PUBLIC NOTICE ANNOUNCING PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD

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@

ogwrp-programs.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

https://www.nrcs.usda.

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/conservation-basics/

conservation-by-state/washington/

nrcs-washington-public-notices.

USDA is an equal opportunity

provider, employer, and lender.

Published November 2, 9 and 16,

2023