BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort (FAHCE) - Response to California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) request to extend the FAHCE project schedule to allow for review of the data and modeling supporting the Fish Habitat Restoration Plan.
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RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
A. Direct staff to modify the FAHCE project schedule, issued by the Board on June 22, 2015, to extend the review period as requested by Mr. Scott Wilson, Bay Delta Regional Director for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in his letter dated September 18, 2015; and
B. Approve and authorize the District Board Chair to execute and send the October 13, 2015 written response to CDFW and other FAHCE signatories.
Body
SUMMARY:
This item addresses the letter from CDFW (Attachment 2) requesting that the Board direct staff to extend the FAHCE project schedule for issuance of the public Draft Fish Habitat Restoration Plan (FHRP) and associated Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (Draft PEIR). This action would allow the signatories to the FAHCE Settlement Agreement additional time to review the data, modeling approach and alternatives analysis for reservoir re-operations proposed in the FHRP.
CDFW is a key State agency that advises the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) regarding the effects of the SWRCB water rights decisions on public trust resources, including fisheries. CDFW's interest in extending the FAHCE project schedule is consistent with its mission and would likely result in a better outcome for the pending water rights change petition review.
BACKGROUND:
The FAHCE Settlement Agreement was initialed in 2003, by the District, Guadalupe Coyote Resource Conservation District (GCRCD), Trout Unlimited; and the CDFW; U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (Collectively the " FAHCE Signatories"), to address a water rights complaint filed by...
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