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Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation, Shasta and Tehama Counties, CA
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: October 7, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 194)]
[Notices]
[Page 58744-58746]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07oc05-123]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation, Shasta and Tehama Counties, CA
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) and notice of public scoping meetings.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the
Bureau of Reclamation proposes to prepare an EIS for the Shasta Lake
Water Resources Investigation (SLWRI). Authorization for the
investigation comes from Pub. L. 96-375, 1980; which directs the
Secretary of the Interior to engage in feasibility studies related to
enlarging Shasta Dam and Reservoir. Other directing legislation
includes Title 34 of Pub. L. 102-575, the Central Valley Project
Improvement Act and Pub. L. 108-137, the Energy and Water Development
Act. In addition, enlargement of Shasta Dam was identified in the
CALFED Programmatic Environmental Impact Report/Statement and Record of
Decision (ROD) and in Pub. L. 108-361, the CALFED Bay-Delta authority.
DATES: A series of public scoping meetings will be held to solicit
public input on the scope of the environmental document, alternatives,
concerns, and
[[Page 58745]]
issues to be addressed in the EIS. The meeting dates are as follows:
? October 24, 2005, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sacramento, CA.
? October 24, 2005, 6 to 9 p.m., Concord, CA.
? October 26, 2005, 1 to 4 p.m., Los Angeles, CA.
? November 1, 2005, 6 to 9 p.m., Fresno, CA.
? November 2, 2005, 6 to 9 p.m., Dunsmuir, CA.
? November 3, 2005, 6 to 9 p.m., Red Bluff, CA.
Submit written comments on or before December 6, 2005 to the
address provided below.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting locations are:
? Federal Building, 2800 Cottage Way, Rooms C-1001 and C-
1002, Sacramento, CA.
? Heald Conference Center, 5130 Commercial Circle, Concord, CA.
? Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 700
North Alameda Street Room 1-102, Los Angeles, CA.
? Piccadilly Inn, 2305 West Shaw Avenue, in Fresno, CA.
? Dunsmuir Community Building, 4835 Dunsmuir Avenue in Dunsmuir, CA.
? Red Bluff Community Center, Auditorium, 1500 South Jackson.
Written comments on the scope of the environmental document should
be sent to: Ms. Sammie Cervantes, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage
Way, MP-700, Sacramento CA 95825.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Donna Garcia, Reclamation Project
Manager, at the above address, at 916-978-5009, TDD 916-978-5608, or
via fax at 916-978-5094 or e-mail at dgarcia@mp.usbr.gov. If special
assistance is required, please contact Ms. Cervantes at 916-978-5189,
TDD 916-978-5608, or via e-mail at scervantes@mp.usbr.gov no less than
5 working days prior to the meetings. Further information on the
investigation, including interim results, can be found on the SLWRI Web
site at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/slwri 
or through the above
contact persons.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Constructed from 1938 to 1945, Shasta Dam
serves multiple purposes including flood control, irrigation and
municipal and industrial water supplies, and hydropower generation. In
addition, Shasta Lake significantly contributes to the regional economy
through extensive recreational activities.
Initial feasibility studies in partial response to Pub. L. 96-375
culminated in a 1988 Wrap-Up Report which concluded that enlarging
Shasta Dam and Reservoir could significantly increase water supply
reliability, if and when water demands warranted the required
financing. The current feasibility scope study primarily involving
enlargement of Shasta Dam and Reservoir was reinitiated in 2000.
Raising Shasta Dam is one of five surface water storage projects
identified in the August 2000 CALFED ROD which includes North of Delta
Off-Stream Storage, In-Delta Storage, Los Vaqueros Enlargement, and
Upper San Joaquin River Basin Storage Investigation. These surface
water storage projects are being developed further in separate
feasibility studies.
The primary study area for the SLWRI is Shasta Dam and Reservoir;
tributary rivers and streams, including the upper reaches of the
Sacramento River, McCloud River, Pit River, and Squaw Creek; and the
Sacramento River downstream from Shasta Dam to about the Red Bluff
Diversion Dam. Because of the potential influence of a Shasta Dam
modification on natural resources along the Sacramento River and on
programs and projects in the Central Valley, the extended study area
includes other major tributaries to the Sacramento River, the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, San Joaquin River basin, and service
areas of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP).
Planning studies to date have focused on identifying water
resources problems and needs in the primary study area, developing a
set of planning objectives to help guide the remainder of the
feasibility study, and formulating several initial alternatives. These
three important elements of the study are summarized below.
Problems and Needs
Major water and related resources problems and needs identified in
the primary study area include:
? Anadromous Fish Restoration: The population of Chinook
salmon has declined in the Central Valley. To address this salmon
decline in the Sacramento River, various actions have been taken,
ranging from establishing minimum flow requirements in the river to
making structural changes at Shasta Dam. However, a need still exists
for additional actions to benefit anadromous fish, especially in dry
and critically dry water years.
