Cadiz groundwater storage and dry-year supply program: final environmental impact report, final environmental impact statement, groundwater monitoring and management plan volume IV

214 Pages·2001·12.1 MB·English

by  Bureau of Land Management

CADIZ GROUNDWATER STORAGE
AND
YEAR PROGRAM
DRV- SUPPLY
Final Environmental Impact Report
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Groundwater Monitoring and Management Plan
Volume IV
SCH. No. 99021039
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MWD
METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICTOFSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
REPORT NO. 1174
U.S. Department ofthe Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://archive.org/details/cadizgroundwaterOObure
COVER SHEET
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
CADIZ GROUNDWATER STORAGE AND DRY-YEAR SUPPLY PROGRAM
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
LEAD AGENCIES: COOPERATING AGENCIES:
The Metropolitan Water District U.S. Department ofthe Interior
ofSouthern California National Park Service
Los Angeles, California
U.S. Department ofthe Interior U.S. Department ofthe Interior
Bureau ofLand Management U.S. Geological Survey
Riverside, California
PROPOSED ACTION:
Construction and operation ofthe Cadiz Groundwater Storage and Dry-Year Supply Program (Cadiz
Project) including a groundwater monitoring and management program, amendment ofthe California
Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan for an exception to the utility corridor requirement, and
issuance ofassociated right-of-waygrants andpermits.
BLM
For furtherinformation, contact Metropolitan or at:
Metropolitan Water District Bureau ofLand Management
Water Resources Management Group California Desert District
P.O. Box 54153 6221 Box Springs Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90054-0153 Riverside, California 92507-0714
Attention: Mr. Jack Safely(213) 217-6981 Attention: Mr. James Williams [phone]
DESIGNATION:
Final EIR/EIS
. 1
ABSTRACT:
In February 1999, Metropolitan issued a Notice ofPreparation ofan EIR forthe Cadiz Project which
would be constructed and operated by Metropolitan in the Cadiz and Fenner Valleys ofthe eastern
BLM
Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, California. The determined that an EIS would be
required as the proposed action includes an amendment of the CDCA Plan for an exception to the
utility corridor requirements and grant(s) of right-of-way across federal lands. The BLM issued a
Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the proposed action in March 1999. In May 1999, the BLM
issued a Notice ofPublic Meeting and extension ofthe scoping comment period. The Draft EIR/EIS
was published inNovember 1999 with a 104-daypublic reviewperiodthat ended in March 2000.
Because numerous comments raised questions regarding groundwater management issues, a
Supplement to the Draft EIR/EIS was prepared to provide additional information and to present the
Groundwater Monitoring and Management Plan (Management Plan) that has been incorporated into
the proposed project. The Management Plan will govern the water storage and extraction operations
inthe affected groundwater basinsto ensurethat project operationswill not result in any unacceptable
adverse impacts to groundwater resources or air quality. The Supplement to the Draft EIR/EIS was
circulated foran 80-day public reviewperiodthat ended in January 2001
The Cadiz Project is proposed by Metropolitan who is acting in partnership with the private company
Cadiz Inc. The project will involve construction and operation ofa 35-mile pipeline for conveying
water between the Iron Mountain Pumping Plant on the Colorado River Aqueduct and the
Cadiz/Fenner area, a Cadiz Pumping Plant at Metropolitan's existing Iron Mountain Pumping Plant
facility, 390 acres of spreading basins for percolation ofColorado River water into the groundwater
basin in the Cadiz/Fenner area, a wellfield for extracting stored Colorado River water and indigenous
groundwater, and associated powerpoles and line alongthe conveyancepipeline and inthewellfield.
This Final EIR/EIS contains comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS and the Supplement to the
Draft EIR/EIS, detailed responses to those comments, and integrates the information contained in the
Draft EIR/EIS and Supplement to the Draft EIR/EIS with revisions as appropriate in response to
BLM
comments. The Final EIR/EIS is also available for review on request at the Metropolitan and
offices and atthe followingpublic libraries:
Metropolitan Water District • Norman Feldheym
700 NorthAlameda Street Central Library
Los Angeles, California 90012 555 West 6th Street
San Bernardino, California 92410
BureauofLand Management • Needles Branch Library
6221 Box Springs Boulevard 1111 Bailey Avenue
Riverside, California 92507 Needles, California 92363
Bureau ofLand Management • Twentynine Palms Branch Library
101 West Spikes Road 6078 Adobe Road
Needles, California 92363 Twentynine Palms, California 92277
• Barstow Branch Library
304 East Buena Vista Street
Barstow, California 9231
This Final EER/EIS has been approved forpublic distribution.
