South Delta Improvements Program, Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta, California, 68475-68476 [05-22259]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Reclamation
• Reclamation Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 217 (Thursday, November 10, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68475-68476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-22259]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


South Delta Improvements Program, Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay 
Delta, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/ Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) and notice of public 
workshops and hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the California 
Department of Water Resources (DWR) have made available for public 
review and comment the Draft EIS/EIR for the South Delta Improvements 
Program (SDIP).
    The proposed SDIP would (1) construct and operate a fish control 
gate at the Head of Old River; (2) construct and operate up to 3 flow 
control gates (one each in Middle River, Grant Line Canal, and Old 
River, near the Tracy Pumping Plant) to maintain adequate water quality 
and water levels available for agricultural diversions in the south 
Delta, downstream of the Head of Old River; (3) dredge various channels 
within the south Delta to improve conveyance; (4) construct extensions 
of up to 24 shallow agricultural diversions; (5) increase water 
deliveries by increasing the maximum diversion through the existing 
intake gates at Clifton Court Forebay to 8,500 cubic feet per second; 
and (6) implement an interim operations regime between December 15 and 
March 15 until the permanent gates are fully operable.

DATES: Submit written comments on the Draft EIS/EIR on or before 
February 7, 2006 to the address provided below. Public meetings will be 
held to discuss the purpose and content of the Draft EIS/EIR. The 
public meetings will be held as follows:
     December 6, 2005, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Sacramento, CA.
     December 7, 2005, 7 to 9 p.m., Stockton, CA.
     December 8, 2005, 7 to 9 p.m., Oakland, CA.
     December 13, 2005, 7 to 9 p.m., Visalia, CA.
     December 14, 2005, 1 to 3 p.m., Los Angeles, CA.
    Three public hearings have been scheduled to receive oral or 
written comments regarding the project's environmental effects:
     January 18, 2005, 1 to 4 p.m., Sacramento CA.
     January 24, 2005, 1 to 3 p.m., Los Angeles, CA.
     January 25, 2005, 1 to 4 p.m., Stockton, CA.

ADDRESSES: The locations of the public meetings are:
     Resources Auditorium, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento, CA.
     American Legion Post 803, 3110 West Lane, Stockton, CA.
     CSU East Bay Oakland Conference Room, 1000 Broadway, 
Oakland, CA.
     Mill Creek Auditorium, 3100 West Main, Visalia, CA.
     Junipero Serra State Building, Carmel Room 225, 320 West 
Fourth Street, Los Angeles, CA.
    The locations of the public hearings are:
     CALFED, Bay Delta Room, 5th Floor, 650 Capitol Mall, 
Sacramento CA (need driver's license to enter the building; no picture 
phones allowed).
     Junipero Serra State Building, Carmel Room 225, 320 West 
Fourth Street, Los Angeles, CA.
     Department of General Services Auditorium, 31 East Channel 
Street, Stockton, CA.
    Hardcopy comments may be mailed to Mr. Paul Marshall, SDIP EIS/EIR 
Comments, State of California Department of Resources, Bay Delta 
Office, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento, California, 95814. Electronic 
comments may be emailed to sdip comments@water.ca.gov, or posted on the 
SDIP Web site at https://sdip.water.ca.gov.
    See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for locations where copies of 
the Draft EIS/EIR are available for public review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Sharon McHale, Reclamation Program 
Manager, at 916-978-5086, or e-mail: smchale@mp.usbr.gov; or Mr. Paul 
A. Marshall, DWR Program Manager at 916-653-2118, or e-mail at 
marshall@water.ca.gov. The Draft EIS/EIR may be viewed at https://
sdip.water.ca.gov or at Reclamation's Web site at https://www.usbr.gov/
mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails. cfm?Project--ID=316. To request a copy of 
the Draft EIS/EIR, please contact Ms. McHale as indicated above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS/EIR addresses facilities-
related impacts including the effects of project construction and 
operation on hydrology, water quality, fish resources, recreation, 
vegetation and wildlife, visual resources, cultural resources, land 
use, geology, soils, seismicity, groundwater, traffic and circulation, 
air quality, noise, and public health and safety. Diversion-related 
impacts include the effects of increased diversions from the Bay Delta 
and associated changes in Reclamation's operation of Central Valley 
Project (CVP) facilities and DWR's operation of State Water Project 
(SWP) facilities. Project diversions therefore may directly or 
indirectly affect the Sacramento River, its tributaries, San Joaquin 
River, its tributaries, and Delta resources including water supply, 
fish and aquatic habitat, riparian vegetation and habitat, water 
quality, recreation, visual and cultural resources. The Draft EIS/EIR 
also evaluates potential growth-inducing impacts for the CVP and SWP 
water service areas. An evaluation of cumulative hydrologic and water 
service area impacts associated with reasonably foreseeable actions is 
also included.

[[Page 68476]]

    Copies of the Draft EIS/EIR are available for public review at the 
following locations:
     California Department of Water Resources, Bay-Delta 
Office, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Regional Library, 2800 Cottage Way, 
Sacramento, CA 95825-1898, 916-978-5593.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office Library, Building 67, 
Room 167, Denver Federal Center, 6th and Kipling, Denver, CO 80225, 
303-445-2072.
     Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the 
Interior, 1849 C Street NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, DC 
20240-0001.
     Sacramento Public Library, 828 I Street, Sacramento, CA 
95814.
     Tracy Branch Library, 20 E. Eaton Ave., Tracy, CA 95376.
     Lathrop Branch Library, 15461 Seventh St. Lathrop, CA 
95330.
     Cesar Chavez Central Library, 60 N. El Dorado St. 
Stockton, CA 95202.
     Shasta County Main Library, 1855 Shasta Street Redding, CA 
96001.
     Oakland Main Library, 125 14th Street, Oakland CA 94612.
     Los Angeles Central Library, 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, 
CA 90071.
     Visalia Branch Library--Main Library, 200 West Oak Avenue, 
Visalia, CA 93291-4993.
    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 also may be 
circumstances in which respondent's 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 so prominently at the beginning 
of your comment. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and 
from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials 
of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public 
disclosure in their entirety.

    Dated: August 4, 2005.
Allan Oto,
Acting Assistant Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 05-22259 Filed 11-9-05; 8:45 am]
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