Contra Costa Water District Alternative Intake Project, Contra Costa and San Joaquin Counties, CA, 27275 [E6-7115]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 27275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7115]



[[Page 27275]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[DES 06-21]


Contra Costa Water District Alternative Intake Project, Contra 
Costa and San Joaquin Counties, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

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

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Contra Costa 
Water District (CCWD) have made available for public review and comment 
a Draft EIR/EIS for the proposed Contra Costa Water District 
Alternative Intake Project. The Draft EIR/EIS describes and presents 
the environmental effects of five alternatives: the No-Action 
Alternative and four action alternatives. Three public hearings will be 
held to receive comments from individuals and organizations on the 
Draft EIR/EIS.

DATES: The Draft EIR/EIS will be available for a 45-day public review 
period. Comments are due by close of business on Monday, June 26, 2006. 
Three public hearings have been scheduled to receive oral or written 
comments regarding the project's environmental effects:
     June 6, 2006, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Antioch, CA
     June 7, 2006, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sacramento, CA
     June 8, 2006, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Concord, CA
    A 30-minute open house to view project information and interact 
with the project team will precede the public hearings in Antioch and 
Concord.

ADDRESSES: The public hearings will be held at the following locations:
     Antioch at the Antioch Woman's Club, 509 G Street, 
Antioch, CA
     Sacramento at the Federal Building Cafeteria, Conference 
Room C-1001, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA
     Concord at the Contra Costa Water District Board Room, 
1331 Concord Avenue, Concord, CA 94524
    Send comments on the Draft EIR/EIS to Ms Erika Kegel, Project 
Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825 
or Ms. Samantha Salvia, Project Manager, Contra Costa Water District, 
PO Box H2O, Concord, CA 94524-2099.
    Copies of the Draft EIR/EIS may be requested from Ms. Samantha 
Salvia, Project Manager, Contra Costa Water District, PO Box H2O, 
Concord, CA 94524-2099; telephone: 925-688-8057; e-mail: 
alternativeintake@ccwater.com. Copies of the Draft EIR/EIS are 
available for public inspection at:
     Bureau of Reclamation, Regional Library, 2800 Cottage Way, 
Sacramento, CA
     Contra Costa Water District, 1331 Concord Ave., Concord, 
CA
     Antioch Public Library, 501 W. 18th Street, Antioch, CA
     Brentwood Public Library, 751 Third Street, Brentwood, CA
     Concord Public Library, 2900 Salvio Street, Concord, CA
    The Draft EIR/EIS and related documents are also available at 
Reclamation's Web site at https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_
projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=1818 and CCWD's project Web site at https://
www.ccwater-alternativeintake.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Erika Kegel, Project Manager, 
Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-730, 
Sacramento, CA 95825-1898, 916-978-5081, TDD 916-978-5608, 
ekegel@mp.usbr.gov or Ms. Samantha Salvia, Project Manager, Contra 
Costa Water District, PO Box H2O, Concord, CA 94524-2099, 925-688-8057, 
alternativeintake@ccwater.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project purpose is to protect and 
improve the quality of water delivered to CCWD's untreated- and 
treated-water customers. Project objectives are to improve delivered 
water quality, especially during drought periods; protect and improve 
health and/aesthetic benefits to customers; improve operational 
flexibility; and protect delivered water quality during emergencies. 
Water quality problems for CCWD result from elevated concentrations of 
salinity (chloride and bromide), minerals, organic carbon, and 
turbidity at CCWD's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta intakes. The 
proposed action includes the construction of a new intake and fish 
screen in the Delta on Victoria Canal, a pumping plant, and an 
associated 2- to 4-mile-long pipeline from the new intake across 
Victoria Island to CCWD's existing Old River conveyance system. 
Reclamation actions associated with the proposed action are agreeing to 
a change in point of diversion of Central Valley Project (CVP) water 
under Contract No. I75r-3401A-LTR1 and petitioning the California State 
Water Resources Control Board for necessary water right changes 
regarding point of diversion. Through the proposed action, CCWD is 
seeking to relocate some of its diversions to a Delta location with 
better water quality and would not seek to increase its water rights, 
CVP contract amounts, or permitted Los Vaqueros Reservoir filling 
rates.
    Oral and written comments, including names and home addresses of 
respondents, will be 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 a 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 this 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 
available for public disclosure in their entirety.

Hearing Process Information

    The purpose of the public hearings is to provide the public with an 
opportunity to comment on environmental issues addressed in the Draft 
EIR/EIS. Written comments will also be accepted.
    Persons needing special assistance to attend and participate in the 
public hearings should contact Ms. Erika Kegel, at 916-978-5081, TDD 
916-978-5608, as soon as possible. To allow sufficient time to process 
requests, please call no later than one week before the public 
hearings. Information regarding this proposed action is available in 
alternative formats upon request.

Susan L. Ramos,
Assistant Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. E6-7115 Filed 5-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P