February 11, 2017 – A Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Centennial Reservoir Project has been issued February 10, 2017. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Sacramento District, will prepare the EIS for the project, which involves the construction of a new 110,000 acre-foot reservoir on the Bear River between the Rollins and Combie Reservoirs.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to provide drought and climate change mitigation, meet projected future water supply needs, and improve water supply reliability for NID’s customers. Public recreational opportunities, including a five-mile per hour maximum speed on the reservoir, pedestrian trails, swimming, and kayaking are included with the Proposed Action, as a benefit to district customers and the community.
The Corps’ public involvement program will include consultation with federal and state agencies, Native American tribes, historic preservation organizations and other stakeholder entities as appropriate. The Draft EIS is expected to be available for public review and comment by January 2018.
Two public scoping meetings will be held to provide an overview of the Proposed Action and the Draft EIS process, and to solicit comments from interested parties. The first meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Auburn Hotel, located at 120 Grass Valley Highway in Auburn on March 1, 2017, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The second meeting will be held at Gold Miners Inn/Holiday Inn Express & Suites, located at 121 Bank Street in Grass Valley on March 2, 2017 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The proposed Centennial Reservoir project is an important element in NID’s commitment to provide a safe, reliable water supply for the district, responsible stewardship of the watershed, and many benefits to the community overall.
More information on the proposed project and a copy of the Notice of Intent is posted on NID’s website at www.centennialreservoir.com.
Comments may be submitted by email at CESPKCentennialReser@usace.army.mil, or by mail at 1325 J Street, Room 1350, Sacramento, CA 95814-2922. For more information, please contact Ms. Kara Hellige at 970-259-1604, or at CESPKCentennialReser@usace.army.mil.
We know that these dams are not good for our environment! What they are really about is greed, the down fall of humanity. In the end the water will be sold for money. Some greedy man will get more money. What is worse is that the water will probably be to southern California. We don’t need things stopped up.
The current problems with the Oroville Dam bring into focus the need to find other alternatives to create and maintain healthy and resilient watersheds using more modern methods of storing water in natural meadows, swales, and riparian systems. Dams are not the future, they are the past. It is a time to take them down, not put up more threats to our quality of life and future generations. Find another alternative!