Bureau of Reclamation – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Reclamation intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Cle Elum Reservoir Pool Raise project. The Washington State Department of Ecology will be a joint lead agency with the Bureau of Reclamation in the preparation of this EIS, which also will be used to comply with requirements of the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The Bureau of Reclamation is requesting public comment and agency input to identify significant issues or other alternatives to be addressed in the EIS.

The following Water Management Plans are available for review:

Following consultation with the General Services Administration, notice is hereby given that the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) is renewing the charter for the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group. The purpose of the Adaptive Management Work Group is to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary concerning the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and the exercise of other authorities pursuant to applicable Federal law.

Current Federal policy allows non-Federal development of electrical power resource potential on Federal water resource projects. The Bureau of Reclamation, (Reclamation), in coordination with the Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration (Western), will consider proposals for non-Federal development of hydroelectric power on the San Juan-Chama Project at any or all of the conduit locations specified in this Notice. Reclamation is considering such hydroelectric power development under a lease of power privilege. Western would have the first opportunity to purchase and/or market the power that would be generated by such development under a lease of power privilege. No Federal funds will be available for such hydroelectric power development. This Notice presents background information, proposal content guidelines, and information concerning selection of a non-Federal entity to develop hydroelectric power on the San Juan-Chama Project.

The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG) makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior concerning Glen Canyon Dam operations and other management actions to protect resources downstream of Glen Canyon Dam, consistent with the Grand Canyon Protection Act. The AMWG meets two to three times a year.

The Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) have prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area Resource Management Plan/General Plan (RMP/GP). The Final EIS/EIR describes and presents the environmental effects of the No Action/No Project Alternative and three Action Alternatives for implementing the RMP/GP. A Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS/EIR was published in the Federal Register on August 3, 2012 (77 FR 46518). The comment period on the Draft EIS/EIR ended on October 2, 2012. The Final EIS/EIR contains responses to all comments received and reflects comments and any additional information received during the review period.

The Bureau of Reclamation has made available for public review and comment, the Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP)/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Newlands Project. This RMP/DEIS provides a range of alternatives for managing Reclamation- administered lands in the Newlands Project Planning Area, which is in the west-central Nevada counties of Washoe, Storey, Lyon, and Churchill.

The Bureau of Reclamation has forwarded the following Information Collection Request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Individual Landholder's and Farm Operator's Certification and Reporting Forms for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR part 426 and 43 CFR part 428 (OMB Control Number 1006-0005).

The Bureau of Reclamation has forwarded the following Information Collection Request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Forms to Determine Compliance by Certain Landholders, 43 CFR part 426 (OMB Control Number 1006-0023).

The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Advisory Council (Council) was established by the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-320) (Act) to receive reports and advise Federal agencies on implementing the Act. In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Bureau of Reclamation announces that the Council will meet as detailed below. The meeting of the Council is open to the public.

The following Water Management Plans are available for review:

The Water Resources Planning Act of 1965 and the Water Resources Development Act of 1974 require an annual determination of a discount rate for Federal water resources planning. The discount rate for Federal water resources planning for fiscal year 2013 is 3.75 percent. Discounting is to be used to convert future monetary values to present values.

The Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Water Resources intend to prepare an environmental impact statement/ environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) for the implementation of actions I.6.1 and I.7 identified in the National Marine Fisheries Service's 2009 Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion on the Long-term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project Reasonable and Prudent Alternative. These actions consist of salmonid habitat restoration efforts within the lower Sacramento River basin and fish passage through the Yolo Bypass. We are seeking suggestions and information on the alternatives and topics to be addressed and any other important issues related to the proposed action.

The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG) makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior concerning Glen Canyon Dam operations and other management actions to protect resources downstream of Glen Canyon Dam, consistent with the Grand Canyon Protection Act. The AMWG meets two to three times a year.

