Quarterly Status Report of Water Service, Repayment, and Other Water-Related Contract Actions

AGENCY:

Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of contract actions.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given of contractual actions that have been proposed to the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and are new, discontinued, or completed since the last publication of this notice. This notice is one of a variety of means used to inform the public about proposed contractual actions for capital recovery and management of project resources and facilities consistent with section 9(f) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939. Additional announcements of individual contract actions may be published in the Federal Register and in newspapers of general circulation in the areas determined by Reclamation to be affected by the proposed action.

ADDRESSES:

The identity of the approving officer and other information pertaining to a specific contract proposal may be obtained by calling or writing the appropriate regional office at the address and telephone number given for each region in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michelle Kelly, Reclamation Law Administration Division, Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 25007, Denver, Colorado 80225-0007; mkelly@usbr.gov; telephone 303-445-2888.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Consistent with section 9(f) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, and the rules and regulations published in 52 FR 11954, April 13, 1987 (43 CFR 426.22), Reclamation will publish notice of proposed or amendatory contract actions for any contract for the delivery of project water for authorized uses in newspapers of general circulation in the affected area at least 60 days prior to contract execution. Announcements may be in the form of news releases, legal notices, official letters, memorandums, or other forms of written material. Meetings, workshops, and/or hearings may also be used, as appropriate, to provide local publicity. The public participation procedures do not apply to proposed contracts for the sale of surplus or interim irrigation water for a term of 1 year or less. Either of the contracting parties may invite the public to observe contract proceedings. All public participation procedures will be coordinated with those involved in complying with the National Environmental Policy Act. Pursuant to the “Final Revised Public Participation Procedures” for water resource-related contract negotiations, published in 47 FR 7763, February 22, 1982, a tabulation is provided of all proposed contractual actions in each of the five Reclamation regions. When contract negotiations are completed, and prior to execution, each proposed contract form must be approved by the Secretary of the Interior, or pursuant to delegated or redelegated authority, the Commissioner of Reclamation or one of the regional directors. In some instances, congressional review and approval of a report, water rate, or other terms and conditions of the contract may be involved.

Public participation in and receipt of comments on contract proposals will be facilitated by adherence to the following procedures:

1. Only persons authorized to act on behalf of the contracting entities may negotiate the terms and conditions of a specific contract proposal.

2. Advance notice of meetings or hearings will be furnished to those parties that have made a timely written request for such notice to the appropriate regional or project office of Reclamation.

3. Written correspondence regarding proposed contracts may be made available to the general public pursuant to the terms and procedures of the Freedom of Information Act, as amended.

4. Written comments on a proposed contract or contract action must be submitted to the appropriate regional officials at the locations and within the time limits set forth in the advance public notices.

5. All written comments received and testimony presented at any public hearings will be reviewed and summarized by the appropriate regional office for use by the contract approving authority.

6. Copies of specific proposed contracts may be obtained from the appropriate regional director or his or her designated public contact as they become available for review and comment.

7. In the event modifications are made in the form of a proposed contract, the appropriate regional director shall determine whether republication of the notice and/or extension of the comment period is necessary.

Factors considered in making such a determination shall include, but are not limited to, (i) the significance of the modification, and (ii) the degree of public interest which has been expressed over the course of the negotiations. At a minimum, the regional director will furnish revised contracts to all parties who requested the contract in response to the initial public notice.

Definitions of Abbreviations Used in the Reports

ARRA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

BCP Boulder Canyon Project

Reclamation Bureau of Reclamation

CAP Central Arizona Project

CUP Central Utah Project

CVP Central Valley Project

CRSP Colorado River Storage Project

XM Extraordinary maintenance

EXM Emergency Extraordinary Maintenance

FR Federal Register

IDD Irrigation and Drainage District

ID Irrigation District

M&I Municipal and Industrial

O&M Operation and Maintenance

OM&R Operation, Maintenance, and Replacement

P-SMBP Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program

RRA Reclamation Reform Act of 1982

SOD Safety of Dams

SRPA Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956

USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

WD Water District

MISSOURI BASIN—INTERIOR REGION 5: Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 36900, Federal Building, 2021 4th Avenue North, Billings, Montana 59101, telephone 406-247-7752.

Completed contract actions:

26. XTO Energy, Inc.; Ruedi Reservoir, Fryingpan-Arkansas Project; Colorado: Consideration to amend Ruedi Round I contract No. 2-07-70-W055 for additional places of use, including the Piceance Creek Basin. Contract executed March 25, 2021.

35. Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy District, Norman Project, Oklahoma: Consideration for renewal of water service contract No. 169E640075. Contract executed June 23, 2021.

37. Christine and Andrew Armstrong, Shoshone Project, Wyoming: Consideration for renewal of water service contract No. 19E6A0227B. Contract executed June 23, 2021.

UPPER COLORADO BASIN—INTERIOR REGION 7: Bureau of Reclamation, 125 South State Street, Room 8100, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1102, telephone 801-524-3864.

New contract actions:

28. Moon Lake Water Users Association, Moon Lake Project, Utah: The Association is interested in installing a small hydro-electric generator at Moon Lake Reservoir. This will require contract actions with the United States.

29. Uintah Water Conservancy District; Jensen Unit, CUP; Utah: The District has requested to initiate the process to construct the Burns Bench Pumping Plant, as part of the CUP—Jensen Unit.

LOWER COLORADO BASIN—INTERIOR REGION 8: Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 61470 (Nevada Highway and Park Street), Boulder City, Nevada 89006-1470, telephone 702-293-8192.

New contract action:

19. Central Arizona Water Conservation District and Seventeen Entities, CAP, Arizona: Execute Non-Indian Agricultural (NIA) subcontracts consistent with a January16, 2014, recommendation from the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Completed contract actions:

13. Brooke Water LLC and EPCOR Water Arizona Inc., BCP, Arizona: Enter into an assignment of Brooke's Colorado River water delivery contract to EPCOR, and a new contract with EPCOR that will supersede and replace its existing Colorado River water delivery contract. Contract executed June 16, 2021.

14. San Carlos Apache Tribe and the Town of Gilbert, CAP, Arizona: Execute a CAP water lease for the San Carlos Apache Tribe to lease 11,446 acre-feet of its CAP water to the Town of Gilbert during calendar year 2021. Lease executed May 18, 2021.

15. San Carlos Apache Tribe and Pascua Yaqui Tribe, CAP, Arizona: Execute a CAP water lease for the San Carlos Apache Tribe to lease 1,720 acre-feet of its CAP water to Pascua Yaqui Tribe during calendar year 2021. Lease executed May 18, 2021.

16. San Carlos Apache Tribe and Freeport Minerals Corporation, CAP, Arizona: Execute a CAP water lease for the San Carlos Apache Tribe to lease 11,500 acre-feet of its CAP water to Freeport Minerals Corporation during calendar year 2021. Lease executed May 19, 2021.

COLUMBIA—PACIFIC NORTHWEST—INTERIOR REGION 9: Bureau of Reclamation, 1150 North Curtis Road, Suite 100, Boise, Idaho 83706-1234, telephone 208-378-5344.

New contract actions:

20. Idaho Board of Water Resources, Boise Project, Idaho: Reclamation intends to negotiate an agreement with the Idaho Board of Water Resources to cost share construction of the raise of Anderson Ranch Dam, under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (Pub. L. 114-332, Sec. 4007).

CALIFORNIA—GREAT BASIN—INTERIOR REGION 10: Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, California 95825-1898, telephone 916-978-5250.

Modified contract actions:

15. City of Santa Barbara, Cachuma Project, California: Execution of a long-term Warren Act contract with the City for conveyance of non-project water in Cachuma Project facilities.

25. California Department of Fish and Game, CVP, California: To extend the term of and amend the existing water service contract for the Department's San Joaquin Fish Hatchery to allow an increase from 35 to 55 cubic feet per second of continuous flow to pass through the Hatchery prior to it returning to the San Joaquin River.

36. State of California, Department of Water Resources, CVP, California: Negotiation of multi-year, long-term (through December 31, 2035, consistent with the approval by State of California—State Water Resources Control Board of the change in place of use) wheeling agreements with the State of California, Department of Water Resources providing for the conveyance and delivery of CVP water through the State of California's water project facilities to Byron-Bethany ID (Musco Family Olive Company), Del Puerto WD (Oak Flat WD), and the Department of Veteran Affairs, San Joaquin Valley National Veterans Cemetery.

Discontinued contract action:

12. Placer County Water Agency, CVP, California: Proposed exchange agreement under section 14 of the 1939 Act to exchange up to 71,000 acre-feet annually of the Agency's American River Middle Fork Project water for use by Reclamation, for a like amount of CVP water from the Sacramento River for use by the Agency.

Completed contract action:

32. State of Nevada, Newlands Project, Nevada: Title transfer of lands and features of Carson Lake and Pasture. Title transfer completed March 31, 2021.