The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and City of Yuba City (City) have released a joint Draft Environmental Assessment Initial Study (EA/IS) and Finding of No Significant Impact/Mitigated Negative Declaration (FONSI/MND) for the Yuba City Feather River Fish Screen Project. The Draft EA/IS and FONSI/MND are available for a 30-day public review and comment period.

The project involves providing cost share funding to the City for replacing its existing unscreened intake structure on the Feather River with a new screened intake structure facility that meets the California Department of Fish and Game and National Marine Fisheries Service anadromous fish screen criteria. The project also meets the California Water Quality Control Board conditions for approval to expand the City's Water Treatment Plant.

Reclamation would fund a portion of this project through Section 3406(b)(21) of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act which authorizes the Department of the Interior to develop and implement measures to avoid losses of juvenile anadromous fish resulting from unscreened diversions on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and their tributaries; the Feather River is tributary to the Sacramento River.

The Draft EA/IS and FONSI/MND were developed to meet requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (Reclamation) and the California Environmental Quality Act (City). They are available online at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=4552. If you encounter problems accessing documents online, please call 916-978-5100, or email ibr2mprpao@usbr.gov.

Written comments on the Draft EA and FONSI are due by close of business on Friday, December 4, 2009, and should be mailed to Ms. Shelly Hatleberg, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-410, Sacramento, CA 95825, e-mailed to shatleberg@usbr.gov, or faxed to 916-978-5290.

To request a copy of the documents or for additional information, please contact Ms. Hatleberg at 916-978-5050 (TDD 916-978-5608).