The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation proposes to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed 20- year extension (March 1, 2015 through February 28, 2034) of the existing 2005 Mendota Pool 10-year Exchange Agreements. The Mendota Pool 10-year Exchange Agreements that are currently in place span the years 2005 to 2014, and an extension of the agreements is necessary for Mendota Pool Group farmers to continue this exchange after 2014. The proposed extension would allow Mendota Pool Group farmers in the Mendota Pool area to continue to pump up to 26,250 acre-feet per year of groundwater of suitable quality into the Mendota Pool for exchange of up to 25,000 acre-feet per year Central Valley Project water delivered to the San Luis Canal for use by Mendota Pool Group farmers in the San Luis Canal service area of San Luis Water District and Westlands Water District when the existing agreements expire.

The following Water Management Plans are available for review: Orange Vale Water District City of Folsom Santa Clara Water Valley Water District El Dorado Irrigation District Lower Tule River Irrigation District City of Roseville East Bay Municipal Utility District Southern San Joaquin Municipal Utility District Fair Oaks Water District Pixley Irrigation District Porterville Irrigation District To meet the requirements of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992 (CVPIA) and the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982, the Bureau of Reclamation developed and published the Criteria for Evaluating Water Management Plans (Criteria). For the purpose of this announcement, Water Management Plans (Plans) are considered the same as Water Conservation Plans. The above entities have each developed a Plan, which Reclamation has evaluated and preliminarily determined to meet the requirements of these Criteria. Reclamation is publishing this notice in order to allow the public to review the Plans and comment on the preliminary determinations. Public comment on Reclamation's preliminary (i.e., draft) determination of Plan adequacy is invited at this time.

The Bureau of Reclamation has forwarded the following Information Collection Request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Diversions, Return Flow, and Consumptive Use of Colorado River Water in the Lower Colorado River Basin (OMB Control Number 1006-0015).

The Bureau of Reclamation intends to submit a request for renewal (with revisions) of an existing approved information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Forms to Determine Compliance by Certain Landholders, 43 CFR part 426, OMB Control Number: 1006-0023.

The Bureau of Reclamation intends to submit a request for renewal (with revisions) of an existing approved information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Individual Landholder's and Farm Operator's Certification and Reporting Forms for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR part 426 and 43 CFR part 428, OMB Control Number: 1006-0005.

The Bureau of Reclamation, in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), the joint lead agency, is notifying the public that they have prepared a final environmental impact statement and has made it available to the public for review.

The Bureau of Reclamation has made available for public review and comment the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Arkansas Valley Conduit and Long-Term Excess Capacity Contract, Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, Colorado. The proposed Arkansas Valley Conduit, conveyance contract for the Pueblo Dam north-south outlet works interconnect, and long-term excess capacity master contract to store water in available space in Pueblo Reservoir would deliver high quality water that would meet Environmental Protection Agency and state water quality requirements and help water providers throughout the Arkansas River Basin in Colorado reliably meet existing and future water demands.

The Bureau of Reclamation, on behalf of the Department of the Interior, as a natural resource trustee, announces the release of the Injury Assessment Plan for the Upper Columbia River Site. The Injury Assessment Plan describes the activities that constitute the natural resource trustees' (Department of the Interior, State of Washington, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Spokane Tribe of Indians) currently proposed approach to conducting the assessment of natural resources exposed to hazardous substances, including heavy metals, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls.

As required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Yakima River Basin Conservation Advisory Group, Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project, established by the Secretary of the Interior, will hold a public meeting. The Yakima River Basin Conservation Advisory Group is a Federal advisory committee that provides technical advice and counsel to the Secretary of the Interior and Washington State on the structure, implementation, and oversight of the Yakima River Basin Water Conservation Program.

The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG) makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior concerning Glen Canyon Dam operations and other management actions to protect resources downstream of Glen Canyon Dam, consistent with the Grand Canyon Protection Act. The AMWG meets two to three times a year.

The Bureau of Reclamation intends to submit a request for renewal of an existing approved information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Reclamation Rural Water Supply Program (OMB Control Number 1006-0029). Title 43 CFR part 404 requires entities interested in participating in the Rural Water Supply Program (Rural Water Program) to submit information to allow Reclamation to evaluate and prioritize requests for financial or technical assistance.