Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, 15159-15161 [E7-5776]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices
Dated: February 26, 2007.
John J. Donahue,
Superintendent.
[FR Doc. E7–5873 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–JG–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Native American Graves Protection
and Repatriation Review Committee:
Meeting
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
ACTION:
Notice is here given in accordance
with the Federal Advisory Committee
Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix (1988), of a
meeting of the Native American Graves
Protection and Repatriation Review
Committee (Review Committee). The
Review Committee will meet on April
19–20, 2007, at the Sidney R. Yates
Auditorium, Main Interior Building,
1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC
20240. Meeting sessions will begin at
8:30 a.m. each day. Meeting sessions
will end at 5 p.m. on April 19 and noon
on April 20.
The agenda for the meeting includes
an overview of activities of the National
NAGPRA Program during the first half
of fiscal year 2007; preparation of the
Review Committee’s Report to Congress
for 2006; consultation regarding
regulations for disposition of unclaimed
cultural items excavated or removed
from Federal lands after November 16,
1990 (43 CFR 10.7); requests for
recommendations regarding the
disposition of culturally unidentifiable
human remains from the University of
Florida and the Intermountain Region,
National Park Service; and presentations
and statements by Indian tribes, Native
Hawaiian organizations, museums,
Federal agencies, and the public.
To schedule a presentation to the
Review Committee during the meeting,
submit a written request with an
abstract of the presentation and contact
information for the presenters. Persons
also may submit written statements for
consideration by the Review Committee
during the meeting. Send requests and
statements to the Designated Federal
Officer, NAGPRA Review Committee by
U.S. Mail to the National Park Service,
1849 C Street NW (2253), Washington,
DC 20240; or by commercial delivery to
the National Park Service, 1201 Eye
Street NW, 8th floor, Washington, DC
20005. Because increased security in the
Washington, DC, area may delay
delivery of U.S. Mail to Government
offices, copies of mailed requests and
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15:49 Mar 29, 2007
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statements should also be faxed to (202)
371–5197.
Transcripts of Review Committee
meetings are available approximately
eight weeks after each meeting at the
National NAGPRA Program office, 1201
Eye Street NW, 8th floor, Washington,
DC. To request electronic copies of
meeting transcripts, send an e-mail
message to TimlMcKeown@nps.gov.
Information about NAGPRA, the Review
Committee, and Review Committee
meetings is available at the National
NAGPRA Web site, https://
www.cr.nps.gov/nagpra; for the Review
Committee’s meeting procedures, select
‘‘Review Committee,’’ then select
‘‘Procedures.’’
The Review Committee was
established by the Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
of 1990 (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3001 et
seq. Review Committee members are
appointed by the Secretary of the
Interior. The Review Committee is
responsible for monitoring the NAGPRA
inventory and identification process;
reviewing and making findings related
to the identity or cultural affiliation of
cultural items, or the return of such
items; facilitating the resolution of
disputes; compiling an inventory of
culturally unidentifiable human
remains that are in the possession or
control of each Federal agency and
museum and recommending specific
actions for developing a process for
disposition of such human remains;
consulting with Indian tribes and Native
Hawaiian organizations and museums
on matters within the scope of the work
of the committee affecting such tribes or
organizations; consulting with the
Secretary of the Interior in the
development of regulations to carry out
NAGPRA; and making
recommendations regarding future care
of repatriated cultural items. The
Review Committee’s work is completed
during meetings that are open to the
public.
Dated: March 12, 2007
C. Timothy McKeown,
Designated Federal Officer, Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation Review
Committee.
[FR Doc. E7–5969 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–50–S
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[DES 07–09]
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project
AGENCY:
Bureau of Reclamation,
Interior.
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15159
Notice of Availability and
Notice of Public Meetings for the
Planning Report and Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for the
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.
ACTION:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 (as amended) and the general
authority to conduct water resources
planning under the Reclamation Act of
1902 and all acts amendatory thereof
and supplementary thereto, the Bureau
of Reclamation (Reclamation) has
prepared a Planning Report and Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (PR/
DEIS). This document was undertaken
to provide a discussion for the (1)
various ways to provide a municipal
and industrial (M&I) water supply to the
Navajo Nation; City of Gallup, New
Mexico; and Jicarilla Apache Nation; (2)
identification of a preferred alternative;
and (3) associated environmental
impacts and costs of such an endeavor,
should it be undertaken.
