PROJECT PURPOSE & NEED STATEMENT

The Project Purpose and Need Statement is used to describe the reasoning for the proposed action, and it is useful to the agency when selecting the range of alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS.  The Project Applicant, or Project Proponent, typically submits their purpose and need for the project.  The agency preparing the EIS uses the applicant's statement as a basis for the Project Purpose and Need Statement that will become part of the EIS.   

Project Purpose and Need:

The purpose of the Kane Springs Groundwater Development Project is to develop and convey groundwater in the Kane Springs Valley Hydrographic Basin.   The Lincoln County Water District (LCWD) applied to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a right-of-way grant that would allow them to construct the conveyance facilities across BLM-managed lands.  BLM has the responsibility to process applications through the preparation of an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  For the Kane Springs Groundwater Development Project right-of-way application, an EIS will be prepared.

Background on Authorities/Laws/Regulations Affecting this EIS:

In 2003, Governor Kenny Guinn signed the Lincoln County Water District Act, which established LCWD as a political subdivision of the state.  In 2004, President George Bush signed the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act (LCCRDA), which designated discrete multi-purpose utility corridors in Lincoln County for future utility infrastructure on federal lands. The legislation allows the corridors to be used for rights-of-way for the roads, wells, pipelines, and other infrastructure needed for the construction and operation of a water conveyance system in Lincoln County.