[Federal Register: September 25, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 186)]
[Notices]
[Page 55412-55413]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25se03-85]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Revised Basin Management
Plan Project, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties, California
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft environmental impact
statement and notice of public hearing [DES 03-53].
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation has prepared a draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Pajaro Valley Water
Management Agency (PVWMA) Revised Basin Management Plan Project.
The purpose of the project is to address groundwater overdraft and
seawater intrusion problems in the Pajaro Valley Basin. The proposed
action is the approval of the connection of a PVWMA pipeline to the
Santa Clara Conduit; the funding for the design, planning, and
construction of a recycled water facility; and the delivery to and use
of Central Valley Project (CVP) water in the Pajaro Valley.
DATES: Submit written comments on the DEIS on or before November 24,
2003 to Lynne Silva, Reclamation, at the below address.
A public hearing will be held to receive comments from interested
parties, organizations, and individuals on the environmental impacts of
the proposal. The hearing will be held on October 29, 2003 at 7:00 pm
at the address below.
ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the Watsonville Senior
Center, 114 East 5th Street, Watsonville, CA 95076.
Written comments on the DEIS should be addressed to Ms. Lynne
Silva, Reclamation, at the below address.
Copies of the DEIS may be requested from Reclamation's South-
Central California Area Office or from PVWMA's office at the following
addresses:
[sbull] Bureau of Reclamation, South-Central California Area Office,
1243 N Street, Fresno, CA 93721-1813.
[sbull] Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, 36 Brennan Street,
Watsonville, CA 95076.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Lynne Silva, Bureau of
Reclamation, South-Central California Area Office, telephone (559) 487-
5807; or Mr. Charles McNiesh, Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency,
(831) 722-9292.
[[Page 55413]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PVWMA is responsible for managing
groundwater resources in the Pajaro Valley, located along the central
coast of California. In the coastal area and throughout much of the
groundwater basin in the Pajaro Valley, overdraft conditions have
caused groundwater levels to drop below sea level, creating a landward
pressure gradient that causes seawater from the Pacific Ocean to move
inland, where it mixes with fresh water. Seawater intrusion
increasingly is degrading groundwater quality and limiting the utility
of groundwater for irrigation and domestic purposes. PVWMA proposes to
prevent further overdraft of the groundwater basin and to halt seawater
intrusion by implementing the Revised Basin Management Plan Project. As
part of the project, PVWMA would import water supplies from the San
Joaquin Valley in California using Central Valley Project (CVP)
facilities, and develop a recycled water supply. These actions require
Reclamation approval of: (1) Connection of a water pipeline to the
Santa Clara Conduit of the San Felipe System of the CVP, (2) the
design, planning, and construction of the Watsonville Area Water
Recycling Project under Public Law 102-575, Title XVI, Section 1619, as
amended, and (3) the environmental analysis of the use of CVP water in
the Pajaro Valley.
The DEIS describes and presents the environmental effects of three
alternatives, including the alternative of taking no action.
At the hearing, PVWMA staff will make a brief presentation to
describe the proposed project, its purpose and need, alternatives, and
scenarios for construction and operation. The public may comment on
environmental issues addressed in the DEIS. If necessary, due to large
attendance, comments may be limited to five minutes per speaker.
Written comments will also be accepted.
Reclamation's practice is to make comments, including names and
home addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual
respondents may request that we withhold their home address from public
disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There
may be other circumstances in which we would withhold a respondent's
identity from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish us to
withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at
the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.
Dated: July 25, 2003.
Kirk C. Rodgers,
Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 03-24261 Filed 9-24-03; 8:45 am]