The PR/DEIS presents alternatives for
providing an anticipated year 2040 M&I
water supply for the project area.
Alternatives considered include
diverting and distributing water from
the San Juan River using various
configurations, water conservation using
existing groundwater supplies, and no
action.
DATES: A 90-day public review period
commences with the publication of this
notice. Comments on the PR/DEIS
should be submitted no later than June
28, 2007, to Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of
Reclamation, Western Colorado Area
Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite
300, Durango, Colorado 81301.
Comments may also be submitted
electronically at navgal@uc.usbr.gov.
Reclamation will conduct five public
meetings to obtain public input on the
PR/DEIS. All of the meetings will take
place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The public
meetings schedule is as follows:
• Tuesday, May 22, 2007—University of
New Mexico, Calvin Hall Room
248, 200 College Drive, Gallup, New
Mexico
• Wednesday, May 23, 2007—
Crownpoint Chapter House,
Building CO23–001, East
Crownpoint Road, Crownpoint,
New Mexico
• Thursday, May 24, 2007—St.
Michaels Chapter House, St
Michaels, Arizona
• Tuesday, June 5, 2007—Shiprock
Chapter House, Highway 61,
Shiprock, New Mexico
• Wednesday, June 6, 2007—San Juan
College, IT Building, Room 7103,
5001 College Blvd., Farmington,
New Mexico
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices
Copies of the PR/DEIS are
available for public inspection and
review at the following locations:
• Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
Library, 501 Copper Avenue, NW.,
Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Aztec Public Library, 319 South Ash,
Aztec, New Mexico
• Bloomfield City Library, 333 South
First Street, Bloomfield, New
Mexico
• Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park,
Cortez, Colorado
´
• Dine College Library, 1228 Yucca
Street, Shiprock, New Mexico
• Durango Public Library, 1188 E. 2nd
Avenue, Durango, Colorado
• Farmington Public Library, 2101
Farmington Avenue, Farmington,
New Mexico
• Fort Lewis College Library, 1000 Rim
Drive, Durango, Colorado
• Navajo Nation Library, Window Rock,
Arizona
• New Mexico State Library, 1209
Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, New
Mexico
• New Mexico State University Library,
Las Cruces, New Mexico
• San Juan College Library, 4601
College Boulevard, Farmington,
New Mexico
• University of Colorado Libraries,
Government Publications, 1720
Pleasant Street, Boulder, Colorado
• Zimmerman Library, Government
Information Department, University
of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New
Mexico
The PR/DEIS is also available
electronically at the following internet
location: https://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/
navajo/nav-gallup/.
Alternatively, a hard copy or CD–ROM
version is available upon written
request to Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of
Reclamation, Western Colorado Area
Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite
300, Durango, Colorado 81301.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Rege Leach, Bureau of Reclamation,
Western Colorado Area Office, 835 East
Second Avenue, Suite 300, Durango,
Colorado 81301; telephone 970–385–
6500; facsimile 970–385–6539; e-mail:
navgal@uc.usbr.gov. If special assistance
is required regarding accommodations
for attendance at any of the public
meetings, please contact Mr. Leach no
less than 5 working days prior to the
applicable meeting(s).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
proposed project is to provide a longterm supply, treatment, and
transmission of M&I water to the Navajo
Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and
the City of Gallup, New Mexico. A
sustainable water supply is needed for
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ADDRESSES:
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the area to support current and future
populations. The proposed project
would be designed to serve a future
population of approximately 250,000
people by the year 2040. The existing
groundwater supplies are dwindling
and have limited capacity and poor
quality. More than 40 percent of Navajo
households rely on water hauling to
meet daily water needs. The City of
Gallup’s groundwater levels have
dropped approximately 200 feet over
the past 10 years and the supply is not
expected to meet current water demands
within the decade. The Jicarilla Apache
people are currently not able to live and
work outside the Town of Dulce, New
Mexico, on the reservation because of a
lack of water supply.