? Water Supply Reliability: Demand for water in California
exceeds available supplies. As the population of the Central Valley
grows, the need to maintain a healthy and vibrant industrial and
agricultural economy will increase while the demand for an adequate
water supply becomes more acute.
? Other Resource Needs: Other identified problems and needs
include the need for environmental restoration in the Shasta Lake area
and downstream along the Sacramento River; the need for additional
flood control along the upper Sacramento River; and growing demands for
new energy sources in California and outdoor recreation in the primary
study area.
Planning Objectives
The Problems and Needs in the study area were translated into
Primary and Secondary Planning Objectives.
? Primary Planning Objectives: Alternatives will be
formulated to address the primary objectives. The primary objectives
for the SLWRI are: (1) Increase the restoration of anadromous fish
populations in the Sacramento River primarily upstream from the Red
Bluff Diversion Dam and (2) increase water supplies and water supply
reliability for agricultural, municipal and industrial, and
environmental purposes to help meet future water demands, with a focus
on enlarging Shasta Dam and Reservoir.
? Secondary Planning Objectives: Through pursuit of the
primary planning objectives, the following secondary objectives will be
met to the extent possible: (1) Preserve and restore ecosystem
resources in the Shasta Lake area and along the upper Sacramento River,
(2) reduce flood damages along the Sacramento River; (3) develop
additional hydropower capabilities at Shasta Dam, and (4) preserve
outdoor recreation opportunities at Shasta Lake.
Initial Alternatives
From the Planning Objectives and a resulting planning constraints
and criteria, a number of water resources management measures were
identified. The most effective of measures were used to formulate a set
of concept plans from which five initial alternatives were developed.
Specific measures and combinations of measures in these initial
alternatives will likely change in future studies and some may be
combined with others or dropped from further consideration. In
addition, other measures and combination of measures may emerge and
warrant development into alternatives during the scoping process. These
five initial alternatives are summarized below.
? No-Action (No Federal Action): Under the No-Action
Alternative, the Federal Government would take no action toward
implementing a specific plan to help increase anadromous fish survival
opportunities in the upper
[[Page 58746]]
Sacramento River nor help address the growing water reliability issues
in the Central Valley of California through the assistance of Shasta
Dam and Reservoir.
? Increase Water Supply Reliability with Shasta Enlargement:
The primary purpose of this initial alternative is to be consistent
with the goals of the CALFED ROD, which focus on increasing CVP and SWP
water supply reliability while contributing to increased anadromous
fish survival. It includes raising Shasta Dam between 6.5 to 18.5 feet,
which would increase storage space in Shasta Reservoir by 290,000 acre-
feet and 640,000 acre-feet, respectively. The increased pool depth and
volume also could contribute to incidental benefits for flood control,
hydropower, and outdoor recreation.
? Increase Water Supply Reliability with Shasta Enlargement
and Conjunctive Water Management: The primary purpose of this initial
alternative is to increase CVP and SWP water supply reliability through
a combination of enlargement of Shasta Dam and Reservoir and
conjunctive water management, consistent with the goals of the CALFED
ROD. This plan is similar to the above initial alternative and includes
raising Shasta Dam up to about 18.5 feet. It also includes implementing
a conjunctive water management component consisting primarily of
contract agreements between Reclamation and Sacramento River basin
water users.
? Increase Anadromous Fish Habitat and Water Supply
Reliability with Shasta Enlargement: The primary purpose of this
initial alternative is to address both primary objectives with a focus
on increasing anadromous fish habitat and enlarging Shasta Reservoir up
to about 18.5 feet. In addition to increasing the cold water pool in
Shasta Lake, this alternative includes restoring inactive gravel mines
along the Sacramento River to help benefit anadromous fish.
? Multipurpose with Shasta Enlargement: This initial
alternative also consists of raising Shasta Dam up to about 18.5 feet.
In addition, to address the primary objectives, it includes conjunctive
water management and restoring inactive gravel mines and floodplain
habitat along the upper Sacramento River. Features that address the
secondary objectives include constructing warm water fish habitat in
the Shasta Lake area, restoring one or more riparian habitat areas
between Redding and Red Bluff on the Sacramento River, and possibly re-
operating Shasta Dam for increased flood control.
These and other possible alternatives will be considered and
developed through comments received during the scoping process. During
scoping, Reclamation will be seeking input about possible methods for
evaluating water management that will meet the identified water
resources problems and needs consistent with the planning objectives.
Written comments, including names and home addresses of
respondents, will be made available for public review. Individual
respondents may request that their home address be withheld from public
disclosure, which will be honored to the extent allowable by law. There
may be circumstances in which respondents' identity may also be
withheld from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish to
have your name and/or address withheld, you must state this prominently
at the beginning of your comment. All submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.
Dated: August 26, 2005.
Michael Nepstad,
Deputy Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 05-20169 Filed 10-6-05; 8:45 am]
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