Cachuma Project Contract Renewal, Santa Barbara County, CA

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[DES 94-46]

Cachuma Project Contract Renewal, Santa Barbara County, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and notice of public hearings on the

Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft Environmental Impact Report

(DEIS/DEIR).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of

1969 (as amended) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),

the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Cachuma Project Authority

(Authority) and the Santa Barbara County Water Agency (Agency) as lead

agencies have prepared a joint DEIS/DEIR for the Cachuma Project

contract renewal. The proposed action of the lead agencies is the

continuation of the member units' entitlement to water from the Cachuma

Project by means of a renewed water service or repayment contract. The

proposed action exercises the provisions of several federal laws as

applicable to Reclamation. Public hearings will be held in three

sessions to receive written or verbal comments on the DEIS/DEIR from

interested organizations and individuals on the environmental impacts

of the proposal.

DATES: A 60-day public review period commences with the publication of

this notice. Written comments on the DEIS/DEIR are to be submitted to

the Project Coordinator, Cachuma Project Authority by January, 17,

1995.

Public hearings on the DEIS/DEIR will be held on the following

dates at the locations indicated:

January 10, 1995, Santa Barbara County Administration

Building, Planning Commission Hearing Room, 123 E. Anapamu Street,

Santa Barbara CA 93101, 2:00 p.m.

January 10, 1995, Santa Barbara County Administration

Building, Planning Commission Hearing Room, 123 E. Anapamu Street,

Santa Barbara CA 93101, 7:00 p.m.

January 11, 1995, City of Lompoc City Hall, Council

Chambers, 100 Civic Center Plaza, Lompoc CA 93438, 7:00 p.m.

Send requests to speak at the hearings to the Project Coordinator,

Cachuma Project Authority.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the DEIS/DEIR, requests for copies of

the DEIS/DEIR, and requests to speak at the hearings should be

addressed to Chris Dahlstrom, Project Coordinator, Cachuma Project

Authority, 3301 Laurel Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105-2017;

telephone: (805) 569-1391.

Copies of the DEIS/DEIR are also available for public inspection

and review at the following locations:

Bureau of Reclamation, Program Analysis Office, Room 7456,

1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20240; telephone: (202) 208-4662.

Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office Library, Building 67,

Room 167, Denver Federal Center, 6th and Kipling, Denver CO 80225;

telephone: (303) 236-6963.

Bureau of Reclamation, Regional Director, Attn: MP-152

2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825-1898; telephone: (916) 978-5129.

Bureau of Reclamation, South-Central California Area

Office, Attn: SCC-412, 2666 N. Grove Industrial Drive, Suite 106,

Fresno, CA 93727-1551; telephone: (209) 487-5137.

Cachuma Project Authority, 3301 Laurel Canyon Road. Santa

Barbara CA 93105-2017, telephone: (805) 569-1391.

Santa Barbara County Water Agency, 123 E. Anapamu Street,

Santa Barbara CA 93101-2058; telephone: (805) 568-3542.

Libraries:

Copies will also be available for inspection at public libraries

located in Carpinteria, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Santa Ynez,

Solvang, Buellton, Vandenberg Village, Lompoc, and Santa Maria,

California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert May, Program Manager, SCC-

412, Bureau of Reclamation, 2666 N. Grove Industrial Drive, Suite 106,

Fresno CA 93727-1551, telephone: (209) 487-5137; or Mr. Chris

Dahlstrom, Project Coordinator, Cachuma Project Authority, 3301 Laurel

Canyon Road, Santa Barbara CA 93105-2017, telephone: (805) 569-1391, or

Mr. Robert Almy, Santa Barbara County Water Agency, 123 E. Anapamu

Street, Santa Barbara CA 93101-2058; telephone: (805) 568-3542.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS/DEIR considers the effects of

renewing the Cachuma Project Contract under which water service has

been provided to the member units. The existing Cachuma Project

Contract (No. I75r-1802) was executed on September 12, 1949, for

irrigation, and municipal and industrial purposes under the provisions

of section 9(c)(2) and 9(e) of the 1939 Reclamation Project Act. The

authority for contract renewal is pursuant to the Act of July 2, 1956,

70 Stat. 483, and the Act of June 21, 1963, 77 Stat. 68, requiring the

Secretary of the Interior, upon request, to renew long-term contracts.

The Cachuma Project has been the principal water supply for the

majority of the member units since initial deliveries began in 1955.

These member units include the City of Santa Barbara, Goleta Water

District, Montecito Water District, Summerland Water District,

Carpinteria County Water District, and the Santa Ynez River Water

Conservation District, Improvement District No. 1. The original Cachuma

Project Contract has a term of 40 years, and will expire on May 14,

1995.

A preferred alternative has not yet been identified for the DEIS/

DEIR. Several alternatives, including the ``no action'' alternative,

are evaluated in the DEIS/DEIR, and also describe the existing

environment and environmental consequences of contract renewal. They

consider the following issues: environmental improvement and

restoration with respect to biological resources, including fisheries,

wildlife, and riparian vegetation, surface water hydrology, ground-

water hydrology, flood control, water supply and demand, water pricing

and delivery practices, increased operational efficiency, increased

conservation, conjunctive use, water exchanges and transfers,

recreational enhancement and land use policies, agriculture,

socioeconomic conditions, cultural resources, and Indian Trust Assets.

Mitigation of impacts, where necessary, is also identified in the

document.

The Santa Ynez Indian Reservation (Reservation), the Southern

California Area Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the

Sacramento Area Office of the BIA have been contacted by Reclamation

regarding Indian Trust Assets (ITAs) that may be affected by the

proposed action. No potentially affected ITAs have been identified by

the BIA. Under certain alternatives, reduced ground-water levels in the

Santa Ynez River Riparian Basin could affect streamflow in the Zanja de

Cota Creek, to which the Reservation Indians have certain water

diversion rights.

Hearing Process Information

Those wishing to request in advance a time to make comments prior

to the hearing dates should write or call the Cachuma Project

Authority, Santa Barbara, California. Requests should indicate at which

session the speaker wishes to appear. Speakers will be called upon to

present their comments in the order in which their requests were

received by the Cachuma Project Authority. Requests to speak may also

be made at each session and will be called after the advance requests.

Oral comments will be limited to 10 minutes per individual.

Written comments, for inclusion in the hearing record, from those

unable to attend the hearing or wishing to supplement their oral

presentation should be received at the Cachuma Project Authority by

January 12, 1995.

Note: If special assistance is required, contact Chris Dahlstrom

at (805) 569-1391. Please notify Mr. Dahlstrom as far in advance of

the hearings as possible and not later than January 3, 1995, to

enable Cachuma Project Authority to secure the needed services. If a

request cannot be honored, the requester will be notified. A

telephone device for the hearing impaired (TDD) is available at

(209) 487-5933.

Dated: November 7, 1994.

Dan M. Fults,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 94-28695 Filed 11-21-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-94-P