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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><img width=700 height=90 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.gif@01CBC6E6.B4BE01C0" alt="Reclamation News Release Header"></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <strong><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Mid-Pacific Region</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Sacramento, CA</span></strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>MP-11-013<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, <a href="mailto:plucero@usbr.gov">plucero@usbr.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>For Release on: February 7, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Reclamation Releases Environmental Documents on Exchange Agreements, Warren Act Contracts for Conveyance of Groundwater in Delta-Mendota Canal</span></strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The Bureau of Reclamation has released for public review a Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for execution of Exchange Agreements and/or Warren Act Contracts for conveyance of groundwater in the Delta-Mendota Canal. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The proposed actions would include issuance of two-year Exchange Agreements and/or two-year Warren Act contracts to requesting contractors within the Central Valley Project's Delta Division and San Luis Unit located in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and Fresno counties. The groundwater would be pumped into the Delta-Mendota Canal. Groundwater would either be delivered to the participating Delta Division contractors off the Delta-Mendota Canal, stored in San Luis Reservoir, or delivered to participating San Luis Unit contractors along the San Luis Canal via an exchange with Reclamation. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The contract term would be March 1, 2011 through February 29, 2012, for pumping and conveyance, and from March 1, 2012, through February 28, 2013, for conveyance only. Contractors would not be able to pump in any additional groundwater into the Delta-Mendota Canal during the second year of the contract term. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Each participating contractor would be allowed to pump up to the amount analyzed in the Draft Environmental Assessment, not to exceed 10,000 acre-feet of non-project water per contractor, with a total cap of 50,000 acre-feet for all districts combined. The non-project water would be groundwater pumped from wells that meet Reclamation’s requirements for Delta-Mendota Canal water quality and the 2011 Delta-Mendota Canal Pump-in Program Water Quality Monitoring Plan. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact (Draft EA/FONSI) were prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and are available at <a href="http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=7236">http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=7236</a>. If you encounter problems accessing the documents online, please call 916-978-5100 or e-mail <a href="mailto:mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov">mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Written comments must be received by close of business February 21, 2011 and should be sent to Chuck Siek, Bureau of Reclamation, South-Central California Area Office, 1243 N Street, Fresno, CA 93721. Comments may also be faxed to Mr. Siek at 559-487-5397 or e-mailed to <a href="mailto:csiek@usbr.gov">csiek@usbr.gov</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>For additional information or to request a copy of the Draft EA/FONSI, please contact Mr. Siek at 559-487-5138, TTY 800-735-2929. Copies of the documents may also be viewed at Reclamation's Fresno office at the above address. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> # # # <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 land</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810 mobile</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net"><span style='color:blue'>bwl3@comcast.net</span></a></span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><span style='color:blue'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></a> </span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="http://fotr.org/"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.fotr.org</span></a> </span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>