Bureau of Reclamation April 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (as amended), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), with and on behalf of other joint-lead agencies [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Department of Defense; and the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (Commission), State of New Mexico], has prepared and made available to the public a final environmental impact statement (FEIS) to assess the consequences of proposed changes to water operations in the Rio Grande basin above Fort Quitman, Texas. The FEIS is programmatic and is not intended to authorize specific projects in the upper Rio Grande system. It is anticipated that a plan for water operations at existing Reclamation and Corps facilities will be developed. The FEIS presents alternatives with respect to water operations and evaluates the potential effects of each alternative on environmental, hydrologic, cultural, and socioeconomic resources, and Indian Trust Assets, including any potential disproportionate effects on minority or low income communities (environmental justice). The FEIS also evaluates the effects of alternatives on the State of New Mexico's ability to meet its obligations associated with the Rio Grande Compact. Some of the alternatives considered include changing the channel capacity criteria at Albuquerque, storage or non-storage of Rio Grande water in authorized San Juan-Chama space in Abiquiu Reservoir, and possible future resumption of operations of the currently unfunctional Low Flow Conveyance Channel. A draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) was filed with the Environmental Protection Agency on January 20, 2006, and a Notice of Availability for the DEIS was published in the Federal Register on that same date. The original 60-day review and comment period for the DEIS was extended an additional 30 days to April 20, 2006, with publication of a Notice of Extension in the Federal Register on March 24, 2006. During the comment period, one public meeting was held in Colorado, one public meeting was held in Texas, and six public meetings were held in New Mexico. All comments received on the DEIS were carefully reviewed and considered in preparing the FEIS. Where appropriate, revisions were made to the document in response to specific comments. The comments and responses, together with the FEIS, will be considered in determining whether or not to implement the proposed action.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board (COMB) are planning to prepare a combined EIS/EIR for the proposed construction of a second pipeline adjacent to the South Coast Conduit (SCC) between the South Portal of the Tecolote Tunnel (SPTT) and the Corona Del Mar Water Treatment Plant (CDMWTP) for the purposes of increasing the operational flexibility, reliability, and the conveyance capacity of the SCC, accommodating peak demand levels, and allowing maintenance of the pipeline. The project site is located in Glen Annie Canyon, north of the City of Goleta, in Santa Barbara County, California. The project site encompasses the area surrounding the existing SCC between the SPTT and the CDMWTP.