Quarterly Status Report of Water Service and Repayment Contract Negotiations

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

Quarterly Status Report of Water Service and Repayment Contract

Negotiations

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of proposed contractual actions that

are new, modified, discontinued, or completed since the last

publication of this notice on July 24, 1997. The February 10, 1997,

notice should be used as a reference point to identify changes. 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. Additional Bureau of Reclamation

(Reclamation) 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. 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 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.

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alonzo Knapp, Manager, Reclamation

Law, Contracts, and Repayment Office, Bureau of Reclamation, PO Box

25007, Denver, CO 80225-0007; telephone 303-236-1061, extension 224.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 226 of the Reclamation

Reform Act of 1982 (96 Stat. 1273) and 43 CFR 426.20 of the rules and

regulations published in 52 FR 11954, Apr. 13, 1987, Reclamation will

publish notice of the 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. Pursuant to the ``Final Revised Public

Participation Procedures'' for water resource-related contract

negotiations, published in 47 FR 7763, Feb. 22, 1982, a tabulation is

provided of all proposed contractual actions in each of the five

Reclamation regions. Each proposed action is, or is expected to be, in

some stage of the contract negotiation process in 1997. 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 (80 Stat. 383), 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 summarized by the appropriate

regional office for use by the contract approving authority.

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6. Copies of specific proposed contracts may be obtained from the

appropriate regional director or his 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. As a minimum, the regional director shall

furnish revised contracts to all parties who requested the contract in

response to the initial public notice.

Acronym Definitions Used Herein

(BCP) Boulder Canyon Project

(CAP) Central Arizona Project

(CUP) Central Utah Project

(CVP) Central Valley Project

(CRSP) Colorado River Storage Project

(D&MC) Drainage and Minor Construction

(FR) Federal Register

(IDD) Irrigation and Drainage District

(ID) Irrigation District

(M&I) Municipal and Industrial

(O&M) Operation and Maintenance

(P-SMBP) Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program

(R&B) Rehabilitation and Betterment

(PPR) Present Perfected Right

(RRA) Reclamation Reform Act

(NEPA) National Environmental Policy Act

(SOD) Safety of Dams

(SRPA) Small Reclamation Projects Act

(WCUA) Water Conservation and Utilization Act

(WD) Water District

The following contract actions are either new, modified,

discontinued, or completed in the Bureau of Reclamation since the July

24, 1997, Federal Register notice:

Pacific Northwest Region: Bureau of Reclamation, 1150 North Curtis

Road, Boise, Idaho 83706-1234, telephone 208-378-5346.

New contract actions: 28. Burley and Southwest IDs, Minidoka

Project, Idaho: Warren Act contract with charge to allow for use of

project facilities to convey non-district water to Southwest ID.

Modified contract actions: 4. Consolidated ID, Spokane Valley

Project, Washington; Individual Contractors, Crooked River Project,

Oregon; Lower Payette Ditch Company Ltd., Pioneer Ditch Company, Boise

Project, Idaho; Tumalo ID, Crescent Lake Dam Project, Oregon; Monroe

Creek ID, Mann Creek Project, Idaho; Clark and Edwards Canal and

Irrigation Company, Enterprise Canal Company, Ltd., Lenroot Canal

Company, Liberty Park Canal Company, Parsons Ditch Company, Poplar ID,

Wearyrick Ditch Company, all in the Minidoka Project, Idaho; Juniper

Flat District Improvement Company, Wapinitia Project, Oregon; Roza ID,

Yakima Project, Washington: Amendatory repayment and water service

contracts; purpose is to conform to the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982

(Pub. L. 97-293).

23. Trendwest Resorts, Yakima Project, Washington: Long-term water

exchange contract for assignment of Teanaway River and Big Creek water

rights to Reclamation for instream flow use in exchange for annual use

of up to 3,500 acre-feet of water from Cle Elum Reservoir for a

proposed resort development.

Discontinued contract actions: 12. Willamette Basin water users,

Willamette Basin Project, Oregon: One water service contract for the

exchange of up to 112 acre-feet of water for diversion above project

reservoirs.

Completed contract actions: 7. Sidney Irrigation Cooperative,

Willamette Basin Project, Oregon: Irrigation water service contract for

approximately 2,300 acre-feet . Contract executed July 21, 1997.

Mid-Pacific Region: Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way,

Sacramento, California 95825-1898, telephone 916-979-2401.

New contract actions: 29. Casitas Municipal WD, Ventura Project,

California: Repayment contract for SOD work on Casitas Dam.

30. Centerville Community Services District, CVP, California: A

long-term supplemental repayment contract for reimbursement to the

United States for conveyance costs associated with CVP water conveyed

to Centerville.

Modified contract actions: 3. Contractors from the American River

Division, Buchanan Division, Cross Valley Canal, Delta Division, Friant

Division, Hidden Division, Sacramento River Division, Shasta Division,

and Trinity River Division, CVP, California: Renewal of existing long-

term and interim renewal water service contracts with contractors whose

contracts expire between 1997 and 1998; water quantities for these

contracts total in excess of 1.7M acre-feet. These contract actions

will be accomplished through interim renewal contracts pursuant to Pub.

