Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Lone Pine Irrigation District Project

Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Lone Pine Irrigation District Project

The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announces the availability of a Final Watershed Plan-Environmental Assessment (EA) and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Lone Pine Irrigation District Infrastructure Modernization Project.

The project is located in Deschutes County, Oregon and will realign the Lone Pine Irrigation 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 project will 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 co-sponsor with assistance from Farmers Conservation Alliance and Energy Trust of Oregon.

The project may be partially funded through the NRCS Watershed and Flood Prevention Program (authorized by Public Law 83-566).

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR Part 1500), and the Natural Resources Conservation Service Regulations (7 CFR Part 650), the NRCS gives notice that an environmental impact statement is not being prepared for this project.

The environmental assessment of this federally-assisted action indicates that the project will not cause significant local, regional or national impacts on the environment. As a result of these findings, Ron Alvarado, NRCS Oregon State Conservationist, has determined that the preparation and review of an environmental impact statement is not needed for this project.

The Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) has been forwarded to various Federal, State and local agencies and interested parties. The FONSI and other supporting planning documents are available for public view on the following website: www.oregonwatershedplans.org/lone-pine-id.

No administrative action on implementation of the proposal will be taken for 30 days from the publication date of this Notice.

For more information, contact Gary Diridoni, NRCS Oregon’s Assistant State Conservationist for Watershed Resources, at (503) 414-3092 or gary.diridoni@usda.gov.