Bureau of Reclamation December 19, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), is notifying the public that Reclamation, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has prepared and made available to the public a final environmental impact statement (Final EIS) for the proposed Southern Delivery System (SDS) project. The non- federal Project Participants (City of Colorado Springs, City of Fountain, Security Water District, and Pueblo West Metropolitan District) have made a request to Reclamation to issue long term excess capacity, conveyance, and exchange contracts for the use of Fryingpan- Arkansas Project facilities. Reclamation needs to decide if the requested contracts will be issued. The Project Participants' purpose is to provide a safe, reliable, and sustainable water supply for their customers through the foreseeable future. The Project Participants' needs are the following: The Project Participants have a need to use developed and undeveloped water supplies to meet most or all projected future demands through 2046. The Project Participants have a need to develop additional water storage, delivery, and treatment capacity to provide system redundancy. The Project Participants have a need to perfect and deliver their existing Arkansas Basin water rights. Reclamation published a Draft EIS on February 29, 2008. Reclamation published a Supplemental Information Report on October 3, 2008 to update and provide additional information that was not in the Draft EIS. Revisions were made to the Final EIS to incorporate additional analyses presented in the Supplemental Information Report, and responses to comments on the Draft EIS and Supplemental Information Report. The Final EIS includes written responses to all public comments on both the Draft EIS and Supplemental Information Report. It also identifies the Participants' Proposed Action as Reclamation's preferred alternative.