EXECUTION OF TWO WARREN ACT CONTRACTS TO WESTLANDS WATER DISTRICT AND WESTLANDS WATER DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION DISTRICT 1 TO FACILITATE A NON-CVP WATER TRANSFER FROM PLACER COUNTY WATER AGENCY CENTRAL VALLEY PROJECT, CALIFORNIA MID PACIFIC REGION SOUTH-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AREA OFFICE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT #EA-08-91 U.S. Department of the Interior October 2008 Bureau of Reclamation Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction.....................................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Statement of Purpose and Need ..............................................................................1-2 1.2 Purpose of this Environmental Assessment............................................................1-3 1.3 Warren Act Contract...............................................................................................1-3 1.4 Project Agencies and Related Facilities..................................................................1-3 1.4.1 Placer County Water Agency ....................................................................1-3 1.4.2 Westlands Water District and Westlands Water District Distribution District No. 1 .........................................................................1-5 1.4.3 Central Valley Project................................................................................1-5 2.0 Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives........................................................2-1 2.1 No Action Alternative.............................................................................................2-1 2.2 Proposed Action Alternative...................................................................................2-1 2.2.1 Project Operations.....................................................................................2-2 2.2.2 Action Area................................................................................................2-3 2.3 Summer 2009 Action Alternative ...........................................................................2-4 2.3.1 Project Operations.....................................................................................2-4 2.3.2 Action Area................................................................................................2-5 3.0 Affected Environment ....................................................................................................3-1 3.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................3-1 3.2 Water Supply, Hydrology, and Flows.....................................................................3-1 3.2.1 Environmental Setting...............................................................................3-1 3.2.2 Regulatory Setting...................................................................................3-10 3.3 Surface Water Quality...........................................................................................3-12 3.3.1 Environmental Setting.............................................................................3-12 3.3.2 Regulatory Setting...................................................................................3-15 3.4 Hydropower ..........................................................................................................3-15 3.4.1 Regulatory Setting...................................................................................3-16 3.4.2 CVP Hydropower System........................................................................3-16 3.4.3 Middle Fork Project.................................................................................3-18 3.5 Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ..........................................................................3-19 3.5.1 Overview of Fish Species in the Lower American River, Sacramento River, and Delta.......................................................................................3-19 3.5.2 Environmental Setting.............................................................................3-21 3.5.3 Regulatory Setting...................................................................................3-35 3.6 Terrestrial and Riparian Resources.......................................................................3-38 3.6.1 Environmental Setting.............................................................................3-38 3.6.2 Species Occurrence within the Action Area............................................3-41 3.6.3 Regulatory Setting...................................................................................3-46 3.7 Recreation .............................................................................................................3-47 3.7.1 Environmental Setting.............................................................................3-47 3.7.2 Regulatory Setting...................................................................................3-52 Environmental Assessment Page i October 2008 WWD and WWDD1 Warren Act Contracts Table of Contents 3.8 Cultural Resources................................................................................................3-53 3.8.1 Environmental Setting.............................................................................3-53 3.8.2 Regulatory Setting...................................................................................3-56 3.9 Indian Trust Assets................................................................................................3-56 3.10 Environmental Justice...........................................................................................3-57 3.10.1 Environmental Setting.............................................................................3-57 3.10.2 Regulatory Setting...................................................................................3-57 3.11 Socioeconomics ....................................................................................................3-58 3.12 Land Use...............................................................................................................3-58 4.0 Environmental Consequences........................................................................................4-1 4.1 Approach for Impacts Analysis...............................................................................4-1 4.2 Flow Schedules.......................................................................................................4-2 4.2.1 Proposed Action.........................................................................................4-2 4.2.2 Summer 2009 Action Alternative..............................................................4-4 4.3 Water Supply and Hydrology .................................................................................4-5 4.3.1 Proposed Action.........................................................................................4-6 4.3.2 Summer 2009 Action Alternative..............................................................4-8 4.4 Surface Water Quality...........................................................................................4-10 4.4.1 Proposed Action.......................................................................................4-10 4.4.2 Summer 2009 Action Alternative............................................................4-12 4.5 HydroPower ..........................................................................................................4-13 4.5.1 Proposed Action.......................................................................................4-13 4.5.2 Summer 2009 Action Alternative............................................................4-15 4.6 Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ..........................................................................4-16 4.6.1 Reservoirs ................................................................................................4-16 4.6.2 Rivers.......................................................................................................4-18 4.6.3 Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta................................................................4-19 4.6.4 Proposed Action.......................................................................................4-22 4.6.5 Summer 2009 Action Alternative............................................................4-33 4.7 Terrestrial and Riparian Resources.......................................................................4-40 4.7.1 Proposed Action.......................................................................................4-40 4.7.2 Summer 2009 Action Alternative............................................................4-42 4.8 Recreation .............................................................................................................4-42 4.8.1 Proposed Action.......................................................................................4-42 4.8.2 Summer 2009 Action Alternative............................................................4-44 4.9 Cultural Resources................................................................................................4-45 4.9.1 Proposed Action.......................................................................................4-45 4.9.2 Summer 2009 Action Alternative............................................................4-45 4.10 Indian Trust Assets................................................................................................4-45 4.10.1 Proposed Action.......................................................................................4-45