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ISAMISHy <br />Reclamation prepared Environmental Assessment (EA) No. EC- 1300 -06 -02 to evaluate the <br />effects of the No Action and Proposed Action alternatives. Under the Proposed Action <br />alternative, Reclamation would enter into one -year, temporary excess capacity storage contracts <br />for up to 80,000 acre-feet per year and temporary excess capacity exchange contracts for up to <br />10,000 acre -feet per year for the years 2006 through 2010. The term of the contracts would be <br />from the date of contract execution to December 31 of the same year. A temporary excess <br />capacity contract allows a contractor to store non - project water in Pueblo Reservoir, or to <br />exchange non - project water for Project water, when the full capacity of the Project is not being <br />used to meet Project purposes. <br />These commitments are part of the Proposed Action and were developed to avoid or minimize <br />potential adverse environmental effects. Implementation of these commitments will occur for <br />each of the years from 2006 through 2010 and, where applicable, be a condition of the temporary <br />excess capacity contracts as indicated in the Mitigation Implementation Plan, which is attached <br />to the Finding of No Significant Impact No. EC- 1300 -06 -02 dated April 3, 2006. The methods, <br />analytical approach used, and range of alternatives analyzed in the 2006 -2010 EA continue to be <br />appropriate and valid beyond the year 2010. A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI No. <br />2010 -26), signed on November 16, 2010, and a Memorandum dated November 14, 2014, <br />documents compliance with NEPA and allows for continued issuances of temporary excess <br />capacity contracts annually beyond the year 2010, as long as conditions do not change <br />significantly from those analyzed in the 2006 -2010 EA. <br />1. All water must be transported, stored, and released in accordance with the laws of the State of <br />Colorado. <br />2. By entering into a temporary excess capacity contract with Reclamation, for the use and <br />distribution of United States waters, the Contractor shall comply will all sections of the Clean <br />Water Act, <br />3. If Reclamation enters into any long -term contracts during the term of the proposed action, the <br />amount of storage and exchange covered by the EA will be reduced by the amount of the long- <br />term contract. <br />4. Reclamation will monitor temporary excess capacity operations including daily storage and <br />release data for Contractors' accounts, to better understand real -time use of contracted storage. <br />This will aid in understanding how temporary excess capacity is used and present the opportunity <br />to adaptively manage future temporary excess capacity contract operations. <br />A -1 <br />