SEP 13
2001
TimSalt Date
DistrictManager
CaliforniaDesertDistrict
U.S. Bureau ofLand Management
SEP 14
2001
SStteepphheennNN.. AArraakkaawwaa Date
Manager, WaterResources Management Group
MetropolitanWaterDistrict ofSouthern California
)
The followingtechnical reports and documents forthe Cadiz Project are available:
• Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (September 2001)
• Public Participation and Response to Comments on the Draft EIR/EIS (September 2001)
• Public Participation and Response to Comments on the Supplement to the Draft EIR/EIS
(September 2001)
• Groundwater Monitoring and Management Plan (September 2001
• DraftEIR/EIS Public Participation (November 1999)
• Environmental Planning Technical Reports:
Project Feasibility and Facilities (November 1999)
Groundwater Resources (November 1999)
Biological Resources (November 1999)
Cultural Resources (November 1999)
The Final EIR/EIS shall govern over the Environmental Planning Technical Reports in the event of
any discrepancies between the documents.
The Final EIR/EIS and technical reports are available for review at the Metropolitan Water District
office located at 700 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, California and at the BLM offices in
Needles (101 West Spike's Road, Needles, California) and Riverside (6221 Box Springs Boulevard,
Riverside, California).
Table ofContents
Section age
INTRODUCTION
Section 1 1-1
1.1 Location ofProject Area 1-2
1.2 Project Objectives and Description 1-2
1.3 Existing Groundwater Basin Management 1-14
1.4 Purpose and Scope 1-14
Section 2 CRITICAL RESOURCES AND POTENTIAL ADVERSE
IMPACTS IN OR ADJACENT TO THE PROJECT AREA 2-1
2.1 Potential Impacts to Springs withinthe Affected Watersheds including
Springs withinthe Mojave National Preserve and BLM-Managed Lands 2-1
2.2 Potential Impacts ofthe Projectto the Aquifer System 2-1
2.3 Potential Impactsto Brine Resources on Bristol and Cadiz Dry Lakes 2-2
2.4 Potential Impactsto AirQuality 2-2
Section 3 WATER RESOURCES MODELS 3-1
3.1 Description ofWater Resources Models 3-1
3.1.1 Rainfall-RunoffModel 3-1
3.1.2 Unsaturated Zone Flow andTransport Model 3-2
3.1.3 SaturatedZone Flow andTransport Model 3-2
3.1.4 Density Dependent Groundwater Flow andTransport Model 3-2
3.2 Evaluation ofPotential Adverse Impacts UsingNumerical Models 3-3
3.2.1 Evaluation ofVariable Recharge Estimates and Long-Term Impacts 3-3
3.2.2 Model Refinement and Multi-Year Predictions 3-3
Section 4 AD* QUALITY ANALYSES RELATED TO MOBILIZATION
OF LAKEBED DUST 4-1
4.1 AirQuality Monitoring at Bristol and Cadiz Dry Lakes 4-1
4.2 Regional Meteorological Monitoring 4-2
MONITORING NETWORK
Section 5 5-1
5.1 Proposed "S-Series" Observation Wells (Feature 1) 5-1
5.2 Springs (Features 2 and 3) 5-8
5.3 Observation Wells (Features 4through 6) 5-8
5.4 Proposed Observation Well Clusters Withinthe Immediate Project
Area (Features 5 and 6) 5-14
5.5 Project Production Wells (Feature 7) 5-14
5.5.1 Existing CadizAgricultural Wells 5-14
5.5.2 NewProduction Wells 5-14
5.6 Recharge Water Quality (Feature 8) 5-14
5.7 Spreading Basins - Water Level StaffGages (Feature 9) 5-14
1 1
Table ofContents (Continued)
Section Page
5.8 Land Surface Monitoring (Feature 10) 5-16
5.9 Extensometers (Feature 11) 5-16
5.10 Microgravity Reference Stations (Feature 12) 5-16
5.11 Flowmeter Surveys (Feature 13) 5-17
5.12 Proposed Observation Well Clusters at Bristol Dry Lake (Feature 14) 5-17
5.13 Proposed Observation Well Clusters at Cadiz Dry Lake (Feature 15) 5-17
5.14 Evapotranspiration Stations (Feature 16) 5-17
5.15 Surface Water Monitoring Stations on the Dry Lakes (Feature 17) 5-17
5.16 AirQuality Monitoring (Feature 18) 5-17
5.16.1 Monitoring at Bristol and Cadiz Dry Lakes 5-17
5.16.2 Regional Meteorological Monitoring 5-18
5.17 Resistivity Survey (Feature 19) 5-18
5.18 Gamma-Ray/Dual Induction Downhole Geophysical Logs (Feature 20) 5-18
