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I I I I I I I I I I REVISED DRAFT ENVIRONMENT AL ASSESSMENT JICARILLA AP ACHE NATION WATER SUBCONTRACT (FORMERLY CALLED THE USBRlPNM WATER CONTRACT RENEWAL ANU I<;Xn.:NSION) JULY 2001 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The proposed action is the approval by the Secretary of the Interior, through the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). of an agreement between the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) and the Jicarilla Apache Nation (formerly called the Jicarilla Apache Tribe) for the supply and delivery of 16,200 acre-feet (A F) of water per year for use in the operation of the San Juan Generating Station (SJGS). Currently, water for SJGS is supplied through a contract between PNM and the USBR for 16.200 AF per year. A draft environmental assessment (EA) was issued by the USBR in June 1995 that analyzed the renewal of that contract; however. an ongoing assessment ofIndian Trust Asset issues kept the document under review and a final EA was not issued. Since that time, the J icarilla Apache Nation expressed an interest in entering into subcontracts with third parties for use of water that has been made available to the Nation through the Jicarilla Apache Water Rights Settlement Act. The Jicarilla Apache Nation and PNM have developed an agreement for a water subcontract. The decision was made to reissue the draft EA as it pertains to this contract. The only difference between the proposed action of this draft EA and the proposed action of the 1995 draft EA is the change in supplier from USBR to the Jicarilla Apache Nation. SJGS operations will not change as a result of the Jicarilla Apache Nation Water Subcontract. The amount of water to be supplied remains 16,200 AF per year. I I I 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Jicarilla Apache Nation Water Subcontract is a proposed subcontract from the Jicarilla Apache Nation to Public Service Company of New Mexico for 16,200 acre feet of water to operate the San Juan Generating Station, an electric power generation facility located in San Juan County, NM. The Jicarilla Apache Nation Water Subcontract's term would begin January 1,2006 and end December 31.2027. 1.1 Proposed Action Location Water leased under the subcontract would be used at SJGS. The SJGS is located near Waterflow. in San Juan County, New Mexico. approximately 15 miles west of the city of Farmington. The withdrawal point on the San Juan River is a weir and pump station located at river mile (RM) 166.1. in the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 3, township 29 north, range 15 west (Figure I). The river mile location is a point as measured by the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (SJRRJP). The SJRRIP is a cooperative effort among entities interested in the dual goals of endangered fish recovery and additional water development in the San Juan River Basin. The weir and pump station are located approximately 4 miles from the SJGS on the San Juan River (Figure 2). (]01o/9-