Post on 20-Mar-2018
transcript
appendix A
Notice of Preparation (NOP) and ResponsesNotice of Preparation (NOP) and Responses
PCWA-069
PCWA-069
City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR ii Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation
NOTICE OF PREPARATIONTABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Page
1.0 Sacramento Area Water Plan Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Sacramento Area Water Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 Water Forum Planning Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.0 Project Description: Sacramento Area Water Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.1 Objective of the Water Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.2 Location of the Water Plan Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.3 Components of the Water Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.4 Potential Water Supply and Conveyance Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122.5 Related Water Resource Planning Efforts in the Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.0 Probable Environmental Effects and Other Information in the EIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.1 Program EIR Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163.2 Probable Environmental Effects Addressed in Detail in the EI7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183.3 Other Information to be Provided in the EIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Exhibits Page
1 Location of Plan Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Study Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
PCWA-069
City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR 11 Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation
PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND PROBABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE
SACRAMENTO AREA WATER PLAN
This Notice of Preparation (NOP) is intended to provide sufficient information to Responsible and Trustee
Agencies, other affected agencies, interested parties, and the public to enable them to make a meaningful
response regarding the scope of issues which should be addressed in the Draft EIR, consistent with State CEQA
Guidelines 15082(a)(1). It contains background information about the process leading up to the proposed
project, a project description and location description, and the identification of probable environmental effects
of the project.
1.0 SACRAMENTO AREA WATER PLAN BACKGROUND
1.1 SACRAMENTO AREA WATER FORUM
The Sacramento Area Water Forum (Water Forum), a diverse group of water agencies, business groups,
environmentalists, citizen groups, and local governments, has been working together since the fall of 1993
evaluating future water resource needs and supplies of the Sacramento metropolitan area. This evaluation
concluded with the finding that, despite the region's location at the confluence of the Sacramento and American
Rivers, the region has water supply and lower American River issues that need to be resolved now. The Water
Forum is now in the early stages of formulating a plan for the effective management of the region's water
resources. The CCOMWP, by agreement, is acting as staff to the Water Forum.
Background of Water Resources Planning in the Region
For the last 20 years, the City of Sacramento, County of Sacramento, and water districts and purveyors in the
County have engaged in discussions to plan, allocate, and manage the region's surface and groundwater for
municipal, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Several extensive studies of water resources management in
Sacramento County have been conducted during that time.
During the same period conflicts arose related to the need to balance consumptive water uses with protection
of instream flows of the American River, particularly for fisheries. This conflict was epitomized by the
lawsuit, Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. et al. v. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), a case
which required 18 years to resolve from 1972 to 1990. EBMUD entered into a 1970 contract with the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation for the delivery of 150,000 acre-feet of American River water diverted from the Folsom
South Canal. Environmental groups filed the complaint, and Sacramento County later joined in the lawsuit,
based on the argument that the contracted diversion would not adequately protect the fishery and recreation
PCWA-069
City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR 22 Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation
values of the lower American River. The ultimate judgement in the case constituted an attempt to achieve a
consumption/resource protection balance by establishing instream flow requirements for the lower American
River, called "Hodge Flows" after the presiding judge, which must be met as a condition of EBMUD's diversion
of the contracted water. Although the decision is specifically linked to EBMUD and the river, the protection
of instream values of the lower American River has become a paramount concern for any new diversions.
The history of water management decisions in Sacramento County has proven that the task of formulating a
water plan is a technically and politically complex endeavor involving many diverse and competing interests.
Consequently, the City and County created the CCOMWP in 1991 to pursue a joint planning effort. Then, in
1993 to break what has been characterized as decision gridlock, business, environmental, public, local
government, and water interests formed the Sacramento Area Water Forum to implement a collaborative
process leading to a united approach to meeting the diverse water needs of the region.
Mission of the Water Forum
The participants in the Water Forum mutually agreed on the mission of the group. The Sacramento Area
Water Forum's goal is to formulate and adopt an area-wide plan that will provide a safe, reliable, and
environmentally sound water supply to meet the needs of the Sacramento area community. The mission has
been translated into a set of 65 Draft Agreements-in-Principle, dated April 1995, which represent the initial
framework for developing solutions. The draft agreements address surface water, groundwater, water demand
projections, and demand management/conservation.
Stakeholder Participants, Other Interested Water Agencies, and CEQA Responsible Agencies
The Sacramento Area Water Forum consists of the stakeholders who have been historically discussing and
debating water management issues in Sacramento County. Stakeholders represent business, environmental,
public, and water interests. The stakeholders will be asked to ultimately approve the Water Plan; therefore,
the public agencies among the stakeholders will need to comply with CEQA. The Lead Agencies (City of
Sacramento and County of Sacramento through the CCOMWP have responsibility for preparing the EIR; the
other public agencies will be Responsible Agencies, as defined in 21069 of CEQA and 15096 and 15381
of the State CEQA Guidelines. The Responsible Agencies, defined as all agencies other than the Lead Agency
that have discretionary approval over the project, comply with CEQA by considering the Lead Agency's EIR
in their decision-making process. Also, the Water Forum has consulted with other interested water agencies
outside of Sacramento County regarding potential recommendations in the Water Plan which may relate to their
PCWA-069
City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR 33 Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation
water resources or facilities. To the extent that these other interested water agencies have approval authority
related to the Water Plan, they could also potentially be Responsible Agencies.
The Water Forum stakeholders and other interested water agencies are listed below. Public agencies that are
or may be Responsible Agencies under CEQA are noted with an asterisk (*).
City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR 44 Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation
Galt Irrigation District *Natomas Mutual Water CompanyNorthridge Water District *Omochumne-Hartnell Water District *Orange Vale Water CompanyRancho Murieta County Service District *Rio Linda Water District *Sacramento