[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 226 (Monday, November 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74756-74758]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25807]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR83550000, 212R5065C6, RX.59389832.1009676]


Quarterly Status Report of Water Service, Repayment, and Other 
Water-Related Contract Actions

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of contract actions.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of contractual actions that have been 
proposed to the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and are new, 
discontinued, or completed since the last publication of this notice. 
This notice is one of a variety of means used to inform the public 
about proposed contractual actions for capital recovery and management 
of project resources and facilities consistent with the Reclamation 
Project Act of 1939. Additional announcements of individual contract 
actions may be published in the Federal Register and in newspapers of 
general circulation in the areas determined by Reclamation to be 
affected by the proposed action.

ADDRESSES: The identity of the approving officer and other information 
pertaining to a specific contract proposal may be obtained by calling 
or writing the appropriate regional office at the address and telephone 
number given for each region in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Kelly, Reclamation Law 
Administration Division, Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 25007, Denver, 
Colorado 80225-0007; [email protected]; telephone 303-445-2888.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Consistent with section 9(f) of the 
Reclamation Project Act of 1939, and the rules and regulations 
published in 52 FR 11954, April 13, 1987 (43 CFR 426.22), Reclamation 
will publish notice of proposed or amendatory contract actions for any 
contract for the delivery of project water for authorized uses in 
newspapers of general circulation in the affected area at least 60 days 
prior to contract execution. Announcements may be in the form of news 
releases, legal notices, official letters, memorandums, or other forms 
of written material. Meetings, workshops, and/or hearings may also be 
used, as appropriate, to provide local publicity. The public 
participation procedures do not apply to proposed contracts for the 
sale of surplus or interim irrigation water for a term of 1 year or 
less. Either of the contracting parties may invite the public to 
observe contract proceedings. All public participation procedures will 
be coordinated with those involved in complying with the National 
Environmental Policy Act. Pursuant to the ``Final Revised Public 
Participation Procedures'' for water resource-related contract 
negotiations, published in 47 FR 7763, February 22, 1982, a tabulation 
is provided of all proposed contractual actions in each of the five 
Reclamation regions. When contract negotiations are completed, and 
prior to execution, each proposed contract form must be approved by the 
Secretary of the Interior, or pursuant to delegated or redelegated 
authority, the Commissioner of Reclamation or one of the regional 
directors. In some instances, congressional review and approval of a 
report, water rate, or other terms and conditions of the contract may 
be involved.
    Public participation in and receipt of comments on contract 
proposals will be facilitated by adherence to the following procedures:
    1. Only persons authorized to act on behalf of the contracting 
entities may negotiate the terms and conditions of a specific contract 
proposal.
    2. Advance notice of meetings or hearings will be furnished to 
those parties that have made a timely written request for such notice 
to the appropriate regional or project office of Reclamation.
    3. Written correspondence regarding proposed contracts may be made 
available to the general public pursuant to the terms and procedures of 
the Freedom of Information Act, as amended.
    4. Written comments on a proposed contract or contract action must 
be submitted to the appropriate regional officials at the locations and 
within the time limits set forth in the advance public notices.
    5. All written comments received and testimony presented at any 
public hearings will be reviewed and

[[Page 74757]]

summarized by the appropriate regional office for use by the contract 
approving authority.
    6. Copies of specific proposed contracts may be obtained from the 
appropriate regional director or his or her designated public contact 
as they become available for review and comment.
    7. In the event modifications are made in the form of a proposed 
contract, the appropriate regional director shall determine whether 
republication of the notice and/or extension of the comment period is 
necessary.
    Factors considered in making such a determination shall include, 
but are not limited to, (i) the significance of the modification, and 
(ii) the degree of public interest which has been expressed over the 
course of the negotiations. At a minimum, the regional director will 
furnish revised contracts to all parties who requested the contract in 
response to the initial public notice.

Definitions of Abbreviations Used in the Reports

ARRA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
BCP Boulder Canyon Project
Reclamation Bureau of Reclamation
CAP Central Arizona Project
CUP Central Utah Project
CVP Central Valley Project
CRSP Colorado River Storage Project
XM Extraordinary Maintenance
EXM Emergency Extraordinary Maintenance
FR Federal Register
IDD Irrigation and Drainage District
ID Irrigation District
M&I Municipal and Industrial
O&M Operation and Maintenance
OM&R Operation, Maintenance, and Replacement
P-SMBP Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program
RRA Reclamation Reform Act of 1982
SOD Safety of Dams
SRPA Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956
USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
WD Water District

