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FINAL Supplemental
EIS/EIR
Acquisition of
Additional Water for Meeting the San Joaquin River
Agreement Flow Objectives, 2000 – 2010
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Index
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and
the San Joaquin River Group Authority (SJRGA) are
jointly preparing this Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/EIR)
to provide for the acquisition of up to 47,000 acre-feet
of "supplemental" water if needed by Reclamation
from the SJRGA and its members. The supplemental
water is to provide full Vernalis Adaptive Management
Plan (VAMP) test flow conditions at Vernalis during
"double-step years" for Water Years 2001
through 2010.
ES.1 BACKGROUND
This document is a SEIS/EIR covering minor additions
to the project addressed 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).
The Final EIS/EIR documents the environmental consequences
of acquiring and using flows specified in the San
Joaquin River Agreement (SJRA). The SJRA flow objectives
were approved and confirmed in the State Water Resources
Control Board’s Water Right Decision 1641 (State
Board 1999) revised March 15, 2000, in accordance
with Order WR-2000-02. The SJRA contains three flow
components:
- It obligates the SJRGA and its members to provide
the amount of water needed to achieve the April
- May Target Flow for VAMP or 110,000 acre-feet,
whatever is less. Additional water, in excess
of the 110,000 acre-feet, may be purchased from
willing sellers, if available, to meet the target
flow for VAMP.
- The SJRA provides for Merced Irrigation District
to sell 12,500 acre-feet above the existing flow
for release to the Merced River during October
of all years as an attraction flow for fall-run
Chinook salmon.
- The SJRA also provides for Oakdale Irrigation
District (OID) to sell 15,000 acre-feet in every
year of the SJRA plus the difference between the
water made available by OID for VAMP pulse flow
(11,000 acre-feet) and the amount actually used.
The additional water from OID could be used for
ramping either during the spring or October pulse
flows or used at other times to supplement spawning
flows. The final decision for the use of this
water for fish and wildlife purposes would be
made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)
annually, following consultation with other federal
and state agencies.
The Final EIS/EIR did not specifically address
the environmental impacts associated with acquiring
the additional "supplemental" water for
the Spring Pulse Flow above the 110,000 acre-feet
to be provided by SJRGA members. As noted in the
Final EIS/EIR (p. 2-5): "If achieving the double-step
requires more than the 110,000 acre-feet of supplemental
water, additional water from willing sellers on
the San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced
rivers (appr |