L. 102-575.

Lower Colorado Region: Bureau of Reclamation, PO Box 61470 (Nevada

Highway and Park Street), Boulder City, Nevada 89006-1470, telephone

702-293-8536.

Contract actions modified: 1. Milton and Jean Phillips, Kenneth or

Ann Easterday, Robert E. Harp, Cameron Brothers Construction Co., Ogram

Farms, Bruce Church, Inc., Sunkist Growers, Inc., Clayton Farms, BCP,

Arizona: Water service contracts, as recommended by Arizona Department

of Water Resources, with agricultural entities located near the

Colorado River for up to an additional 15,557 acre-feet per year total.

34. San Diego County Water Authority, San Diego, California, San

Diego Project: Title transfer of the first and second barrels of the

San Diego Aqueduct.

54. Arizona State Lands, BCP, Arizona: Water delivery contract for

1,400 acre-feet of Colorado River water for domestic use.

60. Arizona State Land Department, BCP, Arizona: Water delivery

contract for delivery of up to 9,000 acre-feet per year of unused

apportionment and surplus Colorado River water for irrigation use.

Contract actions completed: 1. Sturges Farms, Inc., BCP, Arizona:

Water delivery contract for 8,500 acre-feet of irrigation water.

56. City of Yuma, BCP, Arizona: Supplemental and amendatory water

delivery contract to amend the city's 50,000 acre-feet of Colorado

River water diversion entitlement to a 50,000 acre-feet consumptive use

entitlement.

Upper Colorado Region: Bureau of Reclamation, 125 South State

Street, Room 6107, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1102, telephone 801-524-

4419.

New contract actions: 1.(f) Harrison F. Russell and Patricia E.

Russell; Aspinall Unit, CRSP; Colorado: Contract for 1 acre-foot to

support an augmentation plan, Case No. 97CW39, Water Division Court No.

4, State of Colorado, to provide for a single-family residential well,

including home lawn and livestock watering (non-commercial).

25. Emery County Water Conservancy District, Emery County Project,

Utah: Warren Act contract to allow temporary storage of non-project

water in Joes Valley Reservoir and/or Huntington North Reservoir.

26. Town of Taos, San Juan-Chama Project, New Mexico: Contract to

purchase water from Town of Taos to increase native flows in Rio Grande

for benefit of the Silvery Minnow.

Completed contract actions: 19. Department of Energy, San Juan-

Chama Project, New Mexico: Reassignment of

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rights under Contract No. 7-07-51-X0883 from the Department of Energy

to the County of Los Alamos for 1,200 acre-feet of San Juan-Chama

Project water to be used for municipal, commercial, residential, and

scientific purposes

22. Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, Weber Basin Project,

Utah: Repayment contract for SOD modification of Lost Creek Dam. The

estimated cost of the modification is $16,000,000 of which 15 percent

must be repaid from both irrigation and M&I use.

Great Plains Region: Bureau of Reclamation, PO Box 36900, Federal

Building, 316 North 26th Street, Billings, Montana 59107-6900,

telephone 406-247-7730.

New contract actions: 33. Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, Colorado:

Repayment contract with Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy

District for repayment of cost of SOD modifications to Pueblo Dam.

Modified contract actions: 5. Tom Green County Water Control and

Improvement District No. 1, San Angelo Project, Texas: Pursuant to

section 501 of Public Law 101-434, negotiate amendatory contract to

increase irrigable acreage within the project.

15. Northwest Area Water Supply, North Dakota: Long-term contract

for water supply from Garrison Diversion Unit facilities. Draft basis

of negotiation has been submitted to the Regional Office for review.

17. Canyon Ferry Unit, P-SMBP, Montana: Water service contract with

Montana Tunnels Mining, Inc., expires June 1997. Basis of negotiation

completed for renewal of existing contract for an additional 10 years.

A temporary contract has been issued pending negotiation of the long-

term contract for water service. A 10-year contract was signed on

August 20, 1997.

20. City of Cheyenne, Kendrick Project, Wyoming: Negotiation of

contract to renew for an additional term of 5 years. Contract for up to

10,000 acre-feet of storage space for replacement water on a yearly

basis in Seminoe Reservoir. A temporary contract will be issued pending

negotiation of the long-term contract.

27. Lower Marias Unit, P-SMBP, Montana: Water service contract

expires June 1997. Initiating renewal of existing contract for 25 years

for up to 480 acre-feet of storage from Tiber Reservoir to irrigate 160

acres. Basis of negotiation is in the process of being completed;

existing contract was extended for 1 year pending negotiation of long-

term contract.

32. Belle Fourche Unit, P-SMBP, South Dakota: Basis of negotiation

has been approved for the negotiation of a long-term repayment contract

deferring the Belle Fourche ID's 1997 construction payment and also

reduction of the District's annual payment.

Completed contract actions: 17. Canyon Ferry Unit, P-SMBP, Montana:

Water service contract with Montana Tunnels Mining, Inc., expires June

1997. Basis of negotiation completed for renewal of existing contract

for an additional 10 years. A temporary contract has been issued

pending negotiation of the long-term contract for water service. A 10-

year contract was signed on August 20, 1997.

Dated: October 20, 1997.

Maryanne C. Bach,

Acting Deputy Director, Program Analysis Office.

[FR Doc. 97-28345 Filed 10-24-97; 8:45 am]

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