Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Notice of Scoping Meeting for the Proposed 20-Year Extension of the 2005 Mendota Pool Exchange Agreements, California, 67665-67666 [2012-27556]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Reclamation

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67665-67666]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27556]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Notice of Scoping 
Meeting for the Proposed 20-Year Extension of the 2005 Mendota Pool 
Exchange Agreements, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

[[Page 67666]]


ACTION: Notice of intent and scoping meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation proposes 
to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed 20-
year extension (March 1, 2015 through February 28, 2034) of the 
existing 2005 Mendota Pool 10-year Exchange Agreements. The Mendota 
Pool 10-year Exchange Agreements that are currently in place span the 
years 2005 to 2014, and an extension of the agreements is necessary for 
Mendota Pool Group farmers to continue this exchange after 2014. The 
proposed extension would allow Mendota Pool Group farmers in the 
Mendota Pool area to continue to pump up to 26,250 acre-feet per year 
of groundwater of suitable quality into the Mendota Pool for exchange 
of up to 25,000 acre-feet per year Central Valley Project water 
delivered to the San Luis Canal for use by Mendota Pool Group farmers 
in the San Luis Canal service area of San Luis Water District and 
Westlands Water District when the existing agreements expire.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be mailed to Ms. 
Rain Healer at the address below by December 14, 2012.
    A public scoping meeting will be held on November 27, 4:00-7:00 
p.m., in Fresno, California.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to 
Ms. Rain Healer, Bureau of Reclamation, 1243 N Street, SCC-431, Fresno, 
California 93720, or via email to rhealer@usbr.gov.
    The public scoping meeting will be held at the Bureau of 
Reclamation's South-Central California Area Office, 1243 N Street, 
Fresno, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Rain Healer, Natural Resources 
Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation at the above address, via email at 
rhealer@usbr.gov or at 559-487-5196.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Mendota Pool Group (MPG) is comprised of 
an unincorporated association of farmers that own approximately 50,000 
acres of historically irrigated farmland in Westlands Water District 
and San Luis Water District. The MPG members have wells located near 
the Mendota Pool and in Farmers Water District. In 2004, Reclamation 
and the MPG completed a Final EIS for the 10-year program, and a Record 
of Decision (ROD) was issued March 30, 2005. The 2004 Final EIS 
evaluated impacts to groundwater levels, land subsidence, groundwater 
quality, surface water quality, sediment quality, biological resources, 
Central Valley Project operations, archeological and cultural 
resources, land use and traffic, air quality, noise, environmental 
justice, and socioeconomics. The primary adverse effect of the action 
was to increase the cumulative rate of groundwater degradation in wells 
west of the Mendota Pool, primarily MPG wells. Mitigation actions that 
addressed potential impacts of the exchange program were included in 
the EIS and incorporated into the exchange agreement. These mitigation 
actions include a baseline pumping program, design constraints, a 
monitoring program, and adaptive management, all of which would be 
continued or expanded upon with the proposed 20-year extension.
    The objective of the proposed 20-year extension is to enable the 
MPG to maintain production on historically irrigated lands by obtaining 
sufficient good quality water at cost-effective prices to offset 
cutbacks in Central Valley Project deliveries. The action is not 
intended to increase the amount of water for farming activities but 
would continue to replace water allocated for other Central Valley 
Project purposes. This program would enable participants to:
     Replace water no longer available due to restrictions on 
water exports from the Delta.
     Deliver water to farms for an average cost that 
approximates the cost of contract water and does not exceed the costs 
of supplemental water on the open market.
     Maintain production on lands with long-term water supply 
contracts that have regularly produced agricultural commodities.
     Avoid or minimize, through incorporation of design 
constraints and management practices, impacts to environmental 
resources such as surface water, groundwater levels, land subsidence, 
groundwater quality and biological resources including sensitive 
species.
    There are no known Indian Trust Asset or environmental justice 
issues associated with the proposed extension.

Special Assistance for Public Meetings

    If special assistance is required to participate in the scoping 
meeting, please contact Ms. Rain Healer at 559-487-5196, or via email 
at rhealer@usbr.gov. A telephone device for the hearing impaired (TTY) 
is available at 800-735-2929.

Public Disclosure

    Before including your address, phone number, email 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: September 24, 2012.
Anastasia T. Leigh,
Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2012-27556 Filed 11-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P