[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 132 (Friday, July 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39797-39799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16903]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR02800000, 15XR0687ND, RX.18527914.2050100]


Notice of Availability of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan/
California WaterFix Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact 
Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement and 
Announcement of Public Meetings

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the Bay Delta 
Conservation Plan/California WaterFix Partially Recirculated Draft

[[Page 39798]]

Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (RDEIR/SDEIS) for public review and comment. The RDEIR/SDEIS 
has been prepared jointly between the Bureau of Reclamation and the 
California Department of Water Resources to describe and analyze 
refinement of the resource area analyses, alternatives, and actions, 
including three additional alternatives that describe conveyance 
options not containing all the elements of a Habitat Conservation Plan/
Natural Communities Conservation Plan described in the previously 
circulated Draft EIR/EIS released on December 13, 2013.
    Based on project revisions and in consideration of comments 
received on the Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan, Draft EIR/EIS, and 
Draft Implementing Agreement, the State and Federal lead agencies 
recognize that additional information is appropriate to address 
comments and to enhance the environmental analysis.

DATES: Comments on the RDEIR/SDEIS must be received or postmarked by 5 
p.m. Pacific Time on August 31, 2015.
    Two public meetings will be held to provide an overview of the 
project and allow public comment and discussion on the RDEIR/SDEIS:
     Tuesday, July 28, 2015, 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Sacramento, 
CA.
     Wednesday, July 29, 2015, 3:00 p.m.--7:00 p.m., Walnut 
Grove, CA.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by one of the following 
methods:
    1. By email: Submit comments to [email protected].
    2. By hard-copy: Submit comments by U.S. mail to BDCP/WaterFix 
Comments, P.O. Box 1919, Sacramento, CA 95812.
    The two public meetings will be held at the following locations:
     Sacramento--Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, Magnolia 
Room, 1230 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
     Walnut Grove--Jean Harvie Community Center, 14273 River 
Road, Walnut Grove, CA 95690.
    To view or download the RDEIR/SDEIS, or for a list of locations to 
view hard-bound copies, go to www.baydeltaconservationplan.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Michelle Banonis, Bureau of 
Reclamation, (916) 930-5676.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On January 24, 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a Notice of Intent 
(NOI) to prepare an EIS on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP or 
Plan) (73 FR 4178). The NOI was re-issued on April 15, 2008, to include 
the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) as a co-lead Federal agency, 
update the status of the planning process, and provide updated 
information related to scoping meetings (73 FR 20326). The April 15, 
2008, NOI identified scoping meeting locations and stated that written 
comments would be accepted until May 30, 2008. Additional information 
was later developed to describe the proposed BDCP, and subsequent 
scoping activities were initiated on February 13, 2009, with the 
publication of a revised NOI (74 FR 7257). The NOI identified scoping 
meeting locations and stated that written comments would be accepted 
until May 14, 2009.
    In 2008, ten public scoping meetings were held throughout 
California. In spring 2009, a summary update was produced and 
distributed about the development of the Plan to interested members of 
the public, including details of individual elements of the Plan 
(referred to in the Plan as ``conservation measures'') that were being 
considered as part of the conservation strategy. Twelve additional 
public scoping meetings were then held throughout California, seeking 
input about the scope of covered activities and potential alternatives 
to the proposed action.
    In December 2010, the California Natural Resources Agency 
disseminated to the public a summary of the BDCP, its status, and a 
list of outstanding issues. In 2011 and 2012, public meetings continued 
in Sacramento, California, to update stakeholders and the public on 
elements of the draft BDCP and EIR/EIS that were being developed.
    On December 13, 2013, the Draft BDCP and associated Draft EIR/EIS 
were released to the public and a 120-day public comment period was 
opened through notification in the Federal Register (78 FR 75939). That 
notice described the proposed action and a reasonable range of 
alternatives. Twelve more public meetings were held in California in 
early 2014. In response to requests from the public, the comment period 
was extended for an additional 60 days and closed on June 13, 2014 (79 
FR 17135; March 27, 2014). A Draft Implementing Agreement was also made 
available to the public on May 30, 2014, for a 60-day review and 
comment period, which closed on July 29, 2014. The comment period of 
the Draft EIR/EIS was also extended to the later date. All draft 
documents are available at www.baydeltaconservationplan.com.
    As a result of considering comments on the Draft BDCP, Draft EIR/
EIS, and Draft Implementing Agreement, Reclamation and the California 
Department of Water Resources have proposed three additional conveyance 
alternatives for analysis in the RDEIR/SDEIS. These new alternatives 
2D, 4A, and 5A, each contain fewer Conservation Measures than the 
conveyance alternatives circulated in the Draft EIR/EIS. Specifically, 
the new alternatives no longer contain the following Conservation 
Measures: CM-2 Yolo Bypass Fisheries Enhancement; CM-5 Seasonally 
Inundated Floodplain Restoration; CM-13 Invasive Aquatic Vegetation 
Control; CM-14 Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel Dissolved Oxygen 
Levels; CM-17 Illegal Harvest Reduction; CM-18 Conservation Hatcheries; 
CM-19 Urban Stormwater Treatment; CM-20 Recreational Users Invasive 
Species Program; and CM-21 Non-project Diversions. The new alternatives 
contain modified versions of the following Conservation Measures 
(referred to as Environmental Commitments in the RDEIR/SDEIS): CM-3 
Natural Communities Protection and Restoration; CM-4 Tidal Natural 
Communities Restoration; CM-6 Channel Margin Enhancement; CM-7 Riparian 
Natural Community Restoration; CM-8 Grassland Natural Community 
Restoration; CM-9 Vernal Pool and Alkali Seasonal Wetland Complex 
Restoration; CM-10 Nontidal Marsh Restoration; CM-11 Natural 
Communities Enhancement and Management; CM-12 Methylmercury Management; 
CM-15 Localized Reduction of Predatory Fishes; and CM-16 Non-Physical 
Fish Barriers. The new alternatives are not structured as a Habitat 
Conservation Plan/Natural Communities Conservation Plan but are 
structured to achieve compliance with the Federal Endangered Species 
Act through consultation under Section 7 and the California Endangered 
Species Act through the incidental take permit process under Section 
2081(b) of the California Fish & Game Code.
    The California Department of Water Resources has identified 
Alternative 4A (known as the California WaterFix) as their proposed 
project and Reclamation has selected Alternative 4A as the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) preferred alternative. This alternative 
will consist of a water conveyance facility with three intakes, habitat 
restoration measures necessary to minimize or avoid project effects, 
and the previously described Conservation Measures. Alternative 4A is 
proposed to make physical and operational improvements to the State 
Water Project system in the Delta necessary to restore

