FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REFUGE WATER SUPPLY LONG-TERM WATER SUPPLY AGREEMENTS TULARE LAKE BASIN JANUARY 2001 U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION AND U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Contents Section Page 1.0 Purpose and Need ...............................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................1-1 1.2 History of Refuge Water Supply Planning..........................................................1-1 1.3 Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action........................................................1-4 1.4 Public Scoping .........................................................................................................1-5 2. Background ............................................................................................................................2-1 2.1 Kern National Wildlife Refuge..............................................................................2-2 2.2 Pixley National Wildlife Refuge............................................................................2-4 3. Summary of Previous Environmental Documentation..................................................3-1 3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................3-1 3.2 Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement...............................................3-1 3.3 Conveyance of Refuge Water Supply for South San Joaquin Study Area ....3-24 3.4 Management of Wildlife Areas ...........................................................................3-27 4. Description of Alternatives.................................................................................................4-1 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................4-1 4.2 Water Service Agreement ......................................................................................4-1 4.3 On-Refuge Management ........................................................................................4-4 4.4 Alternative Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail.......................................4-11 5. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences...........................................5-1 5.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................5-1 5.2 Biological Resources ...............................................................................................5-2 5.3 Water Quality ........................................................................................................5-13 5.4 Agricultural Land Use..........................................................................................5-15 5.5 Recreation...............................................................................................................5-18 5.6 Regional Economics..............................................................................................5-19 5.7 Social Conditions...................................................................................................5-22 5.8 Cultural Resources................................................................................................5-24 5.9 Visual Resources ...................................................................................................5-27 5.10 Power ....................................................................................................................5-28 6. Consultation and Coordination..........................................................................................6-1 6.1 Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act .....................................................................6-1 6.2 Endangered Species Act.........................................................................................6-1 6.3 Cultural Resources Coordination .........................................................................6-2 SAC\155333\JAN 2001/010190001 (TULARE CONTENTS.DOC) III CONTENTS 6.4 Indian Trust Assets................................................................................................. 6-2 6.5 Environmental Justice ............................................................................................ 6-2 6.6 Farmlands Policy .................................................................................................... 6-3 Attachments Environmental Commitments References List of Preparers Appendix Terms and Conditions of Biological Opinion Tables 1-1 Annual Level 2 and Level 4 Refuge Water Supplies for Tulare Lake Basin Refuges ...................................................................................................................................... 1-5 3-1 Refuge Water Supply and Delivery Assumptions in the PEIS No Action Alternative................................................................................................................................ 3-5 3-2 Refuge Water Supply and Delivery Assumptions in the PEIS for Level 2 and Level 4 Water Supplies in Alternatives 2, 3, and 4...................................................... 3-9 3-3 Refuge Water Supply and Delivery Assumptions in the PEIS for Level 2 Water Supplies in Alternative 1........................................................................................... 3-10 3-4 Summary of CVPIA PEIS Analysis ..................................................................................... 3-11 4-1 Quantities of Water to Be Provided to the Kern and Pixley NWRs under the No Action Alternative............................................................................................................. 4-1 4-2 Summary of the Proposed Water Service Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ......................................................................................... 4-3 4-3 Acres of Habitat Expected on Kern and Pixley NWRs under the No Action Alternative and Proposed Action.......................................................................................... 4-7 4-4 Special-Status Species for which the Service will Implement Conservation and Take Avoidance Measures under the Proposed Action ........................................... 4-11 5-1 Special-Status Species Known to Occur or Potentially Occurring on Kern and Pixley NWRs........................................................................................................... 5-5 Figure 2-1 Tulare Lake Basin Refuges ......................................................................................................2-1 IV SAC\155333\JAN 2001/010190001 (TULARE CONTENTS.DOC) Section 1: Purpose and Need SECTION 1 Purpose and Need 1.1 Introduction The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to enter into long-term water supply agreements with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) pursuant to Sections 3406(d)(1) and 3406(d)(2) of Title 34 of Public Law 102-575, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA). These sections of the CVPIA require the provision of firm water supplies to specified National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), State Wildlife Areas (WAs), and private wetlands in the Grassland Resource Conservation District (RCD) (collectively referred to as “refuges”). Providing firm water supplies under this project would allow for optimum habitat management on the existing refuge lands. Reclamation is the federal Lead Agency for the preparation of this Environmental Assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).1 The proposed federal action is for the execution of the following water service agreement: • A Memorandum of Understanding between Reclamation and the Service for delivery of water to the Kern and Pixley NWRs. Reclamation is also undertaking concurrent actions to enter into long-term water supply agreements per the CVPIA for refuges in the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River basins of the Central Valley. Separate environmental documents are being prepared for these two study areas. 1.2 History of Refuge Water Supply Planning 1.2.1 The Pacific Flyway and Central Valley Wetlands The Central Valley lies at the southerly end of the Pacific Flyway migratory route. In pre- settlement times, it provided ideal wintering habitat and attracted large numbers of waterfowl. The Pacific Flyway is the westernmost of North America’s four flyways, or migration routes, which are defined as definite geographic regions with breeding grounds in the north, wintering grounds in the south, and a system of migration routes in between. The Pacific Flyway encompasses territory in three countries: northern and western Canada, Alaska and all states west of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S., and western Mexico. The Service ranks Central Valley wetland habitat as one of the top five habitats in the U.S. Historically, the Central Valley contained approximately 4 million acres of wetlands. Approximately 1.5 million acres located in the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta and the Tulare Basin were permanent marshes, while the remaining 2.5 million acres were seasonal wetlands created by winter rains and spring snow melt from the Sierra Nevada. Today, approximately 300,000 acres remain; 100,000 acres are publicly owned (federal and state 1 This EA determines that the project would not cause a substantial change in the human environment and thus does not