Reclamation Bureau December 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority propose to prepare a joint EIS/EIR to analyze the effects of water transfers from water agencies in northern California to water agencies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) and in the San Francisco Bay Area. The EIS/EIR will address transfers of Central Valley Project (CVP) and non-CVP water supplies that require use of CVP or State Water Project (SWP) facilities to convey the transferred water. Water transfers would occur through various methods, including, but not limited to, groundwater substitution and cropland idling, and would include individual and multiyear transfers from 2012 through 2022.

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 Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board (COMB), the State lead agency, have prepared a Final EIS/EIR for the South Coast Conduit/Upper Reach Reliability Project (SCC/URRP). The SCC/URRP involves installation of a second water pipeline for improving water supply reliability to Cachuma Project (CP) and State Water Project (SWP) customers on the South Coast of Santa Barbara County. A Notice of Availability of the joint Draft EIS/EIR was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 (73 FR 49218). The written comment period on the Draft EIS/EIR ended October 3, 2008. The Final EIS/EIR contains responses to all comments received and reflects comments and any additional information received during the review period.