The cost analysis contained in this
PR/DEIS is based on an appraisal level
of analysis. As part of Reclamation’s
efforts to attain greater transparency and
accountability with regards to its
engineering analyses, the cost estimate
is being repriced. This means that
instead of updating the 2005 cost
estimates using engineering cost
indices, the components of the project
will be individually repriced in order to
gain greater confidence in the estimate.
Once the repricing is completed, which
we anticipate to occur during the 90-day
public comment period, Reclamation
will update the PR/DEIS through an
addendum or potentially the use of
errata sheets.
Reclamation historically supports
projects for construction after a
feasibility report is completed which
includes a feasibility level cost estimate.
This appraisal level cost estimate does
not meet that requirement. Additional
analysis, detail, and updating of the
appraisal level cost estimate presented
in this draft report are needed before
project construction authorization can
be supported. Failure to complete this
additional effort may result in reliance
on a cost estimate for the project which
is not sufficient to characterize the
expected project cost. The appraisal
level design must be upgraded to
feasibility level before Reclamation
would begin construction. The cost of,
and time for completing this additional
work, would be substantial.
Reclamation has developed this PR/
DEIS pursuant to Public Law 92–199
and the general authority to conduct
water resources planning under the
Reclamation Act of 1902 and all acts
amendatory thereof and supplementary
thereto. This document was undertaken
to provide a discussion for the (1)
various ways to provide an M&I water
supply to the Navajo Nation; City of
Gallup, New Mexico; and Jicarilla
Apache Nation; (2) identification of a
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preferred alternative; and (3) associated
environmental impacts and costs of
such an endeavor, should it be
undertaken. Reclamation, however, does
not have the current substantive or
budgetary authorization that is required
to construct, operate, and maintain any
proposed facilities discussed in this PR/
DEIS, and it will take an act of Congress
to provide such authority. In addition,
Reclamation takes no position on
whether such a project should be
authorized. The indication of a
preferred alternative is solely to meet
the requirements of NEPA and is not an
indication that a particular alternative
should be pursued since, as noted
earlier, there is no project authorization
that would allow Reclamation to
commence this project.
Finally, we are aware that the Navajo
Nation and the State of New Mexico
have reached an agreement concerning
the settlement of the Navajo’s water
rights in the San Juan River Basin in
New Mexico and that a part of the
settlement is the construction,
operation, and maintenance of the
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.
We wish to be clear that neither
Reclamation, the Department of the
Interior, or the Administration have
taken a position on the Navajo-San Juan
Settlement executed between the Navajo
Nation and the State of New Mexico and
that nothing herein is any indication of
any position regarding the overall
settlement.
Public Disclosure
It is our practice to make comments,
including names, home addresses, home
telephone numbers, and e-mail
addresses of respondents, available for
public review. Individual respondents
may request that we withhold their
names and/or home addresses, etc., but
if you wish us to consider withholding
this information you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your
comments. In addition, you must
present a rationale for withholding this
information. This rationale must
demonstrate that disclosure would
constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of privacy. Unsupported
assertions will not meet this burden. In
the absence of exceptional,
documentable circumstances, this
information will be released. We will
always make submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, available
for public inspection in their entirety.
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices
Dated: March 22, 2007.
Rick L. Gold,
Regional Director—Bureau of Reclamation,
Upper Colorado Region.
[FR Doc. E7–5776 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MN–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Delta-Mendota Canal Recirculation
Project, Calaveras, Contra Costa,
Fresno, Kings, Merced, San Benito,
San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Stanislaus,
and Tuolumne Counties, CA
Bureau of Reclamation, Interior
Notice of intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR)
and notice of public scoping meetings.
AGENCY:
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ACTION:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA), the Bureau of Reclamation
(Reclamation) and the California
Department of Water Resources (DWR)
intend to prepare an EIS/EIR for the
Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC)
Recirculation Project. Reclamation is the
Federal lead agency for NEPA and DWR
is the State lead agency for CEQA.
The purpose of the project is to
prepare a feasibility study of the DMC
Recirculation Project that will evaluate
the costs, benefits, feasibility, and
impacts of possibly recirculating water
from the DMC Canal for release to the
San Joaquin River. Recirculation may
provide additional flows for fishery
objectives and may help to meet San
Joaquin River water quality objectives,
while reducing the reliance on the New
Melones Reservoir for water releases. As
part of the feasibility study process, a
Draft EIS/EIR is expected to be available
in 2008.
