Here’s the release from the Bureau of Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
The Bureau of Reclamation is accepting public comment on a draft Environmental Assessment that analyzes site specific effects of proposed contracts for water out of Ruedi Reservoir as well as an administrative amendment of existing contracts.
Written comments will be accepted until close of business, Mon., July 1. To obtain a copy of the Draft EA, please visit: http://www.usbr.gov/gp/nepa/sopa.html#ecao.
Ruedi Reservoir is part of the federal Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. The reservoir helps compensate Colorado’s West Slope for project diversions made further upstream in the Fryingpan River Basin and also provides storage for West Slope use. Reclamation began marketing Ruedi water to the West Slope in 1982. In 2012, Reclamation received requests from 17 West Slope entities for the remaining 19,585.5 acre-feet of available contract water in the marketable pool.
Reclamation is preparing an Environmental Assessment in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act on site specific effects of the proposed 17 West Slope contracts along with the administrative action of amending 31 existing Ruedi Round I and II contracts to remove the expiration date and confirm their status as perpetual repayment contracts. Comments received will help Reclamation identify issues relevant to the proposed contracts and elements of the environment that could be affected.
Please send written comments via regular mail, fax or e-mail to:
Bureau of Reclamation
Attn: Lucy Maldonado
11056 W. County Rd 18E
Loveland, CO 80537
Fax: 970-663-3212
lmaldonado@usbr.gov
More Fryingpan-Arkansas Project coverage here.