BDCP Public Open House Meetings Begin This Week in Fresno and Bakersfield

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As part of the 120-day public review and comment period for the Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and BDCP Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement, BDCP is hosting a series of twelve public open house meetings throughout the state.

This week, the public open house meetings will be held in Fresno and Bakersfield:

 Wednesday, January 15, 2014
FRESNO 3pm – 7pm
Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center
848 M Street
Fresno, CA 93721

 Thursday, January 16, 2014
BAKERSFIELD 3pm – 7pm
Four Points by Sheraton
5101 California Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93309

 

PLEASE NOTE: Public meetings will be an open house format.There will not be any formal presentations or panel to receive public comments. Informational exhibits and project team members will be available throughout the meeting for one-on-one assistance and a sign-up sheet will be provided for those wishing to give verbal comments to a court reporter.

Those wishing to provide verbal comments to a court reporter will have a three-minute time limit so that others may also provide verbal comments. If three minutes is too short a time for the full comment, written comments of any length may be submitted. However, if no one else is in line to provide verbal comments, additional time may be granted at the discretion of staff managing the comment station.

List of All BDCP Public Open House Meetings

You are invited to attend one of the twelve public open house meetings being held throughout California in January and February 2014 to learn more about the draft documents and submit comments.

  • FRESNO -Wednesday, January 15, 2014 – 3pm-7pm Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center 848 M Street Fresno, CA 93721
  • BAKERSFIELD – Thursday, January 16, 2014 – 3pm-7pm Four Points by Sheraton 5101 California Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93309
  • STOCKTON – Tuesday, January 21, 2014 – 3pm-7pm University Plaza Waterfront Hotel, 110 Fremont St., Stockton, CA 95202
  • SAN JOSE – Wednesday, January 22, 2014 – 3pm-7pm San Jose Marriott 301 S Market St., San Jose, CA 95113
  • REDDING – Thursday, January 23, 2014 – 3pm-7pm Red Lion Hotel 1830 Hilltop Drive, Redding, CA, 96002
  • FAIRFIELD – Tuesday, January 28, 2014 – 5pm-9pm Hilton Garden Inn 2200 Gateway Court, Fairfield, CA 94533
  • WALNUT GROVE – Wednesday, January 29, 2014 – 5pm-9pm Jean Harvie Community Center 14273 River Rd., Walnut Grove, CA 95690
  • SACRAMENTO – Thursday, January 30, 2014 – 3pm-7pm Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel 1230 J St., Sacramento, CA 95814
  • LOS ANGELES – Tuesday, February 4, 2014 – 3pm-7pm Los Angeles Convention Center 1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90015
  • ONTARIO – Wednesday, February 5, 2014 – 3pm-7pm Ontario Convention Center 2000 E Convention Center Way, Ontario, CA 91764
  • SAN DIEGO – Thursday, February 6, 2014 – 3pm-7pm San Diego Convention Center 111 West Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92101
  • CLARKSBURG – Wednesday, February 12, 2014 – 3pm-7pm Clarksburg Middle School 52870 Netherlands Rd., Clarksburg, CA 95612

Information on the Public Review Period and How to Submit a Comment

The 120-day public review and comment period for the Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and BDCP Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) began December 13, 2013, in accordance with the California Natural Community Conservation Planning Act (NCCPA), the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The public review and comment period will close on April 14, 2014. Learn more about the public review period here.

The Draft BDCP is a 50-year Habitat Conservation and Natural Community Conservation Plan (HCP/NCCP) that intends to help meet California’s co-equal goals for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: water supply reliability and ecosystem restoration. The Draft BDCP intends to restore and protect water supply, water quality, and ecosystem health through new and/or modified water conveyance facilities and modified operations of the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project. The Draft BDCP also intends to create, protect, restore, and enhance habitat for native fish, wildlife, and plants within the Delta, and includes specific and program-level actions and adaptive management to address other ecological stressors.

The associated Draft EIR/EIS evaluates the proposed BDCP action, a no action alternative and 15 other action alternatives with different combinations of water conveyance and operations, and habitat restoration. The Draft EIR/EIS identifies potential impacts, benefits and mitigation measures.

During the comment period, written comments may be submitted via:

Comments must be received or postmarked by 5:00 pm Pacific Time on April 14, 2014.

Digital copies of the Draft BDCP and Draft EIR/EIS are available for review at the following locations:

Hard copies of the Draft BDCP and Draft EIR/EIS are available for review at the following locations:

  • Dept. of Water Resources: 3500 Industrial Blvd., Room 117, West Sacramento, CA 95691
  • National Marine Fisheries Service: 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 5-100, Sacramento, CA 95814

All comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS will be considered in the Final EIR/EIS and decision-making process. No final decisions have been made regarding going forward with the BDCP or in selecting an alternative; those decisions will only occur after completion of the CEQA and NEPA processes. Copies of the documents referenced in the Draft EIR/EIS will be available at the DWR office located at 3500 Industrial Blvd., Room 117, West Sacramento, CA 95691.