    Missouri Basin--Interior Region 5: Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 
36900, Federal Building, 2021 4th Avenue North, Billings, Montana 
59101, telephone 406-247-7752.
    New contract actions:
    44. Buford-Trenton ID; Buford-Trenton Project, P-SMBP; North 
Dakota: Consideration to amend long-term irrigation power repayment 
contract and project-use power contract to include additional acres.
    45. Mid-Dakota Rural Water System, Inc., South Dakota: 
Consideration to amend Agreement No. 5-07-60-W0223 to reflect the 
payoff of loans.
    Modified contract action:
    20. Garrison Diversion Conservancy District; Garrison Diversion 
Unit, P-SMBP; North Dakota: Consideration of a contract for 165 cubic-
feet-per-second of water for municipal, rural, and industrial purposes.
    Discontinued contract action:
    32. Midvale ID; Riverton Unit, P-SMBP; Wyoming: Consideration of a 
new M&I water service contract.
    Completed contract actions:
    11. Town of Shoshoni, P-SMBP, Wyoming: Consideration for renewal of 
contract No. 0-07-60-WS083. Contract executed on September 10, 2020.
    37. Gering-Fort Laramie ID, North Platte Project, Wyoming and 
Nebraska: Consideration of repayment contract for EXM, funded pursuant 
to Subtitle G of Public Law 111-11. Contract executed on September 2, 
2020.
    42. Milk River Joint Board of Control, Milk River Project, Montana: 
Consideration of a repayment contract for EXM, funded pursuant to 
Subtitle G of Public Law 111-11. Contract executed on July 9, 2020.
    Upper Colorado Basin--Interior Region 7: Bureau of Reclamation, 125 
South State Street, Room 8100, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1102, 
telephone 801-524-3864.
    New contract actions:
    32. Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, Navajo-Gallup Water Supply 
Project, New Mexico: Reclamation is entering negotiations with the 
Navajo Tribal Utility Authority to provide excess capacity for non-
project water, pursuant to Public Law 111-11, Section 10602(h).
    33. Uintah Basin Water Conservancy District, CUP, Utah: Request for 
an exchange contract allowing for excess water from high flows 
originally diverted from Ashely Creek in the Spring into a water 
treatment facility to be stored in Steinaker Reservoir and exchanged 
for water flowing into Steinaker Reservoir later in the year after the 
high flows are gone. This water will be identified and contracted as 
M&I use water.
    Discontinued contract action:
    19. Strawberry High Line Canal Company, Strawberry Valley Project; 
Utah: The Strawberry High Line Canal Company has requested conversion 
of up to 20,000 acre-feet of irrigation water to be allowed for 
miscellaneous uses.
    Completed contract actions:
    22. Moon Lake Water Users Association, Uintah Basin Replacement 
Project, Central Utah Project, Utah: Title transfer agreement was 
executed on September 18, 2020.
    24. Emery Water Conservancy District, Emery Project, Utah: Title 
transfer agreement was executed on September 18, 2020.
    Lower Colorado Basin--Interior Region 8: Bureau of Reclamation, 
P.O. Box 61470 (Nevada Highway and Park Street), Boulder City, Nevada 
89006-1470, telephone 702-293-8192.
    New contract actions:
    20. Ak-Chin Indian Community and Del Webb Corporation, CAP, 
Arizona: Execute a First Amendment to (Restated) Option and Lease among 
the Ak-Chin Indian Community, the Del Webb Corporation, and United 
States of America.
    21. Brooke Water LLC and EPCOR Water Arizona Inc., BCP, Arizona: 
Enter into an assignment of Brooke's Colorado River water delivery 
contract to EPCOR, and a new contract with EPCOR that will supersede 
and replace its existing Colorado River water delivery contract.
    Completed contract action:
    8. Western Water, LLC and Ehrenberg Improvement District, BCP, 
Arizona: Review and approve a proposed partial assignment and transfer 
of Arizona fourth-priority Colorado River water in the amount of 85 
acre-feet of water per year from Western Water to the District; amend 
Western Water's Colorado River water delivery contract No. 16-XX-30-
W0619 to decrease its Colorado River water entitlement by 85 acre-feet 
of water per year from 621.48 to 536.48 acre-feet of water per year; 
and amend the District's Colorado River water delivery contract No. 8-
07-30-W0006 to increase the District's Colorado River water entitlement 
by 85 acre-feet of water per year from 650 to 735 acre-feet of water 
per year. Contract executed on September 11, 2020.
    Columbia-Pacific Northwest--Interior Region 9: Bureau of 
Reclamation, 1150 North Curtis Road, Suite 100, Boise, Idaho 83706-
1234, telephone 208-378-5344.
    Completed contract action:
    11. Willow Creek District Improvement Company, Willow Creek 
Project, Oregon: Amend contract to increase the amount of storage water 
made available under the existing long-term contract from 2,500 to 
3,500 acre-feet. Contract executed on August 12, 2020.
    California-Great Basin--Interior Region 10: Bureau of Reclamation, 
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, California 95825-1898, telephone 916-978-
5250.
    Modified contract actions:
    2. Contractors from the Delta Division, Cross Valley Canal, San 
Felipe Division, West San Joaquin Division, San Luis Unit, and Elk 
Creek Community Services District; CVP; California: Renewal of 30 
interim and long-term water service contracts; water quantities for 
these contracts total in excess of 2.1M acre-feet. These contract 
actions

[[Page 74758]]

will be accomplished through long-term renewal contracts pursuant to 
Public Law 102-575. Prior to completion of negotiation of long-term 
renewal contracts, existing interim renewal water service contracts may 
be renewed through successive interim renewal of contracts.
    12. San Luis WD, CVP, California: Proposed partial assignment of 
4,604 acre-feet of the District's CVP supply to Santa Nella County WD 
for M&I use.
    35. Placer County Water Agency and East Bay Municipal Utility 
District, CVP, California: Long-term Warren Act contracts for up to 
47,000 acre-feet of water annually. Specifically, a contract with 
Placer County Water Agency for storage and conveyance in Folsom 
Reservoir, and a contract with East Bay Municipal Utility District for 
conveyance of non-project water through Folsom Canal South.
    Completed contract actions:
    42. Water user entities responsible for repayment of reimbursable 
project construction costs in California, Nevada, and Oregon: Contracts 
for conversion or prepayment executed pursuant to the Water 
Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, Public Law 114-322, 
Sec. 4011(a-d). Contracts completed with East Bay Municipal Utility 
District; City of Folsom, Placer County Water Authority, City of 
Roseville, Sacramento County Water Authority, San Juan Water District, 
and Sacramento Municipal Utility District; CVP; California; on March 1, 
2020.

Christopher J. Beardsley,
Director, Policy and Programs.
[FR Doc. 2020-25807 Filed 11-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4332-90-P