Colorado River Reservoir Operations: Development of Management Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead Under Low Reservoir Conditions, 34794-34795 [05-11776]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 15, 2005 / Notices
Bureau of Land Management lands,
inquiries may also be directed to Taylor
Brelsford, Subsistence Coordinator,
Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th
Avenue, #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513;
phone (907) 271–5806.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regional
Council discussion during the meeting
will be devoted to the review and
recommendation of the East Alaska
Draft Resource Management Plan and
Environmental Impact Statement.
Dated: June 7, 2005.
Henri R. Bisson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 05–11774 Filed 6–14–05; 8:45 am]
Topaz Room, 255 South West Temple,
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Written comments on the proposed
development of these strategies may be
sent by close of business on Wednesday,
August 31, 2005, to: Regional Director,
Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado
Region, Attention: BCOO–1000, P.O.
Box 61470, Boulder City, Nevada
89006–1470, fax at 702–293–8156, or email at strategies@lc.usbr.gov; and/or
Regional Director, Bureau of
Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region,
Attention: UC–402, 125 South State
Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84318–1147,
fax at 801–524–3858, or e-mail at
strategies@uc.usbr.gov.
BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Colorado River Reservoir Operations:
Development of Management
Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake
Mead Under Low Reservoir Conditions
Bureau of Reclamation,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice to solicit comments and
hold public meetings on the
development of management strategies
for Lake Powell and Lake Mead,
including Lower Basin shortage
guidelines, under low reservoir
conditions.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior
(Secretary) has directed the Bureau of
Reclamation (Reclamation) to develop
additional Colorado River management
strategies to address operations of Lake
Powell and Lake Mead under low
reservoir conditions. It is anticipated
that, among other potential elements,
these strategies could identify those
circumstances under which the
Department of the Interior (Department)
would reduce annual water deliveries,
and the manner in which annual
operations would be modified.
DATES AND ADDRESSES: Two public
meetings will be held to solicit
comments on the content, format,
mechanism, and analysis to be
considered during the development of
management strategies for Lake Powell
and Lake Mead under low reservoir
conditions. Oral and written comments
will be accepted at the public meetings
to be held at the following locations:
• Tuesday, July 26, 2005–10 a.m. to
12 noon, Henderson Convention Center,
Grand Ballroom, 200 South Water
Street, Henderson, Nevada.
• Thursday, July 28, 2005–10 a.m. to
12 noon, Hilton Salt Lake City Center,
VerDate jul<14>2003
17:57 Jun 14, 2005
Jkt 205001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Terrance J. Fulp, Ph.D., at 702–293–
8500 or e-mail at strategies@lc.usbr.gov;
and/or Randall Peterson at 801–524–
3633 or e-mail at strategies@uc.usbr.gov.
If special assistance is required
regarding accommodations for
attendance at either of the public
meetings, please call Nan Yoder at 702–
293–8495, fax at 702–293–8156, or email at nyoder@lc.usbr.gov no less than
5 working days prior to the applicable
meeting(s).
In recent
years the Department has undertaken a
number of initiatives to improve the
efficient and coordinated operation and
management of the Colorado River. For
example, a number of Indian water
rights settlements have been enacted
and implemented, while additional
settlements are under active negotiation.
Important programs have been
developed in the Upper and Lower
Basins to address conservation of
endangered species. Scientific
investigations are proceeding under the
framework of the Glen Canyon Adaptive
Management Program to study the
impacts to and improve the values for
which the Grand Canyon National Park
and the Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area were established. In
2003, water users in California executed
agreements that will assist California to
limit its use of water from the Colorado
River to its normal year apportionment
of 4.4 million acre-feet (maf).
More recently a new management
challenge has emerged on the Colorado
River. The Colorado River Basin has
experienced the worst five-year drought
in recorded history. Drought in the
Basin has impacted system storage,
while demands for Colorado River water
supplies have continued to increase.
During the period from October 1, 1999,
to October 1, 2004, storage in Colorado
River reservoirs fell from 55.7 maf to
29.7 maf.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PO 00000
Frm 00054
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
In the future, low reservoir conditions
may not be limited to drought periods
as additional development of Colorado
River water occurs. The Colorado River
is of strategic importance in the
southwestern United States for water
supply, hydropower production,
recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and
other benefits. In addition, the Republic
of Mexico has an allocation to the
waters of the Colorado River pursuant to
a 1944 treaty with the United States.
In a May 2, 2005, letter to the
Governors of the Colorado River Basin
States, issued in the context of the 2005
Annual Operating Plan mid-year review,
the Secretary directed Reclamation to
develop additional strategies to improve
coordinated management of the
reservoirs in the Colorado River system.