DATES: Public scoping meetings will be
held to solicit public input on the
alternatives, concerns, and issues to be
addressed in the EIS/EIR. The meetings
dates and times are as follows:
• Monday, April 16, 2007, 10 a.m.–12
p.m, Sacramento, CA.
• Monday, April 16, 2007, 6 p.m.–8
p.m., Los Banos, CA.
• Tuesday, April 17, 2007, 6 p.m.–8
p.m., Modesto, CA.
Written comments on the scope of the
EIS/EIR should be mailed to the Bureau
of Reclamation at the address below by
May 9, 2007.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting
locations are:
• Sacramento at the Federal Building,
2800 Cottage Way, Cafeteria Conference
Rooms C–1001 and C–1002.
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15:49 Mar 29, 2007
Jkt 211001
• Los Banos at the Miller and Lux
Senior Center Building, 830 6th Street.
• Modesto at the Modesto Centre
Plaza, 1000 L Street, Pistache Room.
Written comments on the scope of the
EIS/EIR should be sent to: Ms. Sammie
Cervantes, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800
Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, via
e-mail scervantes@mp.usbr.gov, or faxed
to 916–978–5094.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Maury Kruth, Reclamation Project
Manager, at the above address, at 916–
978–5078, TDD 916–978–5608, via fax
at 916–978–5094, or e-mail at
mkruth@mp.usbr.gov.
The DMC
is located on the western side of Central
California’s San Joaquin Valley and runs
for approximately 120 miles, beginning
near the City of Tracy at the southern
edge of the Sacramento River and San
Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta Estuary (Delta) and terminating at
the Mendota Pool of the San Joaquin
River. The project study area can be
defined as the lower main stem of the
San Joaquin River below its confluence
with the Merced River, the areas served
by the Merced, Tuolumne, and
Stanislaus Rivers on the western side of
the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the
areas served by the DMC, including
approximately 30 water agencies.
Immediately downstream from the
confluence with the Stanislaus River,
the San Joaquin River becomes part of
the Delta, which serves as a source of
water supply for agricultural,
environmental, municipal, and urban
uses. The south Delta will be considered
part of the project study area.
The SWRCB has established Delta
water quality and flow objectives that
are to be met as a condition of the
operation of the C.W. ‘‘Bill’’ Jones
Pumping Plant (formerly the Tracy
Pumping Plant) and the State Water
Project Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant.
The current objectives for operation of
the Central Valley Project and the State
Water Project facilities in the Delta are
the SWRCB’s 1995 Water Quality
Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary,
and the SWRCB’s Water Rights D–1641,
as amended.
In D–1641, SWRCB required
Reclamation to prepare a Plan of Action
(POA) to evaluate the potential impacts
of recirculating water from DMC
through the Newman Wasteway, in
consultation with National Marine
Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, California Department of Fish
and Game, DWR, and the South Delta
Water Agency. The POA has been
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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15161
completed and is being implemented by
this feasibility study.
Federal authorization comes from
Public Law 108–361, Section
103(d)(2)(D)(ii) of the CALFED BayDelta Authorization Act, which states in
part that ‘‘* * * the Secretary [of the
Interior] shall include, to the maximum
extent feasible, the measures described
in clauses (iii) through (vii).’’ Section
103(d)(2)(D)(iii) states ‘‘the Secretary
shall incorporate into the program a
recirculation program to provide flow,
reduce salinity concentrations in the
San Joaquin River, and reduce the
reliance on the New Melones Reservoir
for meeting water quality and fishery
flow objectives through the use of
excess capacity in export pumping and
conveyance facilities.’’ Section
103(f)(1)(G) states ‘‘* * * funds may be
used to conduct feasibility studies,
evaluate, and if feasible, implement the
recirculation of export water to reduce
salinity and improve dissolved oxygen
in the San Joaquin River.’’
Previous recirculation studies have
consisted of modeling and physically
discharging water from the DMC to the
San-Joaquin River via one of the
wasteways that connect the DMC to the
river. Ongoing studies that might affect
the DMC Recirculation Project include
Vernalis Adaptive Management Plan,
CALFED Conveyance Program—South
Delta Improvements Program, the New
Melones Revised Plan of Operations,
and the West Side Regional Drainage
Plan. A recent litigation settlement
regarding the San Joaquin River from
Friant Dam to the Merced River may
also affect the DMC Recirculation
Project.
