SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation has released the Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program’s (SJRRP) 10-year plan to sell and exchange Unreleased Restoration Flows.
The Unreleased Restoration Flows (or URFs) are generated when SJRRP Restoration Flows cannot be released due to channel capacity constraints or to allow for construction of channel capacity, habitat and fish passage improvements necessary to implement the SJRRP. Per the settlement in Natural Resources Defense Council, et al. v. Kirk Rodgers, et al., URFs will be used to best achieve the SJRRP’s Restoration Goal, to include selling or exchanging the water, with priority given to Friant Division long-term contractors.
Since its inception, the SJRRP has been actively addressing downstream constraints that limit Restoration Flows. The quantity of URFs in future years is expected to decline as channel capacity constraints are improved.
The SJRRP is a comprehensive long-term effort to restore San Joaquin River flows from Friant Dam to its confluence with the Merced River, and restore a self-sustaining Chinook salmon population, while reducing or avoiding adverse water supply impacts from its Restoration Flows. More information is available at www.restoresjr.net.
The Final EA and FONSI were prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and is available at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=24235. If you encounter problems accessing the documents, please call 916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or email mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov. For additional information, please contact Reclamation’s Chad Moore at 916-978-5467 or cmoore@usbr.gov.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
