, Kachess, and Tieton Dams);
    2. Structural/Operational Changes (Cle Elum Dam pool raise, 
Kittitas Reclamation District canal modifications, Keechelus to Kachess 
pipeline, subordination of power generation at Roza and Chandler Power 
Plants and Wapatox canal improvements.);
    3. Surface Storage (new Wymer Dam and Reservoir, Bumping Reservoir 
enlargement, Kachess inactive storage);
    4. Groundwater Storage (groundwater infiltration prior to storage 
control and aquifer storage and recovery);
    5. Habitat protection and enhancement (targeted watershed 
protection and enhancements;
    6. Enhanced Water Conservation (agricultural water and municipal/
domestic conservation); and
    7. Market-Based Reallocation of Water Resources (institutional 
improvements to facilitate market-based water transfers).
    Under the No Action Alternative, Reclamation and Ecology would not 
implement development of new surface water storage in the Yakima River 
basin or expansion of programs to protect or enhance fish habitat, nor 
would Reclamation and Ecology implement structural and operational 
changes enhanced water conservation, market-based reallocation of water 
resources, or groundwater storage.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The current water resources infrastructure of the Yakima River 
basin has not been capable of consistently meeting aquatic resource 
demands for fish and wildlife habitat, dry-year irrigation demands, and 
municipal water supply demands. Specific needs that the Integrated Plan 
is proposed to address include: Anadromous and resident fish 
populations are seriously depleted from historic levels due to the 
following major factors:
     Dams and other obstructions block fish passage to upstream 
tributaries and spawning grounds;
     Riparian habitat and floodplain functions have been 
degraded by past and present land use practices; and
     Irrigation operations have altered stream flows, resulting 
in flows at certain times of the year that are too high in some reaches 
and too low in others to provide good fish habitat.
    Demand for irrigation water significantly exceeds supply in drought 
years, leading to severe prorationing (delivery of a reduced water 
supply) for proratable, or junior, water rights holders:
     A water supply of 70 percent of proratable water rights 
during a drought year would provide a minimally acceptable supply to 
prevent severe economic losses to farmers. This number was reached 
following extensive discussions with stakeholders regarding the lowest 
level of water supply that could be accommodated without catastrophic 
losses to crops, assuming aggressive water management techniques were 
employed. This 70-percent threshold is similar to the State of 
Washington's definition of a drought condition contained in RCW 
43.83B.400, which recognizes a drought when water supply for a 
significant portion of a geographic area falls below 75 percent of 
normal and is likely to cause undue hardship for various water uses and 
users.
    Demand for municipal and domestic water supplies is difficult to 
meet because of the following factors:
     Water rights in the basin are fully appropriated, making 
it difficult to acquire water rights to meet future municipal and 
domestic water demand;
     Pumping groundwater for irrigation and municipal uses may 
reduce surface water flows in some locations, which may affect existing 
water rights; and
     Hydraulic continuity between groundwater and surface water 
in the basin creates uncertainty over the status of groundwater rights 
and permit exempt wells within the basin's appropriative water rights 
system (first in time first in right), potentially making groundwater 
use junior to nearly all surface water use.
    Climate change projections indicate that there will be less runoff 
available from reservoirs, increasing the need for prorationing and 
reducing flows for fish.
    These problems have created a need to restore ecological functions 
in the Yakima River system and to provide more reliable and sustainable 
water resources for the health of the riverine environment, and for 
agriculture and municipal and domestic needs. These needs should be 
addressed in a way that anticipates increased water demands and changes 
in water supply related to climate change.
    The purposes of the Integrated Plan are to:
     Implement a comprehensive program of water resource and 
habitat improvements in response to existing and forecast needs of the 
Yakima River basin; and
     Develop an adaptive approach for implementing these 
initiatives and for long-term management of basin water supplies that 
contributes to the vitality of the regional economy and sustains the 
health of the riverine environment.

Proposed Federal Action

    Reclamation proposes to implement an integrated water resource 
management plan in the Yakima River basin as part of the Yakima River 
Basin Water Enhancement Project to improve water supply reliability 
during drought years to 70 percent of proratable supply for 
participating irrigation districts; improve the ability of water 
managers to respond and adapt to potential effects of climate change; 
provide opportunities for comprehensive ecological restoration and 
enhancement addressing instream flows, aquatic habitat, and fish 
passage; provide economic stimulus to the Yakima River basin that will 
benefit the larger Central Washington area; and develop a comprehensive 
approach for efficient management of water supplies for irrigated 
agriculture, municipal and domestic uses, and power generation.

Locations for Public Review

    Copies of the DPEIS are available for public review and inspection 
at the following locations:
     Bureau of Reclamation, Columbia-Cascades Area Office, 1917 
Marsh Road, Yakima, Washington 98901.
     Washington State Department of Ecology, 15 W. Yakima 
Avenue, Suite 200, Yakima, Washington 98902.

Libraries

     Carpenter Memorial Library, 302 N Pennsylvania Ave, Cle 
Elum, Washington 98922.
     Ellensburg Public Library, 209 N Ruby St, Ellensburg, 
Washington 98926.
     Roslyn Public Library, 201 S. First St, Roslyn, Washington 
98941.
     Benton City Library, 810 Horne Dr, Benton City, Washington 
99320.
     Kennewick Library, 1620 S Union St, Kennewick, Washington 
99338.

[[Page 71072]]

     Kittitas Public Library, 200 N Pierce St, Kittitas, 
Washington 98934.
     Mid-Columbia Library, 405 S Dayton St, Kennewick, 
Washington 99336.
     Pasco Library, 1320 W Hopkins St, Pasco, Washington 99301.
     Prosser Library, 902 7th St, Prosser, Washington 99350.
     Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Dr, Richland, 
Washington 99352.
     Sunnyside Public Library, 621 Grant Ave, Sunnyside, 
Washington 98944.
     Toppenish Library, 1 S Elm St, Toppenish, Washington 
98948.
     Wapato Library, 119 E 3rd St, Wapato, Washington 98951.
     Washington State Library, Point Plaza East, 6880 Capitol 
Blvd. SE., Tumwater, Washington 98504.
     West Richland Library, 3803 W Van Giesen St, Richland, 
Washington 99353.
     Yakama Nation Library, 100 Spiel-Yi Loop, Toppenish, 
Washington 98948.
     Yakima Valley Regional Library, 102 N 3rd St, Yakima, 
Washington 98901.

Special Assistance for Public Meetings

    If special assistance is required to participate in the public 
meetings, please contact Candace McKinley at (509) 575-5848, ext. 232, 
or via email at [email protected]. Please notify Ms. McKinley 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. TTY users may dial 711 to obtain a toll-free TTY relay.

Public Disclosure

    Before including your name, address, phone number, email 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: November 7, 2011.
Karl E. Wirkus,
Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-29577 Filed 11-15-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P