The Bureau of Reclamation and the Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board (COMB) have released the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the South Coast Conduit/Upper Reach Reliability Project which involves construction of a second water supply pipeline between the South Portal of the Tecolote Tunnel and the Corona Del Mar Water Treatment Plant in Santa Barbara County, California. Adding a second pipeline will increase operational flexibility, reliability, and conveyance capacity as well as provide COMB the ability to perform regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance to one pipeline while the second pipeline is operational.

Reclamation will make a decision on the proposed action after at least 30 days following release of the Final EIS/EIR. After the 30-day waiting period, Reclamation will complete a Record of Decision, stating the action that will be implemented and discussing all factors leading to that decision.

The Final EIS/EIR were prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and are available online at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=3368. If you encounter problems accessing the documents online, please call 916-978-5100 or e-mail mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov. The Final EIS/EIR include responses to all comments received during the comment period which ended on October 3, 2008.

For additional information or to request a CD or printed copy of the Final EIS/EIR, please contact Rain Healer, Bureau of Reclamation, 1243 N Street, Fresno, CA 93721, rhealer@usbr.gov, 559-487-5196, TTY 800-735-2922, or Kate Rees, General Manager, COMB, at 805-687-4011 or krees@cachuma-board.org. Copies of the documents may also be viewed at Reclamation's Fresno office at the above address.