If special assistance is required at the
scoping meetings, please contact Ms.
Sammie Cervantes at 916–978–5189,
TDD 916–978–5608, or via e-mail at
scervantes@mp.usbr.gov. Please notify
Ms. Cervantes as far in advance of the
meetings as possible to enable
Reclamation to secure the needed
services. If a request cannot be honored,
the requestor will be notified. A
telephone device for the hearing
impaired (TDD) is available at 916–978–
5608.
Comments received in response to
this notice will become part of the
administrative record and are subject to
public inspection. Our practice is to
make comments, including names,
home addresses, home phone numbers,
and e-mail addresses of respondents,
available for public review. Individual
respondents may request that we
withhold their names and/or home
addresses, etc., but if you wish us to
consider withholding this information,
you must state this prominently at the
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 61 (Friday, March 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15159-15161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-5776]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[DES 07-09]
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meetings for the
Planning Report and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 (as amended) and the general authority to conduct water resources
planning under the Reclamation Act of 1902 and all acts amendatory
thereof and supplementary thereto, the Bureau of Reclamation
(Reclamation) has prepared a Planning Report and Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (PR/DEIS). This document was undertaken to provide a
discussion for the (1) various ways to provide a municipal and
industrial (M&I) water supply to the Navajo Nation; City of Gallup, New
Mexico; and Jicarilla Apache Nation; (2) identification of a preferred
alternative; and (3) associated environmental impacts and costs of such
an endeavor, should it be undertaken.
The PR/DEIS presents alternatives for providing an anticipated year
2040 M&I water supply for the project area. Alternatives considered
include diverting and distributing water from the San Juan River using
various configurations, water conservation using existing groundwater
supplies, and no action.
DATES: A 90-day public review period commences with the publication of
this notice. Comments on the PR/DEIS should be submitted no later than
June 28, 2007, to Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of Reclamation, Western
Colorado Area Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 300, Durango,
Colorado 81301. Comments may also be submitted electronically at
navgal@uc.usbr.gov.
Reclamation will conduct five public meetings to obtain public
input on the PR/DEIS. All of the meetings will take place from 6 p.m.
to 9 p.m. The public meetings schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, May 22, 2007--University of New Mexico, Calvin Hall
Room 248, 200 College Drive, Gallup, New Mexico
Wednesday, May 23, 2007--Crownpoint Chapter House, Building
CO23-001, East Crownpoint Road, Crownpoint, New Mexico
Thursday, May 24, 2007--St. Michaels Chapter House, St
Michaels, Arizona
Tuesday, June 5, 2007--Shiprock Chapter House, Highway 61,
Shiprock, New Mexico
Wednesday, June 6, 2007--San Juan College, IT Building, Room
7103, 5001 College Blvd., Farmington, New Mexico
[[Page 15160]]
ADDRESSES: Copies of the PR/DEIS are available for public inspection
and review at the following locations:
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library, 501 Copper Avenue, NW.,
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Aztec Public Library, 319 South Ash, Aztec, New Mexico
Bloomfield City Library, 333 South First Street, Bloomfield,
New Mexico
Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park, Cortez, Colorado
Din[eacute] College Library, 1228 Yucca Street, Shiprock, New
Mexico
Durango Public Library, 1188 E. 2nd Avenue, Durango, Colorado
Farmington Public Library, 2101 Farmington Avenue, Farmington,
New Mexico
Fort Lewis College Library, 1000 Rim Drive, Durango, Colorado
Navajo Nation Library, Window Rock, Arizona
New Mexico State Library, 1209 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe,
New Mexico
New Mexico State University Library, Las Cruces, New Mexico
San Juan College Library, 4601 College Boulevard, Farmington,
New Mexico
University of Colorado Libraries, Government Publications,
1720 Pleasant Street, Boulder, Colorado
Zimmerman Library, Government Information Department,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The PR/DEIS is also available electronically at the following
internet location: https://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/navajo/nav-gallup/
index.html. Alternatively, a hard copy or CD-ROM version is available
upon written request to Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of Reclamation, Western
Colorado Area Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 300, Durango,
Colorado 81301.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of Reclamation,
Western Colorado Area Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 300,
Durango, Colorado 81301; telephone 970-385-6500; facsimile 970-385-
6539; e-mail: navgal@uc.usbr.gov. If special assistance is required
regarding accommodations for attendance at any of the public meetings,
please contact Mr. Leach no less than 5 working days prior to the
applicable meeting(s).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed project is to provide a long-
term supply, treatment, and transmission of M&I water to the Navajo
Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the City of Gallup, New
Mexico. A sustainable water supply is needed for the area to support
current and future populations. The proposed project would be designed
to serve a future population of approximately 250,000 people by the
year 2040. The existing groundwater supplies are dwindling and have
limited capacity and poor quality. More than 40 percent of Navajo
households rely on water hauling to meet daily water needs. The City of
Gallup's groundwater levels have dropped approximately 200 feet over
the past 10 years and the supply is not expected to meet current water
demands within the decade. The Jicarilla Apache people are currently
not able to live and work outside the Town of Dulce, New Mexico, on the
reservation because of a lack of water supply.
