30512 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 107 /Thursday, June 4, 1998 / Notices

Programmatic EIS/EIR was published in

the Federal Register on March 16, 1998

(63 FR 12823). The public review period

was originally to end on June 1, 1998.

In addition, CALFED will be

preparing a Revised Draft Programmatic

EIS/EIR. The Revised Draft

Programmatic EIS/EIR will identify a

draft preferred alternative and will have

revised appendices. It will be available

for public review and comment before

preparation of a Final Programmatic

EIS/EIR.

DATES: Public comments on the Draft

Programmatic EIS/EIR should be

submitted on or before July 1, 1998. The

Revised Draft Programmatic EIS/EIR is

expected to be available for public

review by the end of 1998.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the

Draft Programmatic EIS/EIR should be

addressed to Mr. Rick Breitenbach,

CALFED Bay-Delta Program, 1416 Ninth

Street, Suite 1155, Sacramento,

California 95814. Requests for a printed

copy of the Draft Programmatic EIS/EIR

should also be addressed to Mr. Rick

Breitenbach. When requesting a copy,

please specify whether you would like

the Executive Summary or a complete

set of the Draft EIS/EIR with 12

Appendices.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

additional information, contact Mr. Rick

Breitenbach, telephone: (800) 900–3587.

Dated: May 28, 1998.

Kirk C. Rodgers,

Deputy Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 98–14800 Filed 6–3–98; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

Proposed Water Service Contract, El

Dorado County Water Agency, El

Dorado County, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation,

Interior.

ACTION: Supplemental notice of intent to

prepare a draft environmental impact

statement/environmental impact report

(EIS/EIR) and notice of scoping

meetings.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C)

of the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969 (as amended) and

Section 21061 of the California

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the

Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)

and El Dorado County Water Agency

(Agency) intend to prepare a joint EIS/

EIR for a water service contract from the

Central Valley Project, California.

The proposed project consists of a

water supply contract for the Agency

under which Reclamation would

provide up to 15,000 acre-feet/year from

Folsom Reservoir. The Agency’s

provisional plans, subject to review and

potential revision during the EIS/EIR

process, are to divide this water equally

between El Dorado Irrigation District

(EID) and Georgetown Divide Public

Utility District (GDPUD). EID proposes

to take its supply from Folsom

Reservoir. GDPUD proposes to take its

supply either from Folsom Reservoir or

upstream by way of a water exchange

with Placer County Water Agency

(PCWA). The GDPUD diversion facility

is proposed to either be co-located with

a PCWA site or located adjacent to the

Auburn Dam diversion tunnel, at the

mouth of Knickerbocker Canyon, or

about 3,000 feet upstream of the Auburn

Dam diversion tunnel near Tamaroo

Bar.

DATES: Two public scoping meetings for

this project will be held. The meetings

will be at 6:30 p.m. on August 6, 1998,

and at 1:30 p.m. on August 7, 1998, to

help identify alternatives and significant

issues to be addressed in the draft EIS/

EIR. Arrangements for special services

at the meeting must be requested no

later than July 31, 1998 (see

Supplementary Information section for

more details).

Written comments on the scope of the

EIS/EIR may be sent to the Agency at

the address below by August 21, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meetings will

be held at the El Dorado County Board

of Supervisors Chambers, 330 Fair Lane,

Building A, in Placerville, California.

Please send written comments on the

scope of the EIS/EIR to Merv de Haas,

General Manager, El Dorado County

Water Agency, 330 Fair Lane,

Placerville, California 95667, telephone:

(530) 621–5392.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Rod Hall, Environmental Specialist,

Bureau of Reclamation, 7794 Folsom

Dam Road, Folsom, California 95630,

telephone: (916) 989–7279, or Mr. Merv

de Haas at the above address and

telephone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

contract to be negotiated has been

authorized and directed by the United

States Congress as part of Public Law

101–514. This contract has been

excluded from the prohibition on new

contract funding found in Public Law

102–575.

Public Law 101–514 directs the

Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to

enter into long-term municipal and

industrial water supply contracts to

meet the immediate water needs of El

Dorado County. The law directs the

Secretary to enter into a contract for up

to 15,000 acre-feet/year with the

Agency.

The EIS/EIR will include evaluation

of the ‘‘no project’’ alternative,

alternative diversion points, and

alternative treatment and delivery

facilities. Alternative diversion points

include a point near the confluence of

the American and Sacramento Rivers

and several upstream locations on the

Middle Fork of the American River.

Alternative EID treatment facilities

include the existing El Dorado Hills

treatment plant and a new treatment

plant at Bass Lake. GDPUD proposes to

treat the water at a new facility located

near the town of Cool, the specific

location depending on which diversion

point is selected. The EIS/EIR will also

address impacts to the physical

environment from diversion,

distribution, and use of the contract

water. The documentation will include

analysis of the potential impacts to the

natural environment, particularly

aquatic, wetland, and riparian

communities, including any effect on

special-status species, recreation

resource values, and related socioeconomic values. Secondary growth

impacts associated with the water

delivery and secondary impacts

associated with construction of water

delivery facilities used to divert, treat,

and distribute Folsom Reservoir water

will be investigated.

The proposed project has been the

subject of previous scoping meetings

that were published in the Federal

Register (58 FR 28034, May 12, 1993).

However, because of changes in

proposed alternatives resulting from

those meetings and related

correspondence, additional scoping

activities are being initiated at this time.

Special Services

A headphone device for the hearing

impaired will be available at the

meetings. Persons requiring other

special services should contact Debby

Holcomb of the Agency at (530) 621–

5392. Please notify this office as far in

advance of the meetings as possible, but

no later than July 31, 1998, to enable the

Agency to secure the needed services. If

a request cannot be honored, the

requester will be notified.

Dated: May 28, 1998.

Kirk C. Rodgers,

Deputy Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 98–14799 Filed 6–3–98; 8:45 am]

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