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FINAL Supplemental
EIS/EIR
Acquisition of
Additional Water for Meeting the San Joaquin River
Agreement Flow Objectives, 2000 – 2010
2. ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING
PROPOSED ACTION
Index
This chapter describes two alternatives, a No Action
and a Proposed Action, and incorporates by reference
the range of alternatives that were evaluated as
potential options to the Proposed Action in the
Meeting Flow Objectives
for the San Joaquin River Agreement, 1999-2010,
Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental
Impact Report (Final EIS/EIR, Reclamation 1999).
No Action represents existing flow conditions based
on existing hydrology and operations within the
Bay-Delta watershed with implementation of the San
Joaquin River Agreement (SJRA). The Proposed Project/Action
is the acquisition of up to 47,000 acre-feet of
"supplemental" water if needed by the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) from the
San Joaquin River Group Authority (SJRGA) and its
members (specifically Modesto Irrigation District
[MID], Turlock Irrigation District [TID], and Merced
Irrigation District [Merced ID]) to provide full
Vernalis Adaptive Management Plan (VAMP) test flow
conditions at Vernalis in April and May during "double-step
years" for Water Years 2001 through 2010. This
water would supplement, under Paragraph 8 of the
SJRA, the water provided by the SJRA, which has
previously been analyzed in the Final EIS/EIR (Reclamation
1999). The water is needed to support the VAMP during
the pulse flow period and to assist Reclamation
in meeting the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program,
Bay-Delta flow objectives as required by State Water
Resources Control Board Water Right Decision 1641
(State Board 1999), and the Delta Smelt Biological
Opinion (Service 1995a).
2.1 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE
The No Action Alternative represents the existing
condition of up to 110,000 acre-feet for the VAMP
Target Flow and assumes implementation of the SJRA.
It includes three components of flow:
- Up to 110,000 acre-feet per year towards meeting
the VAMP Target Flow. Water provided under this
component will be divided among the SJRGA members
pursuant to the SJRGA Division Agreement. This
water is to be used only during the VAMP 31-day
test flow period.
- Additional water from Merced (12,500 acre-feet)
during October. This flow will be provided above
the "existing flow" in the Merced River
during October.
- Additional water (15,000 acre-feet) from Oakdale
Irrigation District (OID) to be available to Reclamation.
In additio
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