The Bureau of Reclamation and the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority (TCCA) are re-circulating the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Fish Passage Improvement Project at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam for public review and comment. The document is being re-circulated for any additional comments since its original public availability from August 14 through October 29, 2002, given the length of lapsed time and the recent selection of Alternative 2B as Reclamation's Preferred Alternative. The public comments sent in 2002 are available, although no responses have yet been completed. The Final EIS/EIR will be prepared after the end of the new comment period. The Final EIS/EIR will provide responses to comments received during the 2002 public review as well as any new/additional comments.

The project goals are to: (1) substantially improve the long-term reliability level of anadromous fish passage, both upstream and downstream, past the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, and (2) substantially improve the long-term ability to reliably and cost-effectively move sufficient water into the Tehama-Colusa Canal and the Corning Canal systems to meet the needs of the water districts served by the TCCA.

The Executive Summary, Draft EIS/EIR, technical appendices, and comments are available online at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=237. If you encounter problems accessing documents online, please contact Ms. Lynnette Wirth at 916-978-5102 or e-mail lwirth@mp.usbr.gov.

Written comments will be accepted until the date identified in Reclamation's upcoming Federal Register notice. Please mail written comments on the Draft EIS/EIR to Mr. David Bird, General Manager, Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, P.O. Box 1025, Willows, CA 95988. Comments may also be submitted electronically by e-mailing the project team at dbird@tccanal.com.

For copies of the Draft EIS/EIR, please call Mr. Bird at 530-934-2125. For further information, please contact Mr. Bird or Mr. Paul Freeman, Reclamation, at 530-529-3890 or pfreeman@mp.usbr.gov.