[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 98 (Monday, May 20, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25238-25239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12591]



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[[Page 25239]]


DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation


Proposed Long-Term Water Service Contract Renewal, Sargent and 
Farwell Units, Middle Loup Division, Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, 
NE

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information/scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969, as amended, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) will prepare 
a draft environmental assessment (EA) on the proposed renewal of the 
long-term water service contract for the Loup Basin Reclamation 
District which provides service to the Sargent and Farwell Irrigation 
Districts in the Middle Loup River Basin (Basin) in Nebraska. The 
existing water service contract will expire in December of 1998.
    The purpose of this action is to provide for the continued 
beneficial use of federally developed water within the Basin. 
Reclamation is proposing to renew the long-term water service contract 
for the reclamation district in accordance with current law and policy 
while examining all reasonable alternatives to balance contemporary 
surface water needs within the Basin.
    Reclamation has scheduled a series of public information/scoping 
meetings in connection with the development of a Resource Management 
Assessment (RMA) and the draft EA.

DATES: The schedule for the public information/scoping meetings is:
    <bullet> May 28, 7:00 p.m., Sargent, NE, Palladium, 105 N. 2nd 
Street.
    <bullet> May 29, 7:00 p.m., Loup City, NE, Middle School Gymnasium, 
800 N. 8th Street.

    <bullet> May 30, 7:00 p.m., St. Paul, NE, Public School, 1305 
Howard Avenue.
    <bullet> May 31, 1:00 p.m., Grand Island, NE, Holiday Inn Mid Town, 
2503 S. Locust Street.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Jill Manring, Basin Study 
Coordinator, Bureau of Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office, PO Box 
1607, Grand Island, NE 68802-1607; telephone: (308) 389-4557.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Reclamation constructed Milburn and Arcadia 
Diversion Dams, Sherman Dam and Reservoir, and associated canal and 
drainage systems in the Basin in the 1950's and 1960's pursuant to the 
Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program of the Flood Control Act of 1944.
    Prior to initiating construction on the individual projects, 
Reclamation negotiated and entered into a long-term water service 
contract with the reclamation district. The initial long-term water 
service contract which was issued for a 40-year term, became effective 
upon completion of the respective projects, and will expire in December 
of 1998.
    The location of the reservoir and irrigation districts within a 
common watershed provided Reclamation an opportunity to evaluate the 
direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of long-term water service 
contract renewal from a watershed perspective. Reclamation will 
initiate its watershed analysis by preparing the RMA to identify water-
related resources within the Basin, document their historic and 
existing conditions, identify resource trends and/or predict future 
conditions, propose goals and objectives for resource management, and 
provide a framework for development of the range of alternatives 
necessary for the comprehensive NEPA compliance document. Much of the 
information gathered for, and incorporated into, the RMA will be used 
to prepare the draft EA.
    An extensive range of management scenarios will be formulated for 
the RMA that are unconstrained by existing law or regulation. Input 
from the public is encouraged to help define different management 
scenarios. The initial range of management scenarios will include over 
25 options and vary from no change from current management to:
    <bullet> optimizing deliveries of water for irrigation at the 
expense of other beneficial uses,
    <bullet> optimizing reservoir management for fisheries and 
recreation at the expense of irrigation,
    <bullet> restoring the natural hydrograph to the degree possible, 
and others. All of the preliminary management scenarios will be 
evaluated in the RMA process. It should be recognized that some of the 
management scenarios ultimately identified in the RMA may include 
actions beyond Reclamation's authority to implement. The RMA process 
will conclude with the identification of resource management goals and 
objectives and a reduced range of feasible management scenarios. 
Further screening, public input, and evaluation during the 
environmental compliance process will produce an ultimate range of 
reasonable alternatives that will be considered and evaluated in detail 
in the EA. Should the EA impact analysis process not result in a 
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), the NEPA compliance effort 
will be elevated to an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Both the 
RMA and NEPA compliance documents will assess potential impacts to 
Indian Trust Assets.
    Anyone interested in additional information concerning the 
environmental compliance or water service contract renewal processes, 
having suggestions regarding significant environmental issues or 
management scenarios, or having input about concerns or issues related 
to Indian Trust Assets should contact Ms. Manring at the above address.
    Meetings have been scheduled to inform the public of the status of 
contract renewal, to allow for public input on the development of 
preliminary management scenarios to be evaluated in the RMA process, to 
inform the public of significant issues identified to date, to identify 
additional significant issues that should be analyzed in the draft EA, 
and to identify issues related to Indian Trust Assets. The RMA and 
draft EA are expected to be completed and available for review and 
comment in mid 1997.
    Individuals requiring special assistance at these meetings should 
make their needs known in advance to Lee Loseke, Bureau of Reclamation, 
Nebraska-Kansas Area Office, at (308) 389-4625.

    Dated: May 14, 1996.
Robert Gyllenborg,
Area Manager.
[FR Doc. 96-12591 Filed 5-17-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-P