Bureau of Reclamation accepting comments on Owl Creek Irrigation improvement project

Bureau of Reclamation has prepared a draft environmental assessment for the application to provide funding to the Owl Creek Irrigation District Water Delivery and Efficiency Improvement Project. The draft EA is available to the public for review and comment.

Reclamation announces the availability of the draft environmental assessment (EA) and a 30-day public comment period associated with the Owl Creek Irrigation District (OCID) Water Delivery and Efficiency Improvement Project. The Draft EA was developed in accordance with requirements of 40 CFR 1508.9 and 43 CFR 46.310.

The OCID diverts water from the Bighorn River to a main pump station and a re-lift station to provide water to the Lucerne area. Portions of the system (pumps and transformers) are nearly 70 years old and are becoming inefficient and hard to maintain. There is a significant concern that failure of the aging infrastructure could result in the loss of a significant portion of an irrigation season. OCID applied for funding through a WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) Grant to replace or upgrade these irrigation facilities to improve water delivery and efficiency.

Reclamation’s purpose and need is to consider and respond to the OCID’s proposal to replace or upgrade irrigation facilities and to approve or deny funding through a WaterSMART Grant. The Draft EA details OCID’s proposal to upgrade the irrigation facilities. The draft EA also identifies the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action and provides unbiased, objective evaluation of data and information to inform Reclamation’s decision.

The draft EA document is available for review under Other Links on the Wyoming Area Office web page at: https://www.usbr.gov/gp/wyao/.

Contact Shain Wright at (307) 261-5664 or slwright@usbr.gov if you have questions, need further assistance, or would like to request a physical copy of the draft EA.

Submit electronic comments to Shain Wright at slwright@usbr.gov, with the following included in the subject line: “Public Comment on Draft OCID Water Delivery and Efficiency Improvement Project EA”. Submit physical comments via U.S. mail, addressed to Shain Wright at the following address:

Bureau of Reclamation, Wyoming Area Office, 705 Pendell Boulevard, P.O. Box 1630, Mills, WY 82644-1630

 Reclamation is requesting all comments be submitted by 5:00 p.m. MT on May 15, 2023. No business proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information should be submitted in response to this request. Please be aware that comments submitted may be posted on a federal website or otherwise released publicly. Clearly indicate which section, page number, and line number, if applicable, submitted comments pertain to. All comments must be provided in English.