Pursuant to that direction, Reclamation
conducted a public consultation
workshop on May 26, 2005, in
Henderson, Nevada, and has prepared
this Federal Register notice. In order to
assure the continued productive use of
the Colorado River into the future,
Reclamation is soliciting public
comments on, at a minimum, the
development of management strategies
for the operation of Lake Powell and
Lake Mead under low reservoir
conditions.
It is the Department’s intent that the
development of additional management
strategies, including Lower Basin
Shortage Guidelines, will provide
guidance to the Secretary’s Annual
Operating Plan decisions, and provide
more predictability to water users
throughout the Basin, particularly those
in the Lower Division States of Arizona,
California, and Nevada. For example, in
2001 the Department adopted Interim
Surplus Guidelines (66 FR 7772) that
are used by the Secretary in making
annual determinations regarding
‘‘Normal’’ and ‘‘Surplus’’ conditions for
the operation of Lake Mead. Among
other provisions, these Guidelines have
allowed the Department and entities in
Arizona, California, and Nevada that
rely on the Colorado River greater
predictability in identifying when
Colorado River water in excess of 7.5
maf will be available for use within
these three states. In contrast, at this
time the Department does not have
detailed guidelines in place for annual
determinations of releases from Lake
Mead of less than 7.5 maf to water users
in the three Lower Division States (often
referred to as a ‘‘shortage’’ condition on
the lower Colorado River). Therefore,
water users who rely on the Colorado
River in these states are not currently
able to identify particular reservoir
conditions under which the Secretary
would release less than 7.5 maf for use
E:\FR\FM\15JNN1.SGM
15JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 15, 2005 / Notices
on an annual basis. Nor are these water
users able to identify the amount of any
potential future annual reductions in
water deliveries. By developing
additional management strategies, these
users would be better able to plan for
periods of less than full water
deliveries. Additional operational tools
may also facilitate conservation of
reservoir storage, thereby minimizing
the adverse effects of long-term drought
or low-reservoir conditions in the
Colorado River Basin.
Over the past year, the seven Colorado
River Basin States have been proactively
discussing strategies to address the
current system-wide drought in the
Colorado River Basin. In addition,
Reclamation has conducted detailed
briefings for stakeholders in the
Colorado River Basin and other
interested entities regarding future
scenarios for Colorado River operations.
Reclamation will integrate available
technical information in the upcoming
development of additional management
strategies for Colorado River operations.
Reclamation intends to utilize a
public process during the development
of management strategies for Lake
Powell and Lake Mead under low
reservoir conditions. By this notice,
Reclamation invites all interested
members of the general public,
including the seven Colorado River
Basin States, Indian Tribes, water and
power contractors, environmental
organizations, representatives of
academic and scientific communities,
representatives of the recreation
industry, and other organizations and
agencies to present oral and written
comments concerning the content,
format, mechanism, and analysis to be
considered during the development of
these proposed strategies.
Reclamation has not yet determined
the appropriate level of National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
documentation for the upcoming
development of additional management
strategies. However, to ensure timely
consideration of technical information
and public comment, Reclamation is
proceeding, at this time, as if the
development of additional management
strategies would require preparation of
an Environmental Impact Statement.
Information received by Reclamation
pursuant to this Federal Register notice
and the upcoming public meetings will
be analyzed in order to define the nature
of any proposed federal actions, the
level of appropriate NEPA
documentation, and the need, if any, for
additional scoping activities. In addition
to NEPA documentation, other
compliance activities, as appropriate,
VerDate jul<14>2003
17:57 Jun 14, 2005
Jkt 205001
will be undertaken pursuant to
applicable Federal law.
Public Disclosure
Written comments, including names
and home addresses of respondents,
will be made available for public
review. Individual respondents may
request that their home address be
withheld from public disclosure, which
will be honored to the extent allowable
by law. There may be circumstances in
which respondents’ identity may also be
withheld from public disclosure, as
allowable by law. If you wish to have
your name and/or address withheld,
you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your comment. All
submissions from organizations,
business, and from individuals
identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public disclosure in
their entirety.
Dated: June 6, 2005.
Darryl Beckmann,
Deputy Regional Director—UC Region,
Bureau of Reclamation.
Dated: June 7, 2005.
Robert W. Johnson,
Regional Director—LC Region, Bureau of
Reclamation.
[FR Doc. 05–11776 Filed 6–14–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MN–P
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services, Agency Information
Collection Activities: Proposed
Collection; Comments Requested
60-day notice of information
collection under review: Annual Report
to Congress—Expired COPS Awards
Exceeding $5 Million.
