appendix A

Notice of Preparation (NOP) and ResponsesNotice of Preparation (NOP) and Responses

PCWA-069

PCWA-069

City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR ii Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation

NOTICE OF PREPARATIONTABLE OF CONTENTS

Section Page

1.0 Sacramento Area Water Plan Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 Sacramento Area Water Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 Water Forum Planning Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.0 Project Description: Sacramento Area Water Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.1 Objective of the Water Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.2 Location of the Water Plan Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.3 Components of the Water Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.4 Potential Water Supply and Conveyance Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122.5 Related Water Resource Planning Efforts in the Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

3.0 Probable Environmental Effects and Other Information in the EIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

3.1 Program EIR Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163.2 Probable Environmental Effects Addressed in Detail in the EI7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183.3 Other Information to be Provided in the EIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Exhibits Page

1 Location of Plan Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Study Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

PCWA-069

City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR 11 Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND PROBABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE

SACRAMENTO AREA WATER PLAN

This Notice of Preparation (NOP) is intended to provide sufficient information to Responsible and Trustee

Agencies, other affected agencies, interested parties, and the public to enable them to make a meaningful

response regarding the scope of issues which should be addressed in the Draft EIR, consistent with State CEQA

Guidelines 15082(a)(1). It contains background information about the process leading up to the proposed

project, a project description and location description, and the identification of probable environmental effects

of the project.

1.0 SACRAMENTO AREA WATER PLAN BACKGROUND

1.1 SACRAMENTO AREA WATER FORUM

The Sacramento Area Water Forum (Water Forum), a diverse group of water agencies, business groups,

environmentalists, citizen groups, and local governments, has been working together since the fall of 1993

evaluating future water resource needs and supplies of the Sacramento metropolitan area. This evaluation

concluded with the finding that, despite the region's location at the confluence of the Sacramento and American

Rivers, the region has water supply and lower American River issues that need to be resolved now. The Water

Forum is now in the early stages of formulating a plan for the effective management of the region's water

resources. The CCOMWP, by agreement, is acting as staff to the Water Forum.

Background of Water Resources Planning in the Region

For the last 20 years, the City of Sacramento, County of Sacramento, and water districts and purveyors in the

County have engaged in discussions to plan, allocate, and manage the region's surface and groundwater for

municipal, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Several extensive studies of water resources management in

Sacramento County have been conducted during that time.

During the same period conflicts arose related to the need to balance consumptive water uses with protection

of instream flows of the American River, particularly for fisheries. This conflict was epitomized by the

lawsuit, Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. et al. v. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), a case

which required 18 years to resolve from 1972 to 1990. EBMUD entered into a 1970 contract with the U.S.

Bureau of Reclamation for the delivery of 150,000 acre-feet of American River water diverted from the Folsom

South Canal. Environmental groups filed the complaint, and Sacramento County later joined in the lawsuit,

based on the argument that the contracted diversion would not adequately protect the fishery and recreation

PCWA-069

City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR 22 Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation

values of the lower American River. The ultimate judgement in the case constituted an attempt to achieve a

consumption/resource protection balance by establishing instream flow requirements for the lower American

River, called "Hodge Flows" after the presiding judge, which must be met as a condition of EBMUD's diversion

of the contracted water. Although the decision is specifically linked to EBMUD and the river, the protection

of instream values of the lower American River has become a paramount concern for any new diversions.

The history of water management decisions in Sacramento County has proven that the task of formulating a

water plan is a technically and politically complex endeavor involving many diverse and competing interests.

Consequently, the City and County created the CCOMWP in 1991 to pursue a joint planning effort. Then, in

1993 to break what has been characterized as decision gridlock, business, environmental, public, local

government, and water interests formed the Sacramento Area Water Forum to implement a collaborative

process leading to a united approach to meeting the diverse water needs of the region.

Mission of the Water Forum

The participants in the Water Forum mutually agreed on the mission of the group. The Sacramento Area

Water Forum's goal is to formulate and adopt an area-wide plan that will provide a safe, reliable, and

environmentally sound water supply to meet the needs of the Sacramento area community. The mission has

been translated into a set of 65 Draft Agreements-in-Principle, dated April 1995, which represent the initial

framework for developing solutions. The draft agreements address surface water, groundwater, water demand

projections, and demand management/conservation.

Stakeholder Participants, Other Interested Water Agencies, and CEQA Responsible Agencies

The Sacramento Area Water Forum consists of the stakeholders who have been historically discussing and

debating water management issues in Sacramento County. Stakeholders represent business, environmental,

public, and water interests. The stakeholders will be asked to ultimately approve the Water Plan; therefore,

the public agencies among the stakeholders will need to comply with CEQA. The Lead Agencies (City of

Sacramento and County of Sacramento through the CCOMWP have responsibility for preparing the EIR; the

other public agencies will be Responsible Agencies, as defined in 21069 of CEQA and 15096 and 15381

of the State CEQA Guidelines. The Responsible Agencies, defined as all agencies other than the Lead Agency

that have discretionary approval over the project, comply with CEQA by considering the Lead Agency's EIR

in their decision-making process. Also, the Water Forum has consulted with other interested water agencies

outside of Sacramento County regarding potential recommendations in the Water Plan which may relate to their

PCWA-069

City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR 33 Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation

water resources or facilities. To the extent that these other interested water agencies have approval authority

related to the Water Plan, they could also potentially be Responsible Agencies.

The Water Forum stakeholders and other interested water agencies are listed below. Public agencies that are

or may be Responsible Agencies under CEQA are noted with an asterisk (*).

City-County Office of Metropolitan Water PlanningCity-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning Michael Brandman AssociatesMichael Brandman AssociatesSacramento Area Water Plan EIRSacramento Area Water Plan EIR 44 Notice of PreparationNotice of Preparation

Galt Irrigation District *Natomas Mutual Water CompanyNorthridge Water District *Omochumne-Hartnell Water District *Orange Vale Water CompanyRancho Murieta County Service District *Rio Linda Water District *Sacramento