B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project Environmental Impact Report/ Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement FINAL Estimated Lead Agency Total Costs Associated with Developing and Producing this EIR/SEIS is $1,659,000 December 2020 B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project Final Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Final Estimated Lead Agency Total Costs Associated with Developing and Producing this EIR/SEIS is $1,659,000 December 2020 Mission Statements The mission of the Department of the Interior is to conserve and manage the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people, provide scientific and other information about natural resources and natural hazards to address societal challenges and create opportunities for the American people, and honor the Nation’s trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help them prosper. The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. The mission of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority is to operate the Delta-Mendota Canal and related facilities reliably and cost- effectively, and to support member agencies in restoring and protecting adequate, affordable water supplies for agricultural, municipal and industrial, and environmental uses. B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project Final Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Lead Agencies: San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (SLDMWA) and the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) Cooperating Agencies and Responsible Agencies: California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) The project is located in the following counties in California: Contra Costa, Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and Ventura Counties State Clearing House Number: 2009091004 ABSTRACT Reclamation and the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority have made available the B.F. Sisk Dam and Reservoir Expansion Project Final Environmental Impact Report/ Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/SEIS). The Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact Report/ Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIR/SEIS) was posted in the Federal Register (Vol. 85, No. 158) on Friday August 14, 2020. The Draft EIR/SEIS evaluates increasing storage capacity in San Luis Reservoir to provide greater water supply reliability for South-of-Delta Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) water contractors. The Draft EIR/SEIS was developed as a subsequent EIR to the B.F. Sisk SOD Modification Project EIS/EIR (SCH number-2009-091004) pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21166 and California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15162. Increased capacity within San Luis Reservoir would only be used to help meet existing demands and would not serve any new demands in the South-of-Delta CVP and SWP service areas. In addition to the No Project/No Action Alternative, this EIR/SEIS evaluates a (1) a Non-Structural Alternative under which operational modifications in San Luis Reservoir would be used to provide operation flexibility; and (2) a Dam Raise Alternative under which B.F. Sisk Dam would be raised an additional 10 feet above the 12-foot embankment raise under development by the B.F. Sisk Dam Safety of Dam Modification Project. In accordance with the requirements of National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act, Reclamation and San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority have collaboratively selected the Dam Raise Alternative as the preferred alternative/proposed project for implementation. Under the Dam Raise Alternative there are three operational subalternatives. The preferred operational subalternative is not specified in this Final EIR/SEIS. Selection of an operational subalternative requires additional refinement and information on project beneficiaries and will be identified in the Record of Decision. This Final EIR/SEIS has been prepared according to requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act. This Final EIR/SEIS contains all comments on the Draft EIR/SEIS, the responses to those comments, and revisions to the Draft EIR/SEIS text based on the issues raised by comments, or corrections. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Casandra Arthur Pablo Arroyave Bureau of Reclamation San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority Willows Construction Office 842 6th Street 1140 W. Wood Street Los Banos, CA 93635 Willows, CA, 95988. Phone: 209-833-1034 Phone: (530) 892-6202 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Contents Page Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1-1 Overview of the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project ......... 2-1 2.1 Project Background and History .................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Project Purpose and Need/Project Objectives ............................................................................ 2-2 2.3 Alternative Formulation .................................................................................................................. 2-4 2.4 Project Alternatives .......................................................................................................................... 2-5 2.5 Environmentally Superior Alternative/Environmentally Preferable Alternative ................. 2-15 2.6 Proposed Project/Preferred Alternative ..................................................................................... 2-15 2.7 Impact Summary ............................................................................................................................. 2-15 Commenters, Comments, and Responses ......................................................... 3-1 3.1 Master Responses ............................................................................................................................. 3-1 3.2 Federal, State, and Local Agencies ................................................................................................. 3-3 3.3 Individuals ........................................................................................................................................ 3-57 Errata Sheets ...................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.2 Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................................ 4-6 4.3 Chapter 2 ............................................................................................................................................ 4-8 4.4 Chapter 3 .......................................................................................................................................... 4-12 4.5 Chapter 4 .......................................................................................................................................... 4-14 4.6 Chapter 5 .......................................................................................................................................... 4-19 4.7 Chapter 6 .......................................................................................................................................... 4-20 References .......................................................................................................... 5-1 i FINAL – December 2020 B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project Final Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Tables Table 2-1. Significance Effect Analysis Summary ........................................................................... 2-16 Table 3-1. List of Commenters ............................................................................................................ 3-1 Figures Figure 2-1. San Luis Reservoir and Associated Facilities ................................................................. 2-1 Figure 2-2. Dam Raise Facilities, Construction, and Staging Areas ............................................... 2-8 Figure 2-3. State Route 152 and Dinosaur Point Facilities and Construction Areas ................... 2-9 Figure 3-1. Modeled Changes in Oroville Storage in 1970 ............................................................ 3-46 Figure 3-2. Modeled SWP Deliveries for the No Action Alternative and CVP Storage Subalternative ............................................................................................................................. 3-48 Appendices Appendix A Comment Letters Appendix B EIR/SEIS Appendix Errata Sheets Appendix C Mitigation, Monitoring, and Reporting Plan Appendix D Distribution List ii FINAL – December 2020 Introduction The Notice of Availability for the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement