[Federal Register: March 30, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 61)]
[Notices]
[Page 15159-15161]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30mr07-101]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[DES 07-09]
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meetings for the
Planning Report and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 (as amended) and the general authority to conduct water resources
planning under the Reclamation Act of 1902 and all acts amendatory
thereof and supplementary thereto, the Bureau of Reclamation
(Reclamation) has prepared a Planning Report and Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (PR/DEIS). This document was undertaken to provide a
discussion for the (1) various ways to provide a municipal and
industrial (M&I) water supply to the Navajo Nation; City of Gallup, New
Mexico; and Jicarilla Apache Nation; (2) identification of a preferred
alternative; and (3) associated environmental impacts and costs of such
an endeavor, should it be undertaken.
The PR/DEIS presents alternatives for providing an anticipated year
2040 M&I water supply for the project area. Alternatives considered
include diverting and distributing water from the San Juan River using
various configurations, water conservation using existing groundwater
supplies, and no action.
DATES: A 90-day public review period commences with the publication of
this notice. Comments on the PR/DEIS should be submitted no later than
June 28, 2007, to Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of Reclamation, Western
Colorado Area Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 300, Durango,
Colorado 81301. Comments may also be submitted electronically at
navgal@uc.usbr.gov.
Reclamation will conduct five public meetings to obtain public
input on the PR/DEIS. All of the meetings will take place from 6 p.m.
to 9 p.m. The public meetings schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, May 22, 2007--University of New Mexico, Calvin Hall
Room 248, 200 College Drive, Gallup, New Mexico
Wednesday, May 23, 2007--Crownpoint Chapter House, Building
CO23-001, East Crownpoint Road, Crownpoint, New Mexico
Thursday, May 24, 2007--St. Michaels Chapter House, St
Michaels, Arizona
Tuesday, June 5, 2007--Shiprock Chapter House, Highway 61,
Shiprock, New Mexico
Wednesday, June 6, 2007--San Juan College, IT Building, Room
7103, 5001 College Blvd., Farmington, New Mexico
[[Page 15160]]
ADDRESSES: Copies of the PR/DEIS are available for public inspection
and review at the following locations:
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library, 501 Copper Avenue, NW.,
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Aztec Public Library, 319 South Ash, Aztec, New Mexico
Bloomfield City Library, 333 South First Street, Bloomfield,
New Mexico
Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park, Cortez, Colorado
Din[eacute] College Library, 1228 Yucca Street, Shiprock, New
Mexico
Durango Public Library, 1188 E. 2nd Avenue, Durango, Colorado
Farmington Public Library, 2101 Farmington Avenue, Farmington,
New Mexico
Fort Lewis College Library, 1000 Rim Drive, Durango, Colorado
Navajo Nation Library, Window Rock, Arizona
New Mexico State Library, 1209 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe,
New Mexico
New Mexico State University Library, Las Cruces, New Mexico
San Juan College Library, 4601 College Boulevard, Farmington,
New Mexico
University of Colorado Libraries, Government Publications,
1720 Pleasant Street, Boulder, Colorado
Zimmerman Library, Government Information Department,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The PR/DEIS is also available electronically at the following
internet location: http://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/navajo/nav-gallup/index.html.
Alternatively, a hard copy or CD-ROM version is available
upon written request to Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of Reclamation, Western
Colorado Area Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 300, Durango,
Colorado 81301.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of Reclamation,
Western Colorado Area Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 300,
Durango, Colorado 81301; telephone 970-385-6500; facsimile 970-385-
6539; e-mail: navgal@uc.usbr.gov. If special assistance is required
regarding accommodations for attendance at any of the public meetings,
please contact Mr. Leach no less than 5 working days prior to the
applicable meeting(s).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed project is to provide a long-
term supply, treatment, and transmission of M&I water to the Navajo
Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the City of Gallup, New
Mexico. A sustainable water supply is needed for the area to support
current and future populations. The proposed project would be designed
to serve a future population of approximately 250,000 people by the
year 2040. The existing groundwater supplies are dwindling and have
limited capacity and poor quality. More than 40 percent of Navajo
households rely on water hauling to meet daily water needs. The City of
Gallup's groundwater levels have dropped approximately 200 feet over
the past 10 years and the supply is not expected to meet current water
demands within the decade. The Jicarilla Apache people are currently
not able to live and work outside the Town of Dulce, New Mexico, on the
reservation because of a lack of water supply.
The cost analysis contained in this PR/DEIS is based on an
appraisal level of analysis. As part of Reclamation's efforts to attain
greater transparency and accountability with regards to its engineering
analyses, the cost estimate is being repriced. This means that instead
of updating the 2005 cost estimates using engineering cost indices, the
components of the project will be individually repriced in order to
gain greater confidence in the estimate. Once the repricing is
completed, which we anticipate to occur during the 90-day public
comment period, Reclamation will update the PR/DEIS through an addendum
or potentially the use of errata sheets.
Reclamation historically supports projects for construction after a
feasibility report is completed which includes a feasibility level cost
estimate. This appraisal level cost estimate does not meet that
requirement. Additional analysis, detail, and updating of the appraisal
level cost estimate presented in this draft report are needed before
project construction authorization can be supported. Failure to
complete this additional effort may result in reliance on a cost
estimate for the project which is not sufficient to characterize the
expected project cost. The appraisal level design must be upgraded to
feasibility level before Reclamation would begin construction. The cost
of, and time for completing this additional work, would be substantial.
Reclamation has developed this PR/DEIS pursuant to Public Law 92-
199 and the general authority to conduct water resources planning under
the Reclamation Act of 1902 and all acts amendatory thereof and
supplementary thereto. This document was undertaken to provide a
discussion for the (1) various ways to provide an M&I water supply to
the Navajo Nation; City of Gallup, New Mexico; and Jicarilla Apache
Nation; (2) identification of a preferred alternative; and (3)
associated environmental impacts and costs of such an endeavor, should
it be undertaken. Reclamation, however, does not have the current
substantive or budgetary authorization that is required to construct,
operate, and maintain any proposed facilities discussed in this PR/
DEIS, and it will take an act of Congress to provide such authority. In
addition, Reclamation takes no position on whether such a project
should be authorized. The indication of a preferred alternative is
solely to meet the requirements of NEPA and is not an indication that a
particular alternative should be pursued since, as noted earlier, there
is no project authorization that would allow Reclamation to commence
this project.
Finally, we are aware that the Navajo Nation and the State of New
Mexico have reached an agreement concerning the settlement of the
Navajo's water rights in the San Juan River Basin in New Mexico and
that a part of the settlement is the construction, operation, and
maintenance of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. We wish to be
clear that neither Reclamation, the Department of the Interior, or the
Administration have taken a position on the Navajo-San Juan Settlement
executed between the Navajo Nation and the State of New Mexico and that
nothing herein is any indication of any position regarding the overall
settlement.
Public Disclosure
It is our practice to make comments, including names, home
addresses, home telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents,
available for public review. Individual respondents may request that we
withhold their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to
consider withholding this information you must state this prominently
at the beginning of your comments. In addition, you must present a
rationale for withholding this information. This rationale must
demonstrate that disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of privacy. Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden.
In the absence of exceptional, documentable circumstances, this
information will be released. We will always make submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
[[Page 15161]]
Dated: March 22, 2007.
Rick L. Gold,
Regional Director--Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region.
[FR Doc. E7-5776 Filed 3-29-07; 8:45 am]
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