The Bureau of Reclamation is inviting public comment on the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Fort Laramie Tunnel rehabilitation project, aimed at improving water supply reliability for Fort Laramie Canal users by rehabilitating Tunnels 1 and 2 along their existing alignments. The comment period runs from Jan. 7, 2025, through Feb. 7, 2025, with the draft EA available at https://www.usbr.gov/gp/nepa/sopa.html.
The draft EA outlines the project’s goals, public concerns, and management objectives while analyzing potential environmental impacts as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Public feedback will influence whether a Finding of No Significant Impact is issued.
The Fort Laramie Canal, part of the North Platte Project, supplies irrigation water to approximately 107,000 acres across Wyoming and Nebraska and is managed by Goshen and Gering-Ft. Laramie Irrigation Districts. For questions or to submit comments, contact to Stacey Johnston, Contracts and Compliance Branch Chief at 307-261-5631; email: sjohnston@usbr.gov, or by mail:
Bureau of Reclamation
P.O. Box 1630
Mills, WY 82644
The Ft. Laramie Canal provides irrigation water to about 52,000 acres in Wyoming and about 55,000 acres in Nebraska. The Wyoming portion of the canal is operated and maintained by Goshen Irrigation District, and the Nebraska portion of the canal is operated and maintained by Gering-Ft. Laramie Irrigation District. The two tunnels in the Ft. Laramie Canal near the Town of Fort Laramie that are proposed to be reconstructed are part of the North Platte Project and were originally built by Reclamation over 100 years ago.
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