PDF INITIAL STUDY AND PROPOSED NEGATIVE DECLARATION

Notice of Intent to Adopt Initial Study and Proposed Negative Declaration

Environmental Determination: Environmental Determination: The Grassland Water District (GWD or District) has evaluated the proposed Project in conformance with the California Environmental Quality Act to determine whether the Project poses any potentially significant impacts on the environment. As described below, GWD has determined that the Project will have no significant effect on the environment; accordingly the District proposes to adopt a Proposed Negative Declaration. The Initial Study and Proposed Negative Declaration are available electronically by email, a hard copy can be mailed upon request or viewed on the Grassland Water District website http://gwdwater.org/grassland-water-district-incremental-level-4-groundwater-project-renewal.

The District will accept written comments from the public beginning on Monday, December 21, 2020, and ending at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, January 11, 2021.

Project Title: Grassland Water District Incremental Level 4 Groundwater Project Renewal

Project Location and Description: Merced County

The Grassland Water District Incremental Level 4 Groundwater Project Renewal (Project) will allow the Grassland Water District, located in western Merced County, to acquire up to 29,000 acre-feet per year of local groundwater supplies and/or exchange a portion of its Level 2 surface water for such groundwater supplies, to assist the Bureau of Reclamation in meeting its water supply obligations under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, Title 34, Public Law 102-575 (“CVPIA”). Under CVPIA Section 3406(d), the Secretary of the Interior must provide firm water supplies of suitable quality to maintain and improve wetland habitat areas in the Central Valley of California. The Grassland Water District supplies water to the Grassland Resource Conservation District (GRCD), one of the wetland areas in the San Joaquin Valley that is a recipient of CVPIA water supplies.

The Project allows for the continued implementation of water acquisition and exchange agreements between the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the Grassland Water District or its partner districts, and it allows for water acquisition agreements between the Grassland Water District and private landowners for the acquisition of groundwater supplies for use within the GRCD.

Project Sponsor: Grassland Water District

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments during the public comment period to Ric Ortega, Grassland Water District, P.O. Box 2118 · 200 W. Willmott Avenue, Los Banos, CA 93635, or rortega@gwdwater.org.

Public Hearing: A virtual public hearing will be held at the Grassland Water District office at 3:00 pm on January 11, 2021. To access the meeting agenda and virtual participation options, please visit http://gwdwater.org/board-meeting-notices/

Dated: December 21, 2020