CSU is concerned that this proposed BLM project shortcuts the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by evaluating this project as a simple land exchange instead of thoroughly evaluating the environmental impacts of a Warner Valley Reservoir, which is planned for the land that the Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) seeks to acquire from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Acquiring BLM land to build the Warner Valley Reservoir is a major federal action that significantly affects the quality of the human environment and therefore requires an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). An EIS could avoid or minimize potential detrimental impacts from a reservoir and associated water treatment infrastructure on the protected natural resources in the area.
Read our full submitted comments at the link below.