REDDING, Calif. – The Bureau of Reclamation has released the Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (EA/FONSI) to use Trinity Reservoir-stored water to supplement flows in the Lower Klamath River to help protect returning adult salmon from a disease outbreak and mortality during late-summer 2012.

Projections of a near record-breaking run of adult fall Chinook salmon to the Klamath River Basin have prompted requests to supplement flows to the Lower Klamath River between August 15 and September 21. Reclamation estimates up to 92,000 acre-feet of water could be used to supplement flows in the Lower Klamath River. Of this total, approximately 48,000 acre-feet could be used as a precautionary increase in flows to the Lower Klamath River, and up to 44,000 acre-feet could be used if an emergency situation were to occur. Any use of the emergency water would be informed by real-time environmental and biological monitoring by federal, state and tribal biologists.

The EA/FONSI were prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and are available at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=10230. If you encounter problems accessing the documents online, please call 916-978-5100 or email mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.

Please email comments by close of business Friday, July 27, 2012, to Don Reck at dreck@usbr.gov. Comments may also be mailed to Mr. Reck at Bureau of Reclamation, Northern California Area Office, 16349 Shasta Dam Blvd., Shasta Lake, CA 96019, or faxed to 530-276-2005.

For additional information or to request a copy of the Draft EA/FONSI, please contact Mr. Reck at 530-275-1554. The Draft EA/FONSI may also be viewed at Reclamation's Northern California Area Office at the above address.