This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

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Notices Federal Register

69732 

Vol. 70, No. 221 

Thursday, November 17, 2005 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Glenn/Colusa County Resource 

Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Glenn/Colusa County 

Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) 

will meet in Willows, California. 

Agenda items to be covered include: (1) 

Introductions, (2) approval of minutes, 

(3) public comment, (4) project 

proposals/possible action, (5) Web site 

update, (6) general discussion, (7) next 

agenda. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

November 28, 2005, from 1:30 p.m. and 

end at approximately 4:30 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Mendocino National Forest 

Supervisor’s Office, 825 N. Humboldt 

Ave., Willows, CA 95988. Individuals 

wishing to speak or propose agenda 

items must send their names and 

proposals to Jim Giachino, DFO, 825 N. 

Humboldt Ave., Willows, CA 95988. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bobbin Gaddini, Committee 

Coordinator, USDA, Mendocino 

National Forest, Grindstone Ranger 

District, P.O. Box 164, Elk Creek, CA 

95939. (530) 968–1815; e-mail 

ggaddini@fs.fed.us. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is open to the public. 

Committee discussion is limited to 

Forest Service staff and Committee 

members. However, persons who wish 

to bring matters to the attention of the 

Committee any file written statements 

with the Committee staff before or after 

the meeting. Public input sessions will 

be provided and individuals who made 

written requests by November 25, 2005 

will have the opportunity to address the 

committee at those sessions. 

Dated: November 9, 2005. 

James F. Giachino, 

Designated Federal Official. 

[FR Doc. 05–22793 Filed 11–16–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resource Conservation 

Service 

Finding of No Significant Impact for 

Silt Salinity Control Project, Garfield 

County, CO 

Introduction 

The plan/environmental assessment 

was developed under the authority of 

the Soil Conservation and Domestic 

Allotment Act of 1936. Funding for 

implementation is expected to be 

provided under the Federal 

Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, 

Public Law 104–127, as amended; Food 

Security Act of 1985, Subtitle D, Title 

XII, 16 U.S.C. 3830 et seq. An 

environmental evaluation was 

undertaken in conjunction with the 

development of the watershed plan. 

This evaluation was conducted in 

consultation with local, State and 

Federal agencies as well as with 

interested organizations and 

individuals. Copies of the Plan/ 

Environmental may be obtained by 

contacting Allen Green, Colorado State 

Conservationist at the following 

address. Data developed during the 

environmental evaluation is available 

for public review at the following 

location as well: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Natural Resource 

Conservation Service, 655 Parfet St., 

Lakewood, Colorado 80215–5517. 

Background 

The Silt unit was not identified by 

name in Title II of the Colorado River 

Basin Salinity Control Act, but was 

identified by USDA as an area which 

should be studied for possible salinity 

control. 

The combined environmental 

assessment has three major components: 

(1) To determine the contribution of salt 

loading from the irrigated farmland; (2) 

to determine the opportunity for USDA 

to reduce salt loading through 

improvements in irrigation delivery and 

application systems; (3) to determine 

environmental effects of the proposed 

action. 

Approximately 7,430 acres can be 

irrigated in the Silt Unit by five 

irrigation ditches. One of the aspects of 

the environmental evaluation involved 

inventorying and analyzing current 

irrigation systems and management 

practices. Data was analyzed on the five 

irrigation ditch systems. Each of the 

systems was analyzed to determine 

what types of improvements are needed. 

The remaining ditches were not studied 

because they are small or no longer in 

use. 

The Wasatch Formation, a claystone 

shale marine formation with a very high 

salt content, underlies much of the 

valley and is the principal source of salt 

contributed to the Colorado River. 

Lenses of crystaline salt often are 

exposed during excavation into shale. 

Because of the arid climate, salts have 

not been leached naturally and applying 

excess irrigation water to the soil greatly 

accelerates the leaching process. 

The Silt Unit contributes 

approximately 24,700 tons of salt 

annually to the Colorado River based on 

the 17-year USGS record of volume and 

concentration of outflow, minus volume 

and concentration of inflow. The 17- 

year record spans a good representation 

of dry and wet years. Approximately 

14,030 tons come from irrigation 

practices, and is in the middle of the 

range of values used for the seven 

salinity project areas e.g. Grand Valley, 

Colorado; Lower Gunnison, Colorado; 

Mancos Valley, Colorado; McElmo 

Creek, Colorado; Uinta Basin, Utah; 

Price-San Rafael, Utah; and Big Sandy 

River, Wyoming. The remaining 10,670 

tons represents salt produced from 

natural sources. Salt loading estimates 

include approximately 4,160 tons from 

ditch seepage and approximately 9,870 

tons from on-farm deep percolation of 

irrigation water. 

The proposed alternative plan 

contains structural and management 

improvements to irrigation systems 

which will in turn reduce salt loading 

to the Colorado River by 3,990 tons. 

Consultation-Public Participation 

The Bookcliff Conservation District 

led the public participation process, 

which included several Public meetings. 

Public involvement primarily consisted 

of meetings; however, local newspapers 

were used to publicize the project. 

Several State and Federal agencies were 

consulted during project plan 

development.