Notice of Availability; Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Proposed Acquisition of Water Rights for Lahontan Valley Wetlands, Churchill County, Nevada

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Notice of Availability; Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) on the Proposed Acquisition of Water Rights for Lahontan Valley

Wetlands, Churchill County, Nevada

AGENCIES: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (lead agency); Nevada Division

of Wildlife, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs,

U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Natural Resources Conservation

Service, Naval Air Station--Fallon, Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribes, and

Churchill County (cooperating agencies).

ACTION: Notice of availability and public meetings.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the draft Environmental

Impact Statement (EIS) for water rights acquisition for the Lahontan

Valley Wetlands, Churchill County, Nevada, is available for public

review. five alternatives are being considered, including the Proposed

Action. Comments and suggestions are requested. This notice is being

furnished pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969.

DATES: Written comments are requested by September 20, 1995. An open-

house workshop will be held on August 9, 1995, between 3 pm and 8 pm,

at the Fallon Community Center. Fish and Wildlife Service

representatives will be available to answer questions and explain the

draft EIS at the workshop. Public hearings will be held on September 6,

1995 at 3 pm and at 7 pm to receive written and oral comments

concerning the draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to: Project Leader,

Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 1236, Fallon, NV 89407.

Copies of the draft EIS may be inspected at the following

locations:

Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, 1000 Auction Road, Fallon, NV

89406

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Refuge and Wildlife, 911 N.E. 11th

Avenue, Portland, OR 97232

Churchill County Public Library, 553 South Maine St., Fallon, NV 89406

Nevada State Library and Archives, Reference Desk, 100 Stewart Street,

Carson City, NV 89701

Reno Branch, Washoe County Public Library, 301 S. Center Street, Reno,

NV 89501

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ron Anglin, Project Leader, or Gary Shellhorn, Stillwater National

Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 1236, Fallon, NV 89407, (702) 423-5128.

Individuals desiring a copy of the draft EIS for review should

immediately contact the above address. Copies have been sent to

agencies and individuals who participated in the scoping process and to

those people that later requested to be added to the mailing list.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights

Settlement Act, (Title II of Public Law 101-618), directs the Secretary

of the Interior to acquire enough water and water rights to sustain, on

a long-term average, approximately 25,000 acres of primary wetland

habitat in the Lahontan Valley. As defined in Public Law 101-618,

primary wetland habitat is wetland habitat is wetland lying within

Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, Stillwater Wildlife Management

Area, Carson Lake and Pasture, and Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Indian

Reservation wetlands. The Service developed and analyzed four

alternatives, including the Proposed Action, for securing up to 125,000

acre-feet (AF) of water for Lahontan Valley wetlands. A No Action

Alternative was also developed and analyzed. The purpose of the Draft

EIS is to analyze the potential consequences of the five alternatives

being considered.

The five alternatives are: (1) No Action, which entails the

acquisition of 20,000 AF of water rights from within the Carson

Division of the Newlands Irrigation Project (Newlands Project); (2)

Proposed Action, which proposes the acquisition of an additional

102,000 AF of water rights for a total of up to 122,000 AF of water

rights; (3) Least Cost Alternative, which would result in the

acquisition of up to 100,000 AF of water rights (including the initial

20,000 AF of acquisition); (4) Maximum Acquisition Alternative, which

would result in up to 133,500 AF being acquired (which includes the

initial 20,000 AF of acquisition); and (5) Minimum Acquisition

Alternative, which would cap or limit Carson Division Newlands Project

purchase acquisitions at 75,000 AF of water rights and would utilize a

variety of other sources of water to meet the Fish and Wildlife

Service's primary wetland habitat objective.

Under the Proposed Action, the Service proposes to acquire

sufficient water and water rights to provide a total annual average of

125,000 AF of inflow to primary wetland areas to achieve the objective

of sustaining 25,000 acres of primary wetland habitat in the Lahontan

Valley. The amount acquired by the Service would supplement available

drainwater, spills, water being acquired by the Service under earlier

authorizations, and would incorporate water being acquired by the State

of Nevada for Lahontan Valley wetland areas.

To meet the needed 125,000 AF of annual average wetland inflow, the

Service would, under the Proposed Action, acquire up to 122,000 AF of

water rights, which amounts to about 66 percent of the water rights

that are in currently in private ownership in the Carson Division of

the Newlands Project. In addition, approximately 13,000 AF of

drainwater and 11,000 AF of spills would supplement inflows to the

primary wetland habitats.

Puchase of water rights would be from willing sellers only. In

addition, leasing, donations, and exchange of water rights would be

utilized as opportunities arise.

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The draft EIS evaluates the Proposed Action and other alternatives

relative to their potential effects on: (1) Newlands Project operations

and infrastructure; (2) water resources; (3) biological resources; (4)

regional agriculture, farmlands, and the local economy; (5) regional

recreation; (6) land use; and (7) social values. Estimated acquisition

costs are also disclosed.

Dated: July 11, 1995.

Thomas Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 95-17548 Filed 7-20-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-55-M