5.19 Weather Stations (Feature 21) 5-18
5.20 Stream Gage (Feature 22) 5-19
5.21 Soil Moisture Sensors (Feature 23) 5-19
5.22 Meteorological Towers (Feature 24) 5-19
Section 6 MONITORING, TESTING AND REPORTING PROCEDURES 6-1
6.1 Monitoring ofSprings on MojaveNational Preserve and BLM-Managed
Lands inthe Affected Watersheds 6-1
6.1.1 Pre-Operational Monitoring ofSprings 6-1
6.1.2 Operational Monitoring ofSprings 6-2
6.1.3 Post-Operational Monitoring ofSprings 6-2
6.2 Aquifer System 6-3
6.2.1 Pre-Operational Monitoring Aquifer System 6-3
6.2.2 Operational Monitoring ofAquifer System 6-4
6.2.3 Post-Operational Monitoring ofAquifer System 6-5
6.3 Bristol And Cadiz Dry Lakes 6-5
6.3.1 Pre-Operational Monitoring ofBristol and CadizDry Lakes 6-5
6.3.2 Operational Monitoring ofBristol and Cadiz Dry Lakes 6-6
6.3.3 Post-Operational Monitoring ofBristol and Cadiz Dry Lakes 6-6
6.4 AirQuality 6-7
6.4. Pre-Operational Air Quality and Related Monitoring 6-7
6.4.2 Operational Air Quality Monitoring 6-9
6.4.3 Post-Operational Air Quality Monitoring Stations 6-10
6.5 OtherMonitoring (Regional) 6-10
6.5.1 Pre-Operational Regional Monitoring 6-10
6.5.2 Operational Regional Monitoring 6-1
6.6 QualityAssurance/Quality Control 6-12
6.7 Data Management 6-12
6.8 Reporting Procedures 6-12
6.8.1 Annual Reports 6-12
6.8.2 Five-Year Report 6-13
1
Table ofContents (Continued)
Section Page
Section 7 ACTION CRITERIA, DECISION-MAKING PROCESS AND
CORRECTIVE MEASURES
7-1
7.1 Springs 7-5
7.1.1 Potential for Impacts to Springs in the Mojave National Preserve
and BLM Managed Lands in the Affected Watersheds 7-5
7.2 Aquifer System 7-7
7.2.1 Potential Impactsto Indigenous Groundwater Quality due to Project
Operations 7-7
7.2.2 Potential Impactsto Wells Owned ByNeighboring Landowners due to
Project Operations 7-8
7.2.3 Potential for Land Subsidence 7-9
7.2.4 Potential for Increased Risk ofLiquefaction Related to
Project Spreading Operations 7-1
7.2.5 Potential for Hydrocompaction Related to Project
Spreading Operations 7-12
7.2.6 Potential for Induced Flow ofLower-Quality Water From Bristol
and Cadiz Dry Lakes 7-13
7.3 Bristol And Cadiz Dry Lakes 7-14
7.3.1 Potential forImpacts to the Brine Resources Underlying Bristol
and Cadiz Dry Lakes 7-14
7.4 AirQuality 7-16
7.4.1 Potential Impactsto Air Quality due to Dust Mobilization from
Water-Level Declines Beneath Bristol and Cadiz Dry Lakes 7-16
CLOSURE PLAN AND POST-OPERATIONAL REPORTING
Section 8 8-1
8.1 Closure Plan 8-1
8.2 Post-Operational Reporting 8-1
TECHNICAL REVIEW PANEL
Section 9 9-1
9.1 Representation 9-1
9.2 Responsibilities 9-1
9.3 Annual And Five-Year Monitoring Reports 9-2
BLM
9.4 Recommendationstothe Authorized Officer 9-2
Section 10 BLM AUTHORIZED OFFICER 10-1
10.1 Responsibilities 10-1
10.2 Decision-Making Process 10-1
in
1
Table ofContents (Continued)
Appendices
ASTM
A. D5092-90, Standard Practice for Design and Installation of
Groundwater Observation Wells inAquifers
B. Groundwater Level Monitoring Protocol
C. Groundwater Sampling Protocol
D. Water Quality Analytical Protocol
E. Data Management Plan
List ofTables
Tables Pages
1 Proposed Monitoring Features and Frequencies 1-3
2 Summary ofMonitoring Features and Protocols 5-2
3 Spring Classification Criteria 6-1
4 Summary ofAction Criteria, Impacts and Corrective Measures 7-2
List ofFigures
Figures Page
1 Location ofthe Bristol, Cadiz, Fenner, and Orange Blossom Wash Watersheds 1-1
2 Proposed Project Wellfield and Spreading Basins 1-12
3 Proposed Project Facilities 1-13
4 Monitoring Features (Regional) 5-9
5 Monitoring Features (Detail ofProject Area) 5-11
6 Typical Observation Well Cluster Cross Section 5-13
7 Typical Production Well Cross Section 5-15
8 Location ofPrecipitation Stations in the Desert Southwest Region 5-20
9 Management Schedule for Proposed Monitoring Activities 5-22
10 Decision-Making Process 7-4
IV