80 FR 54589 - Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Central Valley Project Municipal and Industrial Water Shortage Policy, Central Valley, California

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 175 (September 10, 2015)

The Bureau of Reclamation has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Central Valley Project Municipal and Industrial Water Shortage Policy. The Final EIS addresses updating the Central Valley Project Municipal and Industrial Water Shortage Policy and implementation guidelines. The Central Valley Project Municipal and Industrial Water Shortage Policy would be used by Reclamation to: (1) Define water shortage terms and conditions for applicable Central Valley Project water service contractors, as appropriate; (2) establish Central Valley Project water supply allocations that, together with the municipal and industrial water service contractors' drought water conservation measures and other water supplies, would assist the municipal and industrial water service contractors in their efforts to protect public health and safety during severe or continuing droughts; and (3) provide information to water service contractors for their use in water supply planning and development of drought contingency plans.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 175 (Thursday, September 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54589-54590]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22787]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR02054000, 15XR0680A1, RX.02148943.3320900]


Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Central Valley Project Municipal and Industrial Water 
Shortage Policy, Central Valley, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation has prepared a Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Central Valley Project Municipal and 
Industrial Water Shortage Policy. The Final EIS addresses updating the 
Central Valley Project Municipal and Industrial Water Shortage Policy 
and implementation guidelines. The Central Valley Project Municipal and 
Industrial Water Shortage Policy would be used by Reclamation to: (1) 
Define water shortage terms and conditions for applicable Central 
Valley Project water service contractors, as appropriate; (2) establish 
Central Valley Project water supply allocations that, together with the 
municipal and industrial water service contractors' drought water 
conservation measures and other water supplies, would assist the 
municipal and industrial water service contractors in their efforts to 
protect public health and safety during severe or continuing droughts; 
and (3) provide information to water service contractors for their use 
in water supply planning and development of drought contingency plans.

DATES: The Bureau of Reclamation will not issue a final decision on the 
proposal for a minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental 
Protection Agency releases the Final EIS. After the 30-day period, the 
Bureau of Reclamation will complete a Record of Decision. The Record of 
Decision will state the action that will be implemented and will 
discuss all factors leading to the decision.

ADDRESSES: Send written correspondence or requests for copies of the 
Final EIS to Mr. Tim Rust, Bureau of Reclamation, Resources Management 
Division, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, or via email to 
[email protected]. To request a compact disc of the Final EIS, please 
contact Mr. Tim Rust as indicated above, or call (916) 978-5516.
    The Final EIS may be viewed at the Bureau of Reclamation's Web site 
at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvp/mandi/index.html. See the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for locations where copies of the Final EIS are 
available for public review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tim Rust, Program Manager, Bureau 
of Reclamation, via email at [email protected], or at (916) 978-5516.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Central Valley Project is operated under 
Federal statutes authorizing the Central Valley Project, and by the 
terms and conditions of water rights acquired pursuant to California 
law. During any year, constraints may occur on the availability of 
Central Valley Project water for municipal and industrial water service 
contractors. The cause of the water shortage may be drought, 
unavoidable causes, or restricted operations resulting from legal and 
environmental obligations or mandates. Those legal and environmental 
obligations include, but are not limited to, the Endangered Species 
Act, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA), and conditions 
imposed on Central Valley Project water rights by the California State 
Water Resources Control Board. The 2001 draft Central Valley Project 
Municipal & Industrial Water Shortage Policy, as modified by 
Alternative 1 B of the 2005 draft environmental assessment (EA), 
establishes the terms and conditions regarding the constraints on 
availability of water supply for the Central Valley Project municipal 
and industrial water service contracts.
    Allocation of Central Valley Project water supplies for any given 
water year is based upon forecasted reservoir inflows and Central 
Valley hydrologic conditions, amounts of storage in Central Valley 
Project reservoirs, regulatory requirements, and management of Section 
3406(b)(2) resources and refuge water supplies in accordance with 
CVPIA. In some cases, municipal and industrial allocations in water 
shortage years may differ between Central Valley Project divisions due 
to regional Central Valley Project water supply availability, system 
capacity, or other operational constraints.
    The purpose of the update to the 2001 Central Valley Project 
Municipal & Industrial Water Shortage Policy, as modified by 
Alternative 1 B of the 2005 draft EA, is to provide detailed, clear, 
and objective guidelines for the distribution of Central Valley Project 
water supplies during water shortage conditions, thereby allowing 
Central Valley Project water users to know when, and by how much, water 
deliveries may be reduced in drought and other low water supply 
conditions.
    The increased level of clarity and understanding that will be 
provided by the update to the 2001 draft Central Valley Project 
Municipal & Industrial Water Shortage Policy is needed by water 
managers and the entities that receive Central Valley Project water to 
better plan for and manage available Central Valley Project water 
supplies, and to better integrate the use of Central Valley Project 
water with other available non-Central Valley Project water supplies. 
The update to the 2001 draft Central Valley Project Municipal & 
Industrial Water Shortage Policy is also needed to clarify certain 
terms and conditions with regard to its applicability and 
implementation. The proposed action is the adoption of an updated 
Central Valley Project Municipal & Industrial Water Shortage Policy and 
its implementation guidelines.
    The EIS analyzes five alternative actions. Alternative 1 is No 
Action, and represents the current 2001 draft Central Valley Project 
Municipal & Industrial Water Shortage Policy, as modified by 
Alternative 1 B of the 2005 EA, which

[[Page 54590]]

is currently guiding Reclamation's allocation of water to agricultural 
and municipal and industrial water service contractors during water 
shortage years. Alternative 2, Equal Agricultural and Municipal & 
Industrial Allocation, provides municipal and industrial and 
agricultural water service contractors with equal allocation 
percentages during water shortage conditions. Alternative 3, Full 
Municipal & Industrial Allocation Preference, provides municipal and 
industrial contractors with 100 percent of their contract allocation 
until Central Valley Project supplies are not available to meet those 
demands, while agricultural water service contractor deliveries are 
reduced as needed. Alternative 4, Updated Municipal & Industrial Water 
Shortage Policy [PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE], modifies Alternative 1 to 
provide a different definition of unconstrained years used in 
calculating historical use, and provides higher level of deliveries to 
municipal and industrial water service contractors by attempting to 
provide minimum unmet public health and safety demand without a 
guarantee. Alternative 5, Municipal & Industrial Contractor Suggested 
Water Shortage Policy, is similar to Alternative 4 but attempts to meet 
unmet public health and safety demands.
    A Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS was published in the 
Federal Register on November 19, 2014 (79 FR 68912). Reclamation filed 
a Notice of Public Review and Comment Period Extension in the Federal 
Register on January 9, 2015 (80 FR 1431). The comment period for the 
Draft EIS ended on March 13, 2015. The Final EIS contains responses to 
all comments received and reflects comments and any additional 
information received during the review period.
    Copies of the Final EIS are available for public review at the 
following locations:

1. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, Regional Library, 2800 
Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825
2. Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C 
Street NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, DC 20240-0001

Public Disclosure

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in any communication, you should 
be aware that your entire communication--including your personal 
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask us in your communication to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

     Dated: July 1, 2015.
Pablo R. Arroyave,
Deputy Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-22787 Filed 9-9-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4332-90-P