Public Notice Announcing the Availability of a Finding of No Significant Impact

Public Notice Announcing the Availability of a Finding of No Significant Impact DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - Rural Development Alta Irrigation District (AID): Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA ACTION: Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact. SUMMARY: The USDA Rural Housing Service (RHS) has made a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) with respect to possible financing assistance to Alta Irrigation District for the construction of the Proposed recharge basin pond in Tulare County, CA. FURTHER INFORMATION: To obtain copies of the EA and FONSI, or for further information, contact: Serena Ramos, Community Program Specialist by phone at (559) 754-3152 or by email at serena.ramos1@usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Alta Irrigation District proposes to build a recharge basin located roughly 1.5 miles north of the town Traver at the intersection of Avenue 376 and Road 44, identified by APNs 043-010-037, 043-010-039, and 043-010-017 in Tulare County, California. The Proposed Action is to reach groundwater sustainability within the irrigation district. The construction plan includes the creation of a 55-acre recharge basin pond, the installation of perimeter fencing, modifications to an existing turnout, and a new turnout on the Traver Canal. Additionally, it involves converting an existing well into a monitoring well and drilling a new monitoring well. This new monitoring system will assist AID in monitoring and managing groundwater recharge and levels effectively. The availability of the EA for public review was announced via notice in the following newspaper(s): The Tulare Advance-Register and Visalia-Delta newspaper on August 27, 28, and 29, 2025. A 14-day comment period was announced in the newspaper notice(s). The EA was also available for public review at the USDA Rural Development office. No comments were received. Based on its EA, commitments made by Alta Irrigation District and public comments received, RHS has concluded that the project would have no significant impact (or no impacts) to water quality, wetlands, floodplains, land use, aesthetics, transportation, or human health and safety. The proposed project will have no adverse effect on resources listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Agency has also concluded that the proposed project is not likely to affect federally listed threatened and endangered species or designated critical habitat thereof. No other potential significant impacts resulting from the proposed project have been identified. Therefore, RHS has determined that this FONSI fulfills its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR §§ 1500-1508), and USDA Rural Development's Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1970) for its action related to the project. RHS is satisfied that the environmental impacts of the proposed project have been adequately addressed. RHS's federal action would not result in significant impacts to the quality of the human environment, and as such it will not prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for its action related to the proposed project Dated: October 1, 2025 October 1 2025 LYRK0378763