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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />be built at the northem and southern ends of the Salton Sea, in conjunction with wetlands construction on <br />the Alamo and New Rivers, to provide water of sufficient quality to maintain the natural and biological <br />resources of the Salton Sea ecosystem. This diking altemative would result in the creation of a hyper- <br />saline body of water in the central portion of the Sea, and essential1y capable of only supporting brine <br />shrimp and brine flies. The Pacific Institute proposal is estimated to cost approximately $340,000,000 to <br />implement. <br /> <br />Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Implementation Agreement, Inadvertent Overrun and <br />Payback Policy <br /> <br />As part of California's implementation of elements of the California Colorado River Water Use <br />Plan (Plan), the Bureau of Reclamation is in the process of preparing a draft environmental impact <br />statement (EIS) for the Implementation Agreement, Inadvertent Overrun and Payback Policy, and Related <br />Federal Actions. The purpose of this EIS is to analyze and describe the potential environmental effects <br />of the proposed action, which is the execution of an Implementation Agreement (IA) that would commit <br />the Secretary of the Interior to making Colorado River water deliveries to California entitlement holders <br />in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), and <br />related accounting and environmental actions. <br /> <br />The three major components of the proposed action include the following: (I) Execution of the <br />lA, which specifies changes in the amount and/or location of deliveries of Colorado River water that are <br />necessary to implement the QSA; (2) Adoption ofan inadvertent overrun and payback policy (lOP), which <br />establishes requirements for payback of inadvertent overuse of Colorado River water by Lower Basin water <br />users; and (3) Implementation of biological conservation measures to offset potential impacts from the <br />proposed action that could occur to federal1y listed fish and wildlife species, or associated critical habitats. <br />The proposed biological and conservation were developed in the biological opinion for interim surplus <br />guidelines in January 2001. <br /> <br />The draft IAlIOP EIS is slated for release by Reclamation for review and comment in January 2002. <br /> <br />Basin States/Ten Tribes Discussion <br /> <br />Hearing before U.S. House of Representatives on Implementation of the California Plan for the Colorado <br />River <br /> <br />The House Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Resources Committee on Resources held a <br />field hearing on "Implementation of the California Plan for the Colorado River" on December 10,2001, <br />in Las Vegas, Nevada. Those House members in attendance included: Ken Calvert, Grace Napolitano, and <br />Mary Bono. The Subcommittee received testimony from Bennett Raley, Assistant Secretary of the <br />Department of the Interior; Larry Anderson, Utah; Maureen Stapleton, San Diego County Water Authority; <br />Tom Graff, Environmental Defense Fund; George Caan, Colorado River Comniission ofNevada; and Jerry <br />Zimmerman, Colorado River Board of California. Copies of the testimony are included in the handout <br />material. <br /> <br />4 <br />