WSP04075

• File Number: 8282.751
• Description: Colorado River Operations
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 10/1/2001
• Author: USDOI/BOR
• Title: Scoping Summary Report, Implementation Agreement, Inadvertent Ovverun and Payback Policy and Related Federal Actions Environmental Impact Statement
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

DEP.o.RTMEIH OF THE INTERIDR

Federal Register/Vol. 55, No. 47/Friday, March 9, ZOOl/Nolices

14211

Bureau of Reclamation
Implementatlon Agl'8ement for
Secretarial Actions A.ssoclated With
California Partie,' Propos.d
Quantlflcatlon Settlement Agreement
and Other Related Federal Actions,
Including Implementation of an
Inadvertent Overrun Policy, lower
Colorado River, Arizona, California,
and Nevada
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation.
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement [EIS) .
and initiation of seoping process.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended. and the Council on
Environmental Quali.ty's Regulations for
Implementing tbe Procedural Provisions
ofNEPA. the Bureau of Reclamation
(Reclamation) proposes to prepare an
environmental 1m pact statement (ElS)
concerning execution of an
Implementation Agreement (LA). and
implementation of other interrelated
Federal actions. The LA is requited to
implement actions by the Secretary of
the Interior (Secretary), that are
necessary to make operative a proposed
Colorado River Quantification
Settlement Agreement (QSA) among
certain California water agencies that
hold contracl1l with the Secretary, for
delivery oIColorado River water. The
EIS will describe the potential
environmental consequences of the
following: Secretarial execution of the
lA which, generally, would rel!mlt in a
change in the point of delivery of up to
approximately 400,000 acre~feet (AF) of
Colorado River water per year;
implementation of a lower Colorado
River inadvertent overrnn accounting
and payback policy (lOP), intended to
be implemented for a 30.yeaT time
period (see Federal Register, Vol. 66,
No. 12. pages 4856-4858); and
implementation of biological
conservation measures related to the lA
that were identified in the Fish and
Wildlife Service's (FWS) "Biological
Opinion for Interim Surplus Criteria.
Secretarial Implementation Agreements,
and Conservation Measures on the
Lower Colorado River, Lake Mead to the
Southerly International Boundary
Arizona. California and Nevada,"
(Biological Opinion), dated January 12,
2001. This is to provide notice to
potentially interested entities and the
public regarding Reclamation's intent to
prepare an EIS. and to request
comments regarding the scope of the

issues. to be addressed and identification
of significant issues related to the
proposed action.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments
concerning the proposed acti.o~ or. ..
issues to be addressed in the ElS to Mr.
Bruce D. Ellis, Phoenix Area Office.
Bureau of Reclamation, PXAO-1500,
P.O. Box 81169. Phoenix AZ 85069-
1169, with a copy to Ms. Gracie
Chirieleison, Lower Colorado Region,
Bureau of Reclamation. BCOD-lOOl,
P.O. Box 61470. Boulder City, NV
89006-1470. Comments should be
received by April 10, 2001.
Our practice is to make comments,
including names Bnd home addresses of
respondents. available for public
review. Individual respondents may
request that we withhold their home
address from public disclosure, which
we will honor to the extent allowable by
law. There also may be circumstances in
which we would withhold a
respondent's identity from public
disclosure, as allowable by law. U you
wish us to withhold your name and/or
address, you must state this
prominently at the beginning oryour
comment. We will male all submissions
from organizations o.r businessas. and
from individuals identifying themselves
as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses. available
for public disclosure in their entirety.
FOR FURTlIER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions concerning the process,
potential altamatives. or this notice
should be directed to Mr. Ellis at the
Ph.oenbc Area Office address above,
telephone [phone], To be placed
on a msiling list for any subsequent
information. please write or telephone
Ms. Chirieleison at the Lower Colorado
Regional Office address above,
telephone [phone] or fax (702)
293-8156.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Reclamation intends to prepare an EIS
to de:!lcribe the potential environmental
consequences that would result from
execution of the proposed IA with
CoacbelIa Valley Water District
(CVWD), Imperial Irrigation District
(lID), The Mettopolil:an Water District of
Southern California (MWDJ, and San
Diego County Water Authority
(SDCWAl (collectively referred to as the
"California Parties"). The 1A e[mmerates
Secretarial approvals and/or actions that
are needed to implement the proposed
QSA. The proposed QSA is a
COIlBonsUal agreement among the
California Parties for distribution and
use of Colorado River water for a period
of up to 75 years. The QSA is
anticipated to be considered by the
boards of directors of []D, CVWD, and

MWD by December 2001, following
completion of a final environmental
impact report regarding implementation
of the QSA. The QSA end lA are integral
to the successful implementation of .
California's Draft Colorado River Water
Use Plan (CA Plan). released for public
review by the Colorado River Board of
California. The purpose of the CA Plan
is to ensme California limits its annual
use of Colorado River water, starting in
year 2016, to no more than 4,400,000 A.F
per year in normal years. Normal years
are those in which 7,500,000 acre-feet
are made available by the Sec;reta.ry for
beneficial consumptive use collectively
in Lower Colorado River Division States
(Arizona. California, and Nevada). The
Department of Interior believes the
proposed QSA cannot be lawfully
carried out absent a fully executed IA.
Federal actions identified in the lA to
be covered by the EIS includo approving
changes in the paint of delivery of up
to approximately 400.000 AF of
Colorado River water annually, from
Imperial Dam to the inta1e of the
Colorado RiV8I' Aqueduct (CRAl, located
in Lake HavaN upstream of Parker Dam.
Of this amount. between 130,000 and
300,000 AF per year would be madtl
available through conservation by lID.
Of the total amount conserved by lID,
between 130.000 and 200,000 AF per
year would be transferred to SDCW A. In
accordance with an LID/SOCWA Water
Transfer Agreement, SDCW A and MWD
have executed an Exchange Agreement
providing for delivery of the conserved
water into the CRA and the delivery of
a like amount of water to SDCW A
through MWD's facilities. Through. the
QSA, an additional amount of up to
100.000 AF per year of water to be
conserved by IID. would be made
aVllilable to CVWD and, if not used by
CVWD, to MWD. The change in the
point of delivery of up to an additional
93,700 AF peL-year of Colorado River
water would be authorized upon the
conservation of an equal amount of
water througb the concrete lining of
portions of the All American Canal
(MG) and Coachella Canal ICG). This
conserved water would be used by
MWD and the San Luis Rey Indian
Water Rights Settlement parties in
accordance with the terms of a proposed
Allocation Agreement.
Under the EI5' proposed action, in
addition to the change in the point of
delivery of Colorado River water, the
Secretary, as Water Master, would
deliver Priority 38 Colorado River
contract water to lID in quantified
amounts not to exceed 3.100.000 AF per
year. less the amount of water conserved
hy DD and hy the All American Canal
Lining Project. The Secretary would also