The cost analysis contained in this PR/DEIS is based on an
appraisal level of analysis. As part of Reclamation's efforts to attain
greater transparency and accountability with regards to its engineering
analyses, the cost estimate is being repriced. This means that instead
of updating the 2005 cost estimates using engineering cost indices, the
components of the project will be individually repriced in order to
gain greater confidence in the estimate. Once the repricing is
completed, which we anticipate to occur during the 90-day public
comment period, Reclamation will update the PR/DEIS through an addendum
or potentially the use of errata sheets.
Reclamation historically supports projects for construction after a
feasibility report is completed which includes a feasibility level cost
estimate. This appraisal level cost estimate does not meet that
requirement. Additional analysis, detail, and updating of the appraisal
level cost estimate presented in this draft report are needed before
project construction authorization can be supported. Failure to
complete this additional effort may result in reliance on a cost
estimate for the project which is not sufficient to characterize the
expected project cost. The appraisal level design must be upgraded to
feasibility level before Reclamation would begin construction. The cost
of, and time for completing this additional work, would be substantial.
Reclamation has developed this PR/DEIS pursuant to Public Law 92-
199 and the general authority to conduct water resources planning under
the Reclamation Act of 1902 and all acts amendatory thereof and
supplementary thereto. This document was undertaken to provide a
discussion for the (1) various ways to provide an M&I water supply to
the Navajo Nation; City of Gallup, New Mexico; and Jicarilla Apache
Nation; (2) identification of a preferred alternative; and (3)
associated environmental impacts and costs of such an endeavor, should
it be undertaken. Reclamation, however, does not have the current
substantive or budgetary authorization that is required to construct,
operate, and maintain any proposed facilities discussed in this PR/
DEIS, and it will take an act of Congress to provide such authority. In
addition, Reclamation takes no position on whether such a project
should be authorized. The indication of a preferred alternative is
solely to meet the requirements of NEPA and is not an indication that a
particular alternative should be pursued since, as noted earlier, there
is no project authorization that would allow Reclamation to commence
this project.
Finally, we are aware that the Navajo Nation and the State of New
Mexico have reached an agreement concerning the settlement of the
Navajo's water rights in the San Juan River Basin in New Mexico and
that a part of the settlement is the construction, operation, and
maintenance of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. We wish to be
clear that neither Reclamation, the Department of the Interior, or the
Administration have taken a position on the Navajo-San Juan Settlement
executed between the Navajo Nation and the State of New Mexico and that
nothing herein is any indication of any position regarding the overall
settlement.
Public Disclosure
It is our practice to make comments, including names, home
addresses, home telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents,
available for public review. Individual respondents may request that we
withhold their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to
consider withholding this information you must state this prominently
at the beginning of your comments. In addition, you must present a
rationale for withholding this information. This rationale must
demonstrate that disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of privacy. Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden.
In the absence of exceptional, documentable circumstances, this
information will be released. We will always make submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
[[Page 15161]]
Dated: March 22, 2007.
Rick L. Gold,
Regional Director--Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region.
[FR Doc. E7-5776 Filed 3-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P
