<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PostalCode"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="Street"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="address"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="State"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="City"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PersonName"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
p.MsoEnvelopeAddress, li.MsoEnvelopeAddress, div.MsoEnvelopeAddress
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:2.0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-element:frame;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black;}
p.MsoEnvelopeReturn, li.MsoEnvelopeReturn, div.MsoEnvelopeReturn
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoAutoSig, li.MsoAutoSig, div.MsoAutoSig
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:windowtext;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Contract renewal for lands irrigated with
Trinity water. Comment period ends September 7.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Mid-Pacific Region<br>
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Calif.</st1:State></st1:place><br>
Media Contact:<br>
Jeffrey McCracken<br>
916-978-5100<br>
<br>
</span></font><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:
Arial'>Released On: July 10, 2007<br>
</span></font><b><font size=4 face=Arial><span style='font-size:13.5pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><br>
Proposed Interim Renewal Water Service Contracts for San Luis Unit Contractors
Available for Review<br>
</span></font></b><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>On April 23, 2007, the Bureau of Reclamation held a
negotiation session for interim renewal water service contracts with San Luis
Unit contractors including the City of Avenal (3,500 acre-feet), City of
Coalinga (10,000 acre-feet), City of Huron (3,000 acre-feet), California
Department of Fish and Game (10 acre-feet), Panoche Water District (94,000
acre-feet), San Luis Water District (125,080 acre-feet), and Westlands Water
District (1,150,000 acre-feet). This session was held at
Reclamation’s South-Central California Area Office located in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Fresno</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>.
The San Luis Unit contractors currently receive Central Valley Project
(CVP) water under long-term water service contracts. The Westlands Water
District contract expires on December 31, 2007, and the remaining long-term
contracts expire at the end of 2008.<br>
<br>
Previously, Reclamation and each of these contractors negotiated proposed
long-term renewal contracts (LTRCs), each of which was released for 60-day
public review and comment periods between 2004 and 2005. However, because
some of the San Luis Unit long-term water service contracts will expire prior
to Reclamation completing its preparation and consideration of all appropriate
environmental documentation and subsequent execution, Reclamation prepared the
subject proposed interim renewal contracts. The LTRCs were used to
develop Reclamation’s form of proposed interim renewal contract from
which changes were negotiated. Reclamation introduced this proposed form
of interim renewal contract in redline/strikeout format at the April 23
negotiation session as exhibit “USBR SLU-IR-2007-01.”
Reclamation is making the negotiated material available, which may assist
the public in understanding how the negotiated proposed form of interim renewal
contract was derived. Three proposed contract forms, together with the
proposed interim renewal contracts for each renewing San Luis Unit entity, are
being made available.<br>
<br>
Although the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) allows for each
contractor’s initial interim renewal contract to be for a term of 3
years, the proposed term of these interim renewal contracts is 26 months
beginning from the expiration date of their respective current long-term
contracts. The 26-month term was negotiated in order to align these
proposed interim renewal contracts with our March-February water allocation
practices while staying within the bounds of CVPIA interim renewal contract
term limits.<br>
<br>
The proposed form of interim renewal contract (Exhibit “USBR
SLU-IR-2007-01”), the general form of interim renewal contract for
“Municipal and Industrial,” the general form of interim renewal
contract for “Irrigation,” and the proposed interim renewal water
service contracts for these seven San Luis Unit contractors are available on
Reclamation’s website <u><font color="#20438f"><span style='color:#20438F'>at
<a href="http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvpia/3404c/lt_contracts/2007_int_cts/index.h"
title="http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvpia/3404c/lt_contracts/2007_int_cts/index.h">http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvpia/3404c/lt_contracts/2007_int_cts/index.h</a></span></font></u>tml.
The 60-day public review and comment period for these proposed interim
renewal contracts opens on Tuesday, July 10, 2007, and closes on Friday,
September 7, 2007. If you encounter problems accessing documents on-line,
please contact Ms. Lynnette Wirth at 916-978-5100 <u><font color="#20438f"><span
style='color:#20438F'>or lwirth@mp.usbr.</span></font></u>gov.<br>
<br>
Please address written comments to Ms. Sheryl Carter, Bureau of Reclamation,
South-Central California Area Office, 1243 N Street, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Fresno</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode
w:st="on">93721</st1:PostalCode></st1:place>. Comments may also be
e-mailed<u><font color="#20438f"><span style='color:#20438F'> to
scarter@mp.usbr</span></font></u>.gov. For additional information or to
request a copy of the documents referenced above, please contact Ms. Carter at
559-487-5299 (TDD 559-487-5933) or Mr. Richard Stevenson, Chief of Water Rights
and Contracts, Mid-Pacific Region, Sacramento, at 916-978-5250 (TDD
916-978-5608).</span></font><b><span style='font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:
italic'>Byron Leydecker</span></font></i></st1:PersonName><i><font color=gray><span
style='color:gray;font-style:italic'><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>Friends of <st1:place
w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place>, Chair<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>California Trout, Inc.,
Advisor<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray;font-style:italic'>PO Box</span></font></i></st1:Street><i><font
color=gray><span style='color:gray;font-style:italic'> 2327</span></font></i></st1:address><i><font
color=gray><span style='color:gray;font-style:italic'><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>Mill Valley,
CA 94942-2327</span></font></i><span lang=ES-EC><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>415 383 4810</span></font></i><span
lang=ES-EC><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>415 383 9562
fax<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>bwl3@comcast.net<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></font></i><i><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-style:italic'> <font color=gray><span style='color:gray'>(secondary)<o:p></o:p></span></font></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>http://www.fotr.org<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>http://www.caltrout.org<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>