[[Page 39799]]

and protect ecosystem health, water supplies of the State Water Project 
and Central Valley Project south-of-Delta, and water quality within a 
stable regulatory framework, consistent with statutory and contractual 
obligations.
    The RDEIR/SDEIS will also analyze the impacts for two additional 
new alternatives: Alternative 2D, which will consist of a water 
conveyance facility with five intakes, and Alternative 5A, which will 
consist of a water conveyance facility with one intake. Both of these 
alternatives will contain the habitat protection and restoration 
measures necessary to minimize or avoid project effects, and the 
previously described Conservation Measures listed above. In addition, 
the RDEIR/SDEIS will describe and analyze project modifications and 
refinement of the resource area analyses, alternatives, and actions. 
Reclamation will be the Federal lead agency and NMFS, USFWS, and the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, by virtue of their regulatory review 
requirements, will be cooperating agencies for the RDEIR/SDEIS. All 
other entities identified as Cooperating Agencies through prior 
agreements will retain their status for the RDEIR/SDEIS.
    Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA 
(40 CFR 1502.9(c)) do not require any additional scoping for a 
supplement to a Draft EIS, and the lead agencies are not proposing any 
scoping process for this RDEIR/SDEIS in addition to the scoping that 
has already been done for the EIR/EIS as described above.
    For further background information, see the December 13, 2013, 
Federal Register notice (78 FR 75939).

Public Disclosure of Comments

    This notice is provided pursuant to NEPA. Reclamation is furnishing 
this notice to allow other agencies and the public an opportunity to 
review and comment on this RDEIR/SDEIS. All comments received will 
become part of the public record for this action. Comments on the 
RDEIR/SDEIS should be submitted to the address listed in the ADDRESSES 
section of this document. Before including your 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 may 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. Comments submitted to the above address will be 
reviewed and considered by all of the cooperating agencies.

Next Steps

    Reclamation will compile and review all public comments on the 
RDEIR/SDEIS submitted to them prior to preparation of a final EIR/EIS. 
A decision by Reclamation on Central Valley Project operations 
consistent with the RDEIR/SDEIS will be made no sooner than 30 days 
after the publication of the final EIR/EIS. The decision will be 
documented with the completion of the Record of Decision.

Special Accommodations

    The public meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Ms. Michelle Banonis, Bureau of 
Reclamation, (916) 930-5676 at least 5 working days prior to the 
meeting date.

    Dated: July 2, 2015.
Willie R. Taylor,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2015-16903 Filed 7-9-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4332-90-P