Reclamation Bureau September 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.

The following Water Management Plans are available for review:

The Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) are proposing to prepare a joint EIS/EIR, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), to evaluate effects of the proposed Reach 4B, Eastside Bypass and Mariposa Bypass Low Flow Channel and Structural Improvements Project (Proposed Action) under the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP or Program). The Proposed Action includes the construction, operation, and maintenance of a low flow channel in Reach 4B of the San Joaquin River and in the Eastside and Mariposa bypasses and improvements to facilities in the Eastside and Mariposa bypasses to allow for fish passage. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to comply with the San Joaquin River Settlement by improving conveyance capacity in Reach 4B of the San Joaquin River to ensure conveyance of at least 475 cubic feet per second (cfs), modifying the Eastside and Mariposa bypass channels to establish a low flow channel, and modifying structures in the Eastside and Mariposa bypasses to provide for fish passage. The Proposed Action is a component of the San Joaquin River Settlement.