NOTICE OF INTENT TO ADOPT AN INITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION The Eastside Water District (EWD), as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), in partnership with the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) and the East Turlock Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (ETSGSA), has prepared an Initial Study (IS) with the intent to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Eastside Aquifer Restoration Initiative (EARI) Project. The majority of Project site is within the eastern portion of Stanislaus County, east of Montpellier Road (County Highway J9), south of the TID Main Canal and north of the Merced River; the southernmost portion of the Project crosses into Merced County. The Project is located within the East Turlock Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) boundary. The Project involves expanding the ability to divert and convey TID surface water supplies, when available, for groundwater recharge within the eastern portion of the Turlock Subbasin and specifically to agricultural lands south of the TID Main Canal. The TID replenishment water would be used to offset groundwater pumping during the irrigation season and to facilitate direct groundwater recharge during the non irrigation season. The Project includes construction and operation of a new turnout on the TID Main Canal, a pump station, conveyance pipeline, regulating basin, grower turnouts along the pipeline and Mustang Creek to deliver replenishment water to agricultural lands, turnouts to Sand Creek and Mustang Creek, and the re-channelization of portions of Mustang Creek to continue the conveyance of replenishment water to Mustang Lake. The IS/MND describes potentially significant impacts to biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils (paleontological resources), and tribal cultural resources. Mitigation measures have been provided to reduce impacts to less-than-significant levels. All other resource areas evaluated were found to have no impact or to be less than significant. The Project is not located at a site known to have presence of any hazardous waste facilities pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5. The IS/MND is being circulated for public review and comment for a period of 30 days, beginning Tuesday October 13, 2026 