ACTION:
The Department of Justice (DOJ)
Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services (COPS) has submitted the
following information collection request
to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed
information collection is published to
obtain comments from the public and
affected agencies. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days for public
comment until August 15, 2005. This
process is conducted in accordance with
5 CFR 1320.10.
If you have comments especially on
the estimated public burden or
associated response time, suggestions,
or need a copy of the proposed
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
34795
information collection instrument with
instructions or additional information,
please contact Rebekah Dorr,
Department of Justice Office of
Community Oriented Policing Services,
1100 Vermont Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20530.
Written comments and suggestions
from the public and affected agencies
concerning the proposed collection of
information are encouraged. Your
comments should address one or more
of the following four points:
—Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
—Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s
estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
—Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
—Minimize the burden of the collection
of information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms
of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of
responses.
Overview of This Information
Collection
(1) Type of Information Collection:
New Collection.
(2) Title of the Form/Collection:
Annual Report to Congress—Expired
COPS Awards Exceeding $5 Million.
(3) Agency form number, if any, and
the applicable component of the
Department sponsoring the collection:
Form Number: None. Office of
Community Oriented Policing Services.
(4) Affected public who will be asked
or required to respond, as well as a brief
abstract: Primary: State, Local, or Tribal
Government. Law enforcement agencies
that are recipients of COPS grants over
$5,000,000 that are programmatically
and financially closed out or that
otherwise ended in the immediately
preceding fiscal year.
(5) An estimate of the total number of
respondents and the amount of time
estimated for an average respondent to
respond/reply: It is estimated that
approximately 10 respondents annually
will complete the form within one hour.
(6) An estimate of the total public
burden (in hours) associated with the
collection: There are approximately 10
total annual burden hours associated
with this collection.
E:\FR\FM\15JNN1.SGM
15JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34794-34795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11776]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Colorado River Reservoir Operations: Development of Management
Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead Under Low Reservoir Conditions
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice to solicit comments and hold public meetings on the
development of management strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead,
including Lower Basin shortage guidelines, under low reservoir
conditions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) has directed the
Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to develop additional Colorado
River management strategies to address operations of Lake Powell and
Lake Mead under low reservoir conditions. It is anticipated that, among
other potential elements, these strategies could identify those
circumstances under which the Department of the Interior (Department)
would reduce annual water deliveries, and the manner in which annual
operations would be modified.
Dates and Addresses: Two public meetings will be held to solicit
comments on the content, format, mechanism, and analysis to be
considered during the development of management strategies for Lake
Powell and Lake Mead under low reservoir conditions. Oral and written
comments will be accepted at the public meetings to be held at the
following locations:
Tuesday, July 26, 2005-10 a.m. to 12 noon, Henderson
Convention Center, Grand Ballroom, 200 South Water Street, Henderson,
Nevada.
Thursday, July 28, 2005-10 a.m. to 12 noon, Hilton Salt
Lake City Center, Topaz Room, 255 South West Temple, Salt Lake City,
Utah.
Written comments on the proposed development of these strategies
may be sent by close of business on Wednesday, August 31, 2005, to:
Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region,
Attention: BCOO-1000, P.O. Box 61470, Boulder City, Nevada 89006-1470,
fax at 702-293-8156, or e-mail at strategies@lc.usbr.gov; and/or
Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region,
Attention: UC-402, 125 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84318-
1147, fax at 801-524-3858, or e-mail at strategies@uc.usbr.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terrance J. Fulp, Ph.D., at 702-293-
8500 or e-mail at strategies@lc.usbr.gov; and/or Randall Peterson at
801-524-3633 or e-mail at strategies@uc.usbr.gov. If special assistance
is required regarding accommodations for attendance at either of the
public meetings, please call Nan Yoder at 702-293-8495, fax at 702-293-
8156, or e-mail at nyoder@lc.usbr.gov no less than 5 working days prior
to the applicable meeting(s).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In recent years the Department has
undertaken a number of initiatives to improve the efficient and
coordinated operation and management of the Colorado River. For
example, a number of Indian water rights settlements have been enacted
and implemented, while additional settlements are under active
negotiation. Important programs have been developed in the Upper and
Lower Basins to address conservation of endangered species. Scientific
investigations are proceeding under the framework of the Glen Canyon
Adaptive Management Program to study the impacts to and improve the
values for which the Grand Canyon National Park and the Glen Canyon
National Recreation Area were established. In 2003, water users in
California executed agreements that will assist California to limit its
use of water from the Colorado River to its normal year apportionment
of 4.4 million acre-feet (maf).
More recently a new management challenge has emerged on the
Colorado River. The Colorado River Basin has experienced the worst
five-year drought in recorded history. Drought in the Basin has
impacted system storage, while demands for Colorado River water
supplies have continued to increase. During the period from October 1,
1999, to October 1, 2004, storage in Colorado River reservoirs fell
from 55.7 maf to 29.7 maf.
