Supplemental Information Report All-American Canal Lining Project Prepared by: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation January 12, 2006 Executive Summary The lining of the All-American Canal (AAC) has been considered for decades, and in 1988 Public Law 100-675 authorized the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to construct a parallel lined canal or to otherwise recover the seepage from the canal using construction funds from California water agencies entitled to the use of Colorado River water. In April of 1994, Reclamation completed a Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the AAC Lining Project (AAC Final EIS/EIR) that analyzed various alternatives to implement Public Law 100-675. The Record of Decision (ROD) for the Project was signed on July 29, 1994, and selected construction of a 23-mile parallel canal as the means to conserve approximately 67,700 acre-feet of seepage from the AAC. For a variety of reasons, non-Federal funding for implementation of the Project was unavailable, and agreements on funding sources and the allocation of water conserved by the Project remained unresolved for a number of years after execution of the ROD. As a result of an intensive effort to require California to limit its use of Colorado River water in a normal year to its legal apportionment (and limit its historic overuse of Colorado River water), a series of agreements were signed in 2002 and 2003. Funding for the AAC Lining Project was authorized by the California Legislature in September 2003. Final designs for the AAC Lining Project were initiated in 2004 and largely completed in early January 2006. Construction is currently scheduled to begin in mid-2006. In light of the authorization of final funding for the Project and the intent of the California water agencies to move forward with construction, and the availability of final design specifications from the construction entity (Imperial Irrigation District), this report presents a thorough reexamination and analysis of the AAC Final EIS/EIR to ascertain whether (1) the AAC Final EIS/EIR and ROD continue to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and (2) a supplemental EIS/EIR is needed. This report presents an examination of new information relevant to the Project, together with a review of the information and environmental impacts described in the AAC Final EIS/EIR. For areas where new information was found, the information was reviewed to determine its significance and whether it would warrant the preparation of a supplemental NEPA analysis. This report also considers information relevant to consultation under the Endangered Species Act. As described in this document, overall, no substantial project changes or significant new circumstances or information relevant to any of the environmental resource areas addressed in the AAC Final EIS/EIR and bearing on the Project or its impacts have occurred since completion of the document in 1994. New information is available for most of the resource areas. However, in all cases, this new information is not significant because it is consistent with the information in the AAC Final EIS/EIR, and no new or more severe impacts would occur. Based on this review, Reclamation concludes that no significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the Project or its impacts have occurred since completion of the AAC Final EIS/EIR in 1994, and therefore a supplemental EIS/EIR is not required. ES-1 Contents 1. Introduction and Background........................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................... 1-1 2. Guidance and Summary Results of Reexamination and Analysis ............................ 2-1 2.1 Guidance for Reexamination and Analysis ..................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Guidance for NEPA Evaluation........................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Guidance for Endangered Species Act Evaluation ........................... 2-1 2.2 Approach to Transboundary Effects Analysis in the AAC Final EIS/EIR and this Reexamination.................................................................. 2-2 2.2.1 Overview of the Transboundary Effects Analysis in the AAC Final EIS/EIR .......................................................................... 2-2 2.2.2 Approach to Transboundary Effects in this Reexamination ........... 2-3 2.3 Summary Result of the Reexamination and Conclusions.............................. 2-4 3. Reexamination and Analysis............................................................................................. 3-1 3.1 Chapter I: Purpose and Need ............................................................................ 3-1 3.1.1 Information in the AAC Final EIS/EIR .............................................. 3-1 3.1.2 New Information ................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.3 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 3-3 3.2 Chapter II: Alternatives ...................................................................................... 3-4 3.2.1 Range of Alternatives............................................................................ 3-4 3.2.2 Changes to Proposed Action................................................................ 3-5 3.2.3 Permits and Agreements ...................................................................... 3-7 3.3 Chapter III: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences...... 3-8 3.3.1 Groundwater.......................................................................................... 3-8 3.3.2 Surface Water ......................................................................................... 3-9 3.3.3 Water Quality....................................................................................... 3-11 3.3.4 Air Quality............................................................................................ 3-12 3.3.5 Wetlands ............................................................................................... 3-16 3.3.6 Terrestrial Habitat ............................................................................... 3-17 3.3.7 Special Status Species.......................................................................... 3-19 3.3.8 Large Mammal Escape........................................................................ 3-26 3.3.9 Canal Fishery........................................................................................ 3-27 3.3.10 Cultural Resources .............................................................................. 3-28 3.3.11 Recreation ............................................................................................. 3-29 3.3.12 Land Ownership and Use................................................................... 3-30 3.3.13 Sand and Gravel Supplies .................................................................. 3-31 3.3.14 Transportation...................................................................................... 3-32 3.3.15 Hydroelectric Power ........................................................................... 3-32 3.3.16 Project Operating Energy Requirements.......................................... 3-33 3.3.17 Public Safety ......................................................................................... 3-33 3.3.18 Employment and Income During Construction.............................. 3-34 3.3.19 Local Community Structure............................................................... 3-35 i AAC LINING PROJECT SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS 3.3.20 Immigration From Mexico ................................................................. 3-35 3.3.21 Growth Inducement and Land Use Planning.................................. 3-37 3.3.22 Indian Trust Assets.............................................................................. 3-38 3.4 Chapter IV: Cumulative Impacts..................................................................... 3-39 3.4.1 Information in the AAC Final EIS/EIR ............................................ 3-39 3.4.2 New Information ................................................................................. 3-39 3.4.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 3-41 3.5 Chapter V: Short-term Use of Man’s Environment Versus Maintenance of Long-term Productivity........................................................................... 3-41 3.5.1 Information in the AAC Final EIS/EIR ............................................ 3-41 3.5.2 New Information ................................................................................. 3-41 3.5.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 3-42 3.6 Chapter VI: Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources...... 3-42 3.6.1 Information in the AAC Final EIS/EIR ............................................ 3-42 3.6.2 New Information ................................................................................. 3-43 3.6.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 3-43 3.7 Chapter VII: Environmental Commitments .................................................. 3-44 3.7.1 Information in the AAC Final EIS/EIR ...........................................