PUBLIC NOTICE ANNOUNCING
PUBLIC REVIEW
PERIOD FOR ADOPTION
OF THE ODESSA SUBAREA
SPECIAL STUDY FINAL
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
STATEMENT AND RECORD
OF DECISION
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS)
is adopting the 2012 Odessa
Subarea Special Study Final
Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) produced by the
Bureau of Reclamation in cooperation
with the State of
Washington, represented by the
Washington State Department
of Ecology.
The FEIS examined the potential
to replace groundwater with
Columbia Basin Project water
for currently irrigated lands within
the Odessa Subarea Special
Study Area. The FEIS and
Record of Decision identified
Alternative 4A: Modified Partial-
Replacement-Banks with Limited
Spring Diversion Scenario
as the selected alternative.
Alternative 4A aims to replace
acre-for-acre groundwater irrigation
on 70,000 acres in the
Odessa Subarea with 164,000
acre-feet of new Columbia
River diversions. Since Reclamation
published the FEIS in
2012, the Odessa Groundwater
Replacement Program—a
consortium of local, state, and
federal partners—has worked
towards phased implementation
of Alternative 4A. NRCS is
adopting the FEIS to support
implementation of Alternative
4A. Implementing Alternative
4A will support agriculture and
address groundwater depletion
impacting agricultural, municipal,
industrial, and commercial
users in the Odessa Subarea.
NRCS intends to select Alternative
4A as its preferred alternative.
NRCS invites agencies and
individuals who have special
expertise, legal jurisdiction, or
interest in the NRCS adoption of
the FEIS for the Odessa Subarea
Special Study to participate
and comment. Changed circumstances
or new information will
be evaluated to determine if a
new or supplemental EIS should
be prepared.
Public comments may be submitted
until 30 days after the Notice
of Availability is published in
the Federal Register, which is
estimated to be on December
8, 2023. Comments may be
emailed to comments@ogwrpprograms.
org, submitted online
at https://www.ogwrp-programs.
org/watershed-plan, submitted
via phone at (541) 716-6085, or
mailed to Farmers Conservation
Alliance, 102 State Street, Hood
River, OR 97031.
Additional information is available
online at https://www.
ogwrp-programs.org/watershed-
plan or the NRCS Washington
gov/conservation-basics/conservation-
by-state/washington/
nrcs-washington-public-notices.
Encontrará más información
en la página web https://www.
ogwrp-programs.org/watershed-
plan o en la página web
de avisos públicos del NRCS
de Washington en https://www.
nrcs.usda.gov/conservationbasics/
conservation-by-state/
washington/nrcs-washingtonpublic-
notices.
USDA is an equal opportunity
provider, employer, and lender.
Published November 1, 8 and
15, 2023
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