In the future, low reservoir conditions may not be limited to
drought periods as additional development of Colorado River water
occurs. The Colorado River is of strategic importance in the
southwestern United States for water supply, hydropower production,
recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and other benefits. In addition,
the Republic of Mexico has an allocation to the waters of the Colorado
River pursuant to a 1944 treaty with the United States.
In a May 2, 2005, letter to the Governors of the Colorado River
Basin States, issued in the context of the 2005 Annual Operating Plan
mid-year review, the Secretary directed Reclamation to develop
additional strategies to improve coordinated management of the
reservoirs in the Colorado River system. Pursuant to that direction,
Reclamation conducted a public consultation workshop on May 26, 2005,
in Henderson, Nevada, and has prepared this Federal Register notice. In
order to assure the continued productive use of the Colorado River into
the future, Reclamation is soliciting public comments on, at a minimum,
the development of management strategies for the operation of Lake
Powell and Lake Mead under low reservoir conditions.
It is the Department's intent that the development of additional
management strategies, including Lower Basin Shortage Guidelines, will
provide guidance to the Secretary's Annual Operating Plan decisions,
and provide more predictability to water users throughout the Basin,
particularly those in the Lower Division States of Arizona, California,
and Nevada. For example, in 2001 the Department adopted Interim Surplus
Guidelines (66 FR 7772) that are used by the Secretary in making annual
determinations regarding ``Normal'' and ``Surplus'' conditions for the
operation of Lake Mead. Among other provisions, these Guidelines have
allowed the Department and entities in Arizona, California, and Nevada
that rely on the Colorado River greater predictability in identifying
when Colorado River water in excess of 7.5 maf will be available for
use within these three states. In contrast, at this time the Department
does not have detailed guidelines in place for annual determinations of
releases from Lake Mead of less than 7.5 maf to water users in the
three Lower Division States (often referred to as a ``shortage''
condition on the lower Colorado River). Therefore, water users who rely
on the Colorado River in these states are not currently able to
identify particular reservoir conditions under which the Secretary
would release less than 7.5 maf for use
[[Page 34795]]
on an annual basis. Nor are these water users able to identify the
amount of any potential future annual reductions in water deliveries.
By developing additional management strategies, these users would be
better able to plan for periods of less than full water deliveries.
Additional operational tools may also facilitate conservation of
reservoir storage, thereby minimizing the adverse effects of long-term
drought or low-reservoir conditions in the Colorado River Basin.
Over the past year, the seven Colorado River Basin States have been
proactively discussing strategies to address the current system-wide
drought in the Colorado River Basin. In addition, Reclamation has
conducted detailed briefings for stakeholders in the Colorado River
Basin and other interested entities regarding future scenarios for
Colorado River operations. Reclamation will integrate available
technical information in the upcoming development of additional
management strategies for Colorado River operations.
Reclamation intends to utilize a public process during the
development of management strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead
under low reservoir conditions. By this notice, Reclamation invites all
interested members of the general public, including the seven Colorado
River Basin States, Indian Tribes, water and power contractors,
environmental organizations, representatives of academic and scientific
communities, representatives of the recreation industry, and other
organizations and agencies to present oral and written comments
concerning the content, format, mechanism, and analysis to be
considered during the development of these proposed strategies.
Reclamation has not yet determined the appropriate level of
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation for the upcoming
development of additional management strategies. However, to ensure
timely consideration of technical information and public comment,
Reclamation is proceeding, at this time, as if the development of
additional management strategies would require preparation of an
Environmental Impact Statement. Information received by Reclamation
pursuant to this Federal Register notice and the upcoming public
meetings will be analyzed in order to define the nature of any proposed
federal actions, the level of appropriate NEPA documentation, and the
need, if any, for additional scoping activities. In addition to NEPA
documentation, other compliance activities, as appropriate, will be
undertaken pursuant to applicable Federal law.
Public Disclosure
Written comments, including names and home addresses of
respondents, will be made available for public review. Individual
respondents may request that their home address be withheld from public
disclosure, which will be honored to the extent allowable by law. There
may be circumstances in which respondents' identity may also be
withheld from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish to
have your name and/or address withheld, you must state this prominently
at the beginning of your comment. All submissions from organizations,
business, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.
Dated: June 6, 2005.
Darryl Beckmann,
Deputy Regional Director--UC Region, Bureau of Reclamation.
Dated: June 7, 2005.
Robert W. Johnson,
Regional Director--LC Region, Bureau of Reclamation.
[FR Doc. 05-11776 Filed 6-14-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P
