Notice of Availability of Draft Watershed Plan-Environmental Assessment and Virtual Public Meeting for Lone Pine Irrigation District Infrastructure Modernization Project
Notice of Availability of Draft Watershed Plan-Environmental Assessment and Virtual Public Meeting for Lone Pine Irrigation District Infrastructure Modernization Project
The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announces the availability of a Draft Watershed Plan-Environmental Assessment (Draft Plan-EA) for the Lone Pine Irrigation District Infrastructure Modernization Project. Lone Pine Irrigation District proposes to realign the District’s conveyance system to achieve optimal efficiency of water delivery and reduce costs, construct a new river crossing at the Crooked River and enter the District from the southern boundary, install 10.9 miles of pressurized buried pipe, and decommission 9.7 miles of open canal. The proposed project would improve irrigation water management and delivery, reduce district operations and maintenance costs, and enhance streamflow in the Deschutes River. The Deschutes Basin Board of Control is the project sponsor and Lone Pine Irrigation District is the project co-sponsor. Farmers Conservation Alliance is assisting NRCS in this planning process. The proposed improvements may be partially funded through the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (PL 83-566).
The proposed project is located in Crook, Jefferson, and Deschutes Counties, Oregon. The National Environmental Policy Act and the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations at 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508 require evaluations of the potential effects of federally funded projects on human and natural resources. These evaluations include input from the public. NRCS has reviewed the potential impacts of the project and released a Draft Plan-EA for public and agency review.
You are invited to attend a virtual public meeting to provide input on this project. At the virtual meeting, project partners will present the range of resource issues associated with the project and alternatives to addressing system improvements in Lone Pine Irrigation District. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
Date: May 5, 2021
Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Register at: www.oregonwatershedplans.org
The meeting will be held virtually using Zoom. A recording of the meeting will be available afterward at the same website. Media inquiries should be sent to Margi Hoffmann at margi.hoffmann@fcasolutions.org.
Comments on the Draft Plan-EA may be submitted during a public comment period starting April 20, 2021 and ending on May 20, 2021. You can view the complete Draft Plan-EA and other project information online at www.oregonwatershedplans.org. A printed copy of the Draft Plan-EA is also available at the Deschutes Public Library Redmond Branch (827 SW Deschutes Ave, Redmond, OR 97756).
Comments may be emailed to lonepinecomments@gmail.com, submitted online at www.oregonwatershedplans.org, or mailed to:
Farmers Conservation Alliance
102 State Street
Hood River, OR 97031