On Tuesday, April 3, the first of three Bureau of Reclamation public hearings will be held in Henderson, NV, to allow the public to comment on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on proposed interim guidelines for managing shortages in the lower Colorado River Basin and coordinating the operation of Lakes Powell and Mead, particularly under drought and low reservoir conditions.

The hearing will be in the Henderson Convention Center, Sierra Room, 200 South Water St.

Additional hearings will be held in Phoenix, AZ, on Wednesday, April 4, in the Buckhorn Room of the Phoenix Airport Marriott, 1101 North 44th St., and in Salt Lake City, UT, on Thursday, April 5, in the Canyon Room A&B of the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, 255 South West Temple.

All hearings will be conducted from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Draft EIS guidelines were released by Reclamation on February 28 and comments are encouraged through the close of the public comment period on April 30, 2007.

The document is available on the Internet at http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/programs/strategies/draftEIS/index.html.