Long-Term Contract Renewal, Central Valley Project, California

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

Long-Term Contract Renewal, Central Valley Project, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement

and notice of meetings.

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

Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)

proposes to prepare environmental documents for the purpose of renewing

existing long-term and interim contracts for the Central Valley

Project, California. Specific quantities of water to be in the renewal

contracts will be subject to a needs assessment.

At present, it is not clear whether the scope of the action and

anticipated project impacts will require preparation of an

environmental impact statement (EIS) instead of an environmental

assessment (EA). However, to ensure a timely and appropriate level of

NEPA compliance and limit potential future delays to the project

schedule, Reclamation is proceeding, at this time, as if the project

impacts would require preparation of an EIS. Reclamation will

reevaluate the need for an EIS after obtaining written and oral

comments on project alternatives and impacts during the scoping

process. Reclamation will publish a notice of cancellation if, as a

result of scoping, a decision is made to prepare an EA rather than an

EIS.

DATES: See Supplementary Information Section for meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope of the environmental

document(s) may be submitted by December 11, 1998, and sent to Mr. Alan

R. Candlish, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way. Attention: MP-

120, Sacramento CA 95825

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alan R. Candlish, Bureau of

Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way. Attention: MP-120, Sacramento CA 95825,

telephone: 916/978-5190 or Ms. Donna Tegelman, Bureau of Reclamation,

2800 Cottage Way. Attention: MP-440, Sacramento CA 95825, telephone:

916/978-5250 (TDD 978-5608).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3404(c) of the Central Valley

Project Improvement Act authorizes renewal of existing long-term water

service contracts for 25 years after appropriate environmental review

including the completion of a Programmatic Environmental Impact

Statement (PEIS) required under Section 3409. A draft PEIS was released

on November 7, 1998, with an extended comment period closing April 17,

1998. A final PEIS is scheduled for release in June 1999. The

additional environmental document(s) for contract renewal will tier off

of the final PEIS.

The long-term contract renewal environmental document(s) will be

prepared on a regional basis. The specific regions will be determined

following scoping. The different service areas of the CVP that will be

evaluated include: Shasta/Trinity Division including Cow Creek and

Clear Creek South Units; portions of the Sacramento River Division

including Corning Canal, Tehama-Colusa Canal and Feather River Water

District; American River Division including Folsom Unit, Sly Park Unit,

and Auburn-Folsom South Unit; Delta Division including Contra Costa and

Delta-Mendota Canals; San Luis Unit; San Felipe Division; Friant

Division; and miscellaneous other CVP service areas that are served by

New Melones, Hidden, and Buchanan Reservoirs and Cross Valley Canal.

Individual service areas may be combined together in one document if

they have related issues.

Meetings

Seven scoping meetings will be held to solicit comments from

interested parties to assist in determining the scope of the

environmental analysis and to identify the significant issues related

to this proposed action, including issues related to negotiations. The

meetings will be held on the following dates at the specified

locations:

Monday, November 2, 1998, at 7:00 p.m. at the: Waterfront

Plaza Hotel, 10 Washington Street, Oakland, California, 510/836-3800.

Thursday, November 5, 1998, at 7:00 p.m. at the: Las

Molinas VFW, 7980 Sherwood Blvd, Las Molinas, California, 530/384-2759.

Monday, November 9, 1998, at 7:00 p.m. at the: Sheraton

Smugglers Inn, 3737 North Blackstone Ave, Fresno, California, 209/226-

2110.

Tuesday, November 10, 1998, at 7:00 p.m. at the:

Granzellas Hotel, 391 Sixth Street, Williams, California, 530/473-3310.

Monday, November 16, 1998, at 7:00 p.m. at the: Sacramento

Inn, 1401 Arden Way, Sacramento, California, 916/922-8041.

Wednesday, November 18, 1998, at 7:00 p.m. at the: Forest

Park Inn, 375 Leadvesley Road, Gilroy, California, 408/848-5144.

Thursday, November 19, 1998, at 7:00 p.m. at the: Double

Tree Inn, 1150 Ninth Street, Modesto, California, 209/526-6000.

Special Services

A headphone device for the hearing impaired will be available at

the meetings. Persons requiring other special services should contact

Alisha Sterud at 916/978-5190. Please notify this office as far in

advance of the meetings as possible, but no later than 3 working days

prior to the particular meeting to enable Reclamation to secure the

needed services. If a request cannot be honored, the requester will be

notified.

Dated: October 8, 1998.

Michael Jackson,

Acting Deputy Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 98-27639 Filed 10-14-98; 8:45 am]

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