Grassland Bypass Project, Merced and Fresno Counties, CA, 49887-49888 [E9-23428]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 187 (Tuesday, September 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49887-49888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23428]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Grassland Bypass Project, Merced and Fresno Counties, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement and Environmental Impact Report (Final EIS/EIR).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Bureau of 
Reclamation (Reclamation), the Federal lead agency, and the San Luis & 
Delta-Mendota Water Authority (Authority), the State lead agency, have 
prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and a Final 
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the continuation of the Grassland 
Bypass Project until December 31, 2019 (Project). Reclamation proposes 
to enter a Use Agreement with the Authority for the continued use of a 
portion of the San Luis Drain after 2009 to convey subsurface 
agricultural irrigation water to Mud Slough (North). The Central Valley 
Regional Water Quality Control Board would need to revise their Basin 
Plan Amendment to delay compliance with selenium objectives for 2010 
and amend the existing Waste Discharge Requirements for the Project in 
order to allow for anticipated drainage discharge into Mud Slough, and 
the Authority and the California Department of Fish and Game will need 
to amend their existing Memorandum of Understanding for the portion of 
Mud Slough North in the State's China Island Wildlife Area. Reclamation 
and the Authority would need to remove existing and future sediments 
from the affected portion of the San Luis Drain.
    A Notice of Availability of the joint Draft EIS/EIR was published 
in the Federal Register on Thursday, January 15, 2009 (74 FR 2615). The 
written comment period on the Draft EIS/EIR ended March 16, 2009. The 
Final EIS/EIR contains responses to all comments received and reflects 
comments and any additional information received during the review 
period.

DATES: Reclamation will not make a decision on the proposed action 
until at least 30 days after release of the Final EIS/EIR. After the 
30-day waiting period, Reclamation will complete a Record of Decision 
(ROD). The ROD will state the action that will be implemented and will 
discuss all factors leading to the decision.

ADDRESSES: A compact disk or a copy of the Final EIS/EIR may be 
requested from Ms. Shauna McDonald, Bureau of Reclamation, 1243 `N' 
Street, Fresno, CA 93721-1831 by calling 559-487-5202, TDD 559-487-
5933, or via e-mail at SMcDonald@usbr.gov. The Final document is also 
available on the following Web site: at https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=3513.
    See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for locations where copies of 
the Final EIS/EIR are available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Shauna McDonald, Bureau of 
Reclamation at the phone number or e-mail address above.

[[Page 49888]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Project and the Grassland Drainage Area 
are located in Merced and Fresno Counties in the Central Valley of 
California. Prior to 1996 when the interim project was implemented, 
subsurface agricultural drainage water was conveyed through channels 
used to deliver water to wetland habitat areas which limited 
Reclamation's ability to deliver fresh water to the wetlands. The 
Project now consolidates subsurface drainage flows on a regional basis 
(from the 97,000 acre Grassland Drainage Area [GDA]) after source 
control measures, applies the drainage to salt tolerant crops to reduce 
the volume, utilizes a 4-mile channel to place it into the Federal San 
Luis Drain (Drain) at a point near Russell Avenue, (Milepost 105.72, 
Check 19) and then utilizes a 28-mile segment of the Drain to convey 
the remaining drainage flows around wetland habitat areas, after which 
it is discharged to Mud Slough and subsequently reaches the San Joaquin 
River. The Project has reduced the volume of agricultural drainage 
water discharged from the GDA, resulting in significant environmental 
improvements to wetlands water supply channels and the San Joaquin 
River.
    The original Grassland Bypass Project was implemented in November 
1995 through an ``Agreement for Use of the San Luis Drain'' (Agreement 
No. 6-07-20-w1319) between Reclamation and the Authority. A Finding of 
No Significant Impact (FONSI No. 96-1-MP) was adopted by Reclamation 
for the original project and environmental commitments set forth in the 
FONSI were made an integral component of the initial Use Agreement. The 
Use Agreement allowed use of the Drain for a 5-year period that 
concluded September 30, 2001. A new Use Agreement (Agreement No. 01-WC-
20-2075) was completed on September 28, 2001, for the period through 
December 31, 2009. The Project also includes a monitoring program with 
biological, water quality, and sediment components. Results of the 
monitoring program are reviewed by an Oversight Committee quarterly, or 
as necessary, to implement the Use Agreement.
    The Draft EIS/EIR considered the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
effects on the physical, natural, and human environment that may result 
from the continued use of the Grassland Bypass Channel and a 28-mile 
segment of the San Luis Drain; continued discharges to Mud Slough; 
sediment management options within that Drain segment; ongoing 
drainwater reuse and expansion of the San Joaquin River Water Quality 
Improvement Project reuse area to 6,900 acres, and programmatic 
consideration of future phases of the treatment and disposal program.
    The Draft EIS/EIR addressed potentially significant environmental 
issues and recommends adequate and feasible mitigation measures to 
reduce or eliminate significant environmental impacts. The Draft EIS/
EIR examined two other alternatives: No Action and the 2001 
Requirements Alternative. This other action alternative would continue 
the selenium load reductions and incentive fees of the 2001 Use 
Agreement.
    A public meeting was held on February 10, 2009, in Los Banos, CA. 
Copies of the Final EIS/EIR are available for public review at the 
following locations:
     Bureau of Reclamation, South-Central California Area 
Office, 1243 `N' Street, Fresno, CA 93721-1831.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Regional Office 
Library, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825.
     San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, 842 Sixth 
Street, Suite 7, Los Banos, CA 93635.
     Fresno County Public Library Government Publications, 2420 
Mariposa Street, Fresno, CA 93721.
     San Francisco Public Library Government Documents, 100 
Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94012.
     Stanislaus County Library, 1500 I Street, Modesto, CA 
95354.
     Merced County Public Library, 1312 South 7th Street, Los 
Banos, CA 93635.
     University of California-Berkeley, Water Resources 
Archive, 410 O'Brien Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720.
     University of California Davis, Shields Library, Documents 
Department, 100 NW Quad, Davis, CA 95616.
     California State Library, 914 Capitol Mall, Suite E-29, 
Sacramento, CA 95814.
    Before including your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, 
or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should 
be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying 
information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: August 7, 2009.
Brian Person,
Acting Deputy Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. E9-23428 Filed 9-28-09; 8:45 am]
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