[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 178 (Tuesday, September 15, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55378-55379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-23138]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[15XR5173F7, RR02142500, RX.12056050.0000004]


Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation has made available the North Valley 
Regional Recycled Water Program Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS). The North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program would provide 
recycled water from the Cities of Turlock and Modesto via the Central 
Valley Project's Delta-Mendota Canal to Del Puerto Water District for 
irrigation purposes, and would further provide annual supplemental 
water to south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Central Valley 
Project Improvement Act-designated wildlife refuges.

DATES: The Bureau of Reclamation will not make a decision on the 
proposed action until at least 30 days after release of the Final EIS. 
After the 30-day waiting period, Reclamation will complete a Record of 
Decision (ROD). The ROD will state the action that will be implemented 
and will discuss all factors leading to the decision.

ADDRESSES: To request a compact disc of the Final EIS, please contact 
Ms. Rain Emerson, Bureau of Reclamation, 1243 N Street, Fresno, 
California 93721; telephone at (559) 487-5196; or via email at 
[email protected].
    The Final EIS may be viewed at the Bureau of Reclamation's Web site 
at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=17241, 
or at the following locations:
    1. Bureau of Reclamation, South-Central California Area Office, 
1243 N Street, Fresno, CA 93721.
    2. Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 
C Street NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, DC 20240-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Rain Emerson, Supervisory Natural 
Resources Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation, via email at 
[email protected], or at (559) 487-5196; or Mr. Scott Taylor, Repayment 
Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation, via email at [email protected], or at 
(559) 487-5504.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Del Puerto Water District (Del Puerto 
WD) and the Cities of Turlock and Modesto

[[Page 55379]]

propose to implement a regional solution to address water supply 
shortages within Del Puerto WD's service area on the west side of the 
San Joaquin River in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties. 
Specifically, the project proposes to deliver up to 59,000 acre-feet 
per year by 2045 of recycled water produced by the cities to the Delta 
Mendota Canal (DMC). After introduction to the DMC, the recycled water 
would be conveyed to Del Puerto WD customers, to the Central Valley 
Project Improvement Act-designated refuges or to San Luis Reservoir for 
storage, depending on time of year and water demand. The Final EIS 
assesses the environmental effects of four alternatives being 
considered, which are described below. In each case (except for the No 
Action Alternative), operational exchanges with the Bureau of 
Reclamation may be necessary in order to balance seasonal supply and 
demand.
    Under Alternative 1, the Combined Alignment Alternative, a new pipe 
would be constructed to deliver treated water from Turlock's facilities 
to the city of Modesto's pumping plant. From there, a pipeline would be 
constructed to deliver the combined water from both cities west, 
underneath the San Joaquin River. The pipeline would end at a new 
discharge structure on the DMC. The DMC would then be used to convey 
water to downstream users.
    Alternative 2, the Separate Alignment Alternative, is similar to 
Alternative 1, except that separate pipelines would be constructed from 
the Modesto and Turlock water treatment facilities. There would be two 
crossings underneath the San Joaquin River, and two new discharge 
structures on the DMC.
    Under Alternative 3, the Patterson Irrigation District (PID) 
Conveyance Alternative, Modesto and Turlock would continue to discharge 
their treated water to the San Joaquin River. The water would be 
diverted by PID at their existing intake on the river, which would need 
to be expanded, delivered to the DMC by way of an expanded PID 
conveyance system, and discharged to the DMC by way of a new outfall 
structure. From there, the water would be conveyed to downstream users. 
This alternative would require an expansion of PID's fish screen 
facility and a pipeline parallel to PID's main canal to accommodate 
increased water volume, but no new river crossings.
    Alternative 4, the No Action Alternative, represents the state of 
the environment without implementation of any action alternatives. 
Modesto and Turlock would continue to discharge their treated municipal 
water to the San Joaquin River, and no additional water would be 
supplied to Del Puerto WD or the Central Valley Project Improvement Act 
refuges.
    A Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS/EIR was published in the 
Federal Register on January 9, 2015 (80 FR 1432). The comment period on 
the Draft EIS/EIR ended on March 10, 2015. The Final EIS contains 
responses to all comments received and reflects comments and any 
additional information received during the review period.

Public Disclosure

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

    Dated: June 18,2015.
Pablo R. Arroyave,
Deputy Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.

    Editorial Note: This document was received for publication by 
the Office of Federal Register on September 10, 2015.

[FR Doc. 2015-23138 Filed 9-14-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4332-90-P