Coachella Canal Lining Project, Riverside and Imperial Counties, CA

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

Coachella Canal Lining Project, Riverside and Imperial Counties,

CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft environmental impact

statement/draft environmental impact report: INT DES-94-03.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and section 21002 of the California

Environmental Quality Act, Reclamation and the Coachella Valley Water

District (Coachella) have issued a joint draft environmental impact

statement/draft environmental impact report (DEIS/DEIR) on a proposed

canal lining project. The project involves lining the remaining unlined

sections of the 70-foot-wide Coachella Canal between Siphons 7 and 14,

and Siphons 15 and 32, while the canal continues to deliver irrigation

water. The canal, which delivers Colorado River water to Coachella,

lies in Riverside and Imperial Counties. The preferred alternative in

the DEIS/DEIR is to line the existing canal while diverting the

waterflow around the construction area by temporary pipes.

Public Law 100-675 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior

(Secretary) to allow lining the unlined sections of canal in order to

make the conserved water available in California. No Federal funds have

been authorized for the project. In accordance with Public Law 100-675,

Coachella and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

may provide non-Federal funding for the project under contract with the

Secretary. Lining the canal would reduce seepage by approximately

31,000 acre-feet per year.

Mitigation of impacts to wetlands habitat could require

approximately 5,000 acre-feet per year from the canal, resulting in a

net amount of approximately 26,000 acre-feet of conserved water per

year.

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

this notice. Written comments on the document may be submitted to the

regional director at the address below within the 60-day review period.

ADDRESSES: Single copies of the DEIR/DEIS may be obtained on request to

the regional director at the address below:

Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado

Region, PO Box 61470, Attention: LC-150, Boulder City, NV 89006-1470;

telephone: (702) 293-8560.

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

and review at the following locations:

Bureau of Reclamation, Technical Liaison Division, U.S.

Department of the Interior, 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, Yuma Projects Office, 7301 Calle

Agua Salada, Yuma, AZ 85366; telephone: (602) 343-8100.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 1111

Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90012; telephone: (213) 250-6518.

Coachella Valley Water District, corner of Highway 111 and

Avenue 52, Coachella, CA 92236; telephone: (618) 398-2651.

Libraries: Public libraries located in Coachella, El Centro,

Imperial, Indio, San Diego, Brawley, and Los Angeles (Main Library),

California; and in Yuma, Arizona.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Regional Environmental Officer, Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado

Region, PO Box 61470, Attention: LC-150, Boulder City, NV 89006-1470;

telephone: (702) 293-8510, or Dr. Richard Thiery, Coachella Valley

Water District, PO Box 1058, Coachella, CA 92236; telephone: (619) 398-

2651.

Dated: December 23, 1993.

Donald R. Glaser,

Deputy Commissioner.

[FR Doc. 94-984 Filed 1-13-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-94-M