[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1217-1218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-367]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Central Valley Project Improvement Act, Criteria for Evaluating
Water Management Plans
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: To meet the requirements of the Central Valley Project
Improvement Act (CVPIA) and the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982, the
Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) developed and published the
Criteria for Evaluating Water Conservation Plans, dated April 30, 1993.
In September 1996, Reclamation revised the document and renamed it the
Criteria for Evaluating Water Management Plans (Criteria). These
Criteria were developed based on information provided during public
scoping and public review sessions held throughout Reclamation's Mid-
Pacific (MP) Region. Reclamation uses these Criteria to evaluate the
adequacy of all water management plans developed by Central Valley
Project contractors. The Criteria were developed and the plans
evaluated for the purpose of promoting the most efficient water use
reasonably achievable by all MP Region contractors. Reclamation made a
commitment (stated within the Criteria) to publish a notice of its
draft determination of the adequacy of each contractor's water
management plan in the Federal Register to allow the public a minimum
of 30 days to comment on its preliminary determinations.
DATES: All public comments must be received by February 8, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Please mail comments to Lucille Billingsley, Bureau of
Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-410, Sacramento CA 95825.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
To be placed on a mailing list for any subsequent information, please
contact Lucille Billingsley at the address above, or by telephone at
(916) 978-5215 (TDD 978 5608).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under provision of section 3405(e) of the
CVPIA (Title 34 Pub. L. 102-575), ``The Secretary (of the Interior)
shall establish and administer an office on Central Valley Project
water conservation best management practices that shall * * * develop
criteria for evaluating the adequacy of all water conservation plans
developed by project contractors, including those plans required by
section 210 of the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982.'' Also, according to
Section 3405(e)(1), these criteria will be developed ``* * * with the
purpose of promoting the highest level of water use efficiency
reasonably achievable by project contractors using best available cost-
effective technology and best management practices.''
The Criteria states that all parties (districts) that contract with
Reclamation for water supplies (municipal and industrial contracts over
2,000 irrigable acre-feet and agricultural contracts over 2,000
irrigable acres) will prepare water management plans which will be
evaluated by Reclamation based on the following required information
detailed in the steps listed below to develop, implement, monitor, and
update their water management plans. The steps are:
1. Describe the district.
2. Inventory water resources available to the District.
3. Best Management Practices (BMP's) for Agricultural Contractors.
4. BMP's for Urban Contractors.
5. Exemption Process.
Sacramento County Water Agency has developed a water management
plan which Reclamation has evaluated and preliminarily determined to
meet the requirements of the Criteria.
Public comment on Reclamation's preliminary (i.e., draft)
determinations is invited at this time. A copy of the plan will be
available for review at Reclamation's MP Regional Office
[[Page 1218]]
located in Sacramento, California, and MP's South-Central California
Area Office located in Fresno, California. If you wish to review a copy
of the plan, please contact Ms. Billingsley to find the office nearest
you.
Dated: December 31, 1998.
Robert F. Stackhouse,
Regional Resources Manager, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 99-367 Filed 1-7-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-M
