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

14212

rederal Register/Vol. 66, No, 47/Friday, March 9, ZOOl/Notices

deliver Priority 3a Colorado River
contract water to CVWO in quantified
amounts not to exceed 330,000 Af per
year exclusive of amounts associated
with water conserved by IID and made
available to CVWD and amounts
exchanged by MWD with CVWD, tass.
the amount of water conserved by the
Coachalla Canal Lining Project. This
quantification would result from
execution of the lA. in conjunctioIl with
the QSA.
The EIS will also address potential
effects of implementing an t'nadvertent
overrun accounting and payback policy
(lOP) regEl1'ding use of Colorado River by
the Lower Colorado River Division
States. In addition, the EIS will
prograrrunatically address the
implementation of biological
conservation measures related to the IA
tha.t have been idantifu~d ~n the fWS'
Biological Opinion dated January 12.
2001.
The project area of lhe EIS will
generally include the lower Colorado
River and its 100-year floodplain
betweeu Lake Mead and the southerly
international boundary. The EIS will
address effects in river flow betwetlD
these two points along the lower
Colorado River that would occur from
the suite of Federal approvals/actions
included in the Proposed Action.
Changes in river flow could. in nun.
potentially aff"ct resources along the
rivede.g., biological. cultural and
recreational). Colorado River water
quality. and power generation at Pa.rker
and Heedgate Rock power plants. The
EIS will also incorporate. by reference.
analyses identified in various other
NEPA and California Environmental
QuaJtty Act (CEQA) documents related
to local and regional effects resulting
from implementation of the QSA.
As indicated above. Reclamation
received the Biological Opinion from
the FWS and has completed Endangered
Species Act (ESA) consultation
requirements for the transfer of water
and change in its point of delivery from
lm~erial Dam. to L.a.u Havlls:u. and {or
the previously referenced conservation
measures associated with the water
transfers. Reclamation will work with
the FWS. as appropriate. to determine if
additional ESA compliance is neca:lsary.
Having reached agreement through
the QSA. the California Parties are
requesting Secretarial execution of the
lA. which constitutes the proposed
action that will be described in the EIS.
A No Action Alternative will be
included, against which potentiaJ
environmental consequences resulting
from implementing the proposed
Federal actions will be compared.

Reclamation is circulating this notice
to provide the public with an
opport"mity to iderltify issues and
concerns regarding this proposed action.
to ensure t..hat all relevant issu89 are
evaluated in the EIS. All ooniments
received in response to Reclamation's
request for comments on the lOP, found
in the FederaJ Register. Vol. 66. No. 12.
pages 4856-4858. will also be taken into
consideration as part of the scoping
process for this EIS, Reclamation will
consult other Federal, State, Tribal and
local agencies having specific expertise
regarding environmental impacts related
to the proposed actions.

Dated: March 2, 200].
LolTi J. Gray.
Assistant Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 01-5909 Filsd 3-8-0]; 8:4.!5 am]
I!lIWHG coDe 431O-MN-P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

DefInition and Payback af Inadvertent
Overruns for Delivery af Lower
Colorado River Water: Notice of
Edenslon of Public Comment Period

A.GENCY: Bureau of Reclamation.
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of public cornmant
period extension.

SUMMARY: Reclamation published a.
Notice of public comment period in the
Fedaral Reg~ter. (56 FR 4856). an
January, 18. 2001. requesting canunents
on a proposed policy that will identify
inadvertent overruns, establish
procedures that account for inadvertent
overruns. and define subsequent
payback requirements to the Colorado
River mainstream. This notice extends
the original comment period. as
identified below in the DATES section.
DATES: The comment period for
receiving comments on the propoaed
policy regarding definition and psyback
of inadvertent overruns for delivery of
Lowe.r ColC1:l1do Rivet water. has been
extende~ from M8lCh 24. 2001. to April
10.2001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you wish to comment. you may mail
comments to Deputy Area M8J:!.sger.
Boulder Canyon Operations Office.
Lower Colorado Region. Bureau of
ReclliIIlation. BCaD-IOIO. PO Box
61470. Boulder City, Nevada 89008. You
may also COIIlment via the Internet at
InadvertentOvemID@!c.usbr,gov. If you
comment viII the Internet. please submit
comments as an AScn file avoiding the
use of special characters and any form
of encryption. If you do not receive a

confinnation via e-mail that we have
received your Internet message, please
contact us. directly at (702} 293-BS92.

Our practice is to make comments,
induding names and 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
diselosura. as allowable by law. If you
wish us to withhold YOW' nllJl18 and/or
address, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your
comment. We will make all submissions
from organizations or businesses, and
from individuals identifying themselves
as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses. available
for public disclosure in tbeir entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
John Redlinger, [702) 293--8592.

SUPPLEUENTARY INFORMATION: The
period for receiving public comments
on the proposed inadvertant overrun
policy, described in detail in the
Foderal Register dated January 18. 2001,
(66 FR 4856). has been extended until
April 10. 2001. The comment period has
been extended in response to several
requests. and because Reclamation
intends to prepare an environmental
impact statement that will evaluate the
potential environmental effects of
implementing the inadvertent overrun
policy (see the Notice of intent to
prepare an envirorunental impact
statement (EISJ and initiation of scoping
proc8u rOf the "Implementation
Agreement for Secretarial Actions
Associated with California Parties'
Proposed Quantification Settlement
AgJ&ement and other Relaled Federal
Actions, including lmplementation of
an Inadvertent OVem.ln Policy. Lower
Colorado River. Arizona. California. and
Navada." elsewheT9 in this Federal
Register. The public scoping comment
period for this EIS enw on April 10,
2001. Comments received on the
inadvertent overrun policy will also be
taken into consideration during the
scoping process for the EIS.

Dated: MlU'Ch 2. 2001.

Lom J, Gray.
Assistant R~gional Di~ctor.
[FR Doc. 01-5907 Filed 3--a-01; 8;45llOl1
B1UJNO COOE Q1D-MN-P