Walker River Draft Environmental Impact Statement – The Review Continues (Post 2)
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
In the continuing process of reviewing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the “Walker River Basin Acquisition Program” I am going through the documents and pointing out information which may be used in public comments. Those wishing to obtain their own copy of the DEIS can visit this link on the Bureau of Reclamation’s Website http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=2810.
You are encouraged to offer your input, thoughts and reactions and also prepare and submit your own comments. The comment period ends on Monday, Sept. 14th and you should send the comments to:
Caryn Huntt DeCarlo, Walker EIS Project Lead
Bureau of Reclamation
705 N. Plaza St. Room 320
Carson City, NV 89701
Review and Comments:
Mitigation Measures Should Be Provided: Even though the Bureau of Reclamation is not planning to complete the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process with a completed Record of Decision, there is still reason for ideas to be forwarded that which mitigation measures to respond to adverse impacts. Even though it’s not required the University of Nevada System of Higher Education should be held to standards of offsetting and dealing with the negative impacts their purchases will create.
The DEIS reports that the University has stated that they intend to make acquisitions that would result in no more than a 33 percent reduction in the irrigated acreage within the three geographic areas (Mason Valley, Smith Valley and the East Walker). If they are only considering their actions in the context of the $56 million that they have available for this phase of the Acquisition Program, it is doubtful that they will get anywhere near enough water to put 50,000 acre feet of water in Walker Lake or reduce irrigated acreage by 33 percent.
Instead of setting an arbitrary cap of a percentage of agricultural lands to be dried up the far more appropriate direction to take would come in the form of an assurance that the purchases would not erode the ability of the irrigation system to operate in a sustainable fashion. Mitigation efforts of this nature should include that whoever purchases water will be financially responsible for the system maintenance and all other charges that everyone else who owns water rights is required to pay.
For land that might be acquired in the process, the University (or whoever else might be the front for the purchase) should also be held responsible for weed control, dust control and any tax payments that any other similar landowner would be required to pay.
A program of groundwater monitoring should be established with safeguards to prevent surface water removal from causing falling ground water levels. Following an adaptive management approach, predetermined levels of negative impacts should be met with reductions and possible outright discontinuance of water acquisition.
What additional mitigation actions do you think should be included? Please share by posting your comments in the section of this blog offering that opportunity.
You should also remember that public comments will be received by the Bureau of Reclamation until September 14, 2009 and also during a series of public meetings to be held the week of August 17 – 20:
In the continuing process of reviewing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the “Walker River Basin Acquisition Program” I am going through the documents and pointing out information which may be used in public comments. Those wishing to obtain their own copy of the DEIS can visit this link on the Bureau of Reclamation’s Website http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=2810.
You are encouraged to offer your input, thoughts and reactions and also prepare and submit your own comments. The comment period ends on Monday, Sept. 14th and you should send the comments to:
Caryn Huntt DeCarlo, Walker EIS Project Lead
Bureau of Reclamation
705 N. Plaza St. Room 320
Carson City, NV 89701
Review and Comments:
Mitigation Measures Should Be Provided: Even though the Bureau of Reclamation is not planning to complete the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process with a completed Record of Decision, there is still reason for ideas to be forwarded that which mitigation measures to respond to adverse impacts. Even though it’s not required the University of Nevada System of Higher Education should be held to standards of offsetting and dealing with the negative impacts their purchases will create.
The DEIS reports that the University has stated that they intend to make acquisitions that would result in no more than a 33 percent reduction in the irrigated acreage within the three geographic areas (Mason Valley, Smith Valley and the East Walker). If they are only considering their actions in the context of the $56 million that they have available for this phase of the Acquisition Program, it is doubtful that they will get anywhere near enough water to put 50,000 acre feet of water in Walker Lake or reduce irrigated acreage by 33 percent.
Instead of setting an arbitrary cap of a percentage of agricultural lands to be dried up the far more appropriate direction to take would come in the form of an assurance that the purchases would not erode the ability of the irrigation system to operate in a sustainable fashion. Mitigation efforts of this nature should include that whoever purchases water will be financially responsible for the system maintenance and all other charges that everyone else who owns water rights is required to pay.
For land that might be acquired in the process, the University (or whoever else might be the front for the purchase) should also be held responsible for weed control, dust control and any tax payments that any other similar landowner would be required to pay.
A program of groundwater monitoring should be established with safeguards to prevent surface water removal from causing falling ground water levels. Following an adaptive management approach, predetermined levels of negative impacts should be met with reductions and possible outright discontinuance of water acquisition.
What additional mitigation actions do you think should be included? Please share by posting your comments in the section of this blog offering that opportunity.
You should also remember that public comments will be received by the Bureau of Reclamation until September 14, 2009 and also during a series of public meetings to be held the week of August 17 – 20:
- Monday, August 17 (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) Reno – Rancho San Rafael County Park, Main Ranch House, 1595 N. Sierra ST.
- Tuesday, August 18 (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) Yerington – Casino West Convention Center, 11 North Main St.
- Wednesday, August 19 (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) Wellington – Smith Valley Community Center, 2783 Highway 208
- Thursday, August 20, (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) Hawthorne – Mineral County Public Library, First & “A” Street
Posted by Doug Busselman at 7/29/2009 8:29 AM 
Categories: Walker River DEIS
Tags: Walker River Acquistion Nevada University of Nevada
Categories: Walker River DEIS
Tags: Walker River Acquistion Nevada University of Nevada
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