Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project, Yakima, WA, INT-DES 98-17

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project, Yakima, WA, INT-DES

98-17

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft programmatic environmental

impact statement and notice of public hearings.

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

Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Department of the Interior, Bureau

of Reclamation (Reclamation), has prepared a draft programmatic

environmental impact statement (Draft PEIS) for implementing provisions

of Phase 2 of the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project

(Enhancement Project). The purpose of the Enhancement Project is to

meet the competing needs of the Yakima River basin through improved

water conservation and management and other appropriate means. The

Enhancement Project legislation also authorizes actions on the Yakima

Indian Reservation which will result in improvements to their

irrigation system and enhance local resources.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft PEIS must be submitted by July 22,

1998, to the address listed under the Addresses Section. Public

hearings to accept oral comments on the Draft PEIS will be held on June

2, 1998, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. in Toppenish,

Washington; and on June 3, 1998, from 1 to 3 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m.

in Yakima, Washington.

ADDRESSES: The public hearings will be held at:

Yakima Indian Nation, Eagle Seelatsee Auditorium, 401 Fort

Road, Toppenish, Washington.

DoubleTree Inn, 1507 North First Street, Yakima,

Washington.

Copies of the Draft PEIS are available for inspection at the

following addresses and at libraries in the project vicinity.

Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Columbia Area Office, 1917

Marsh Road, Yakima, Washington 98907.

Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Regional Office,

1150 N. Curtis Road, Suite 100, Boise, Idaho 83706-1234.

Written comments on the Draft PEIS should be submitted to: Mr.

Robert Black D-8580, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, PO

Box 25007, Denver, Colorado 80225-0007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Robert Black, Telephone (303) 445-2704.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Those wishing to obtain a copy of the Draft

PEIS or schedule time, in advance, to make oral comments at the

hearing(s) may contact Mr. Black at the above address and telephone or

call toll free to 1-800-861-5443. Speakers will be called in order of

their requests. Requests to comment may also be made at each hearing,

and speakers will be scheduled to follow the advance requests. Oral

comments will be limited to 10 minutes per individual. All oral

comments will be included in the hearing record. Written comments will

be accepted into the hearing record for 14 days following the public

hearing date. These comments may be submitted in addition to review

comments made during the 90-day review period and should be identified

as hearing comments. Special needs assistance requests should be

submitted to Mr. Black by May 15, 1998.

The Draft PEIS evaluates the effects of Title XII of the

Enhancement Project legislation. The provisions and measures of the

Enhancement Project legislation form the parameters and the methods for

achieving the protection, mitigation, and enhancement of fish and

wildlife through improved water management, instream flows, water

quality, the creation and enhancement of wetlands, and improved

reliability of irrigation water supplies. Central to this legislation

is the Yakima River Basin Water Conservation Program which attempts to

balance competing demands on the basin's water supply. This voluntary

program will reduce demands on the available water supply by promoting

conservation measures to improve the efficiency of water delivery and

use, instream flows for fish and wildlife, and the reliability of the

irrigation water supply.

Specific measures that will be implemented depend upon proposals

contained in the water conservation

[[Page 19945]]

plans, feasibility investigations of measures selected for

consideration, and program criteria. Consequently, the Draft PEIS is a

broad scope document to provide ``umbrella'' coverage for implementing

the Enhancement Project with subsequent tiering for NEPA compliance of

specific follow-on actions, as appropriate.

Six alternatives, including no action, are considered in the Draft

PEIS. The no action alternative is presented as the most likely future

condition that could be expected without the implementation of

additional Title XII provisions beyond the currently established

riverflows, which includes the new operational criteria required by the

legislation. This alternative provided the basis for impact

comparisons. Five action alternatives present the implementation of all

elements of the Enhancement Project at different levels of

implementation of project components. A preferred alternative has not

been selected in the Draft PEIS. Alternative 1 includes implementation

of all the Enhancement Project measures except the Basin Conservation

Program. Alternative 2 consists of all the measures cited in

Alternative 1 plus different levels (Alternatives 2A, 2B, and 2C) of

water conservation program implementation at various locations within

the Yakima basin. Alternative 2A consists of all the measures cited in

Alternative 1 plus a 7.5-percent basin-wide reduction in diversion

demand (except for the Wapato Irrigation Project and the Yakima-Tieton

Canal). Alternative 2B consists of all the measures cited in

Alternative 1 plus a 15-percent reduction in diversion demand from the

Yakima River downstream from the Roza Diversion Dam (except for the

Wapato Irrigation Project and the Yakima-Tieton Canal). Alternative 2C

consists of all the measures cited in Alternative 1 plus a 21-percent

reduction in diversion demand at diversion points between the Sunnyside

and Roza Canals. Alternative 3 consists of all the measures cited in

Alternative 1 except for implementation of the Kachess Reservoir

augmentation and specific tributary measures.

Environmental consequences that would result from implementation of

any of the alternatives should have no significant adverse impacts,

such that irrigation contracts will not be modified and any minor

adverse impacts identified could be mitigated to a level of

insignificance by implementation of mitigation measures. Beneficial

impacts are considered to be enhanced water quality, increased

streamflow, and overall reinforcement of fish and wildlife habitat, as

well as an increase in the reliability of irrigation water supplies.

Dated: April 13, 1998.

John W. Keys, III,

Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region.

[FR Doc. 98-10631 Filed 4-21-98; 8:45 am]

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