The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has submitted notice to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt the FEIS for the Leavitt Reservoir Expansion Project (LREP).
Shell Valley Watershed Improvement District submitted a request for funds through Reclamation’s WaterSMART Drought Response Program. Adoption of the FEIS followed by the issuance of a Final Record of Decision will allow Reclamation to provide up to $1,500,000 to support this project.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a FEIS for the LREP in April 2019 to enlarge the water storage capacity of Leavitt Reservoir located north of Shell, in Bighorn County, Wyoming. The expanded Leavitt Reservoir would primarily be used to supply irrigated lands in the Beaver Creek and Shell Creek drainages with supplemental late season irrigation supply. Reclamation did not participate on the development of the Final EIS.
The EIS will be part of EPA’s Notice of Availability (NOA) and published in the Friday, March 18, 2022 Federal Register with a review period through April 18, 2022. This availability period will satisfy National Environmental Policy Act re-circulation requirements.
The Final EIS is available here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/61751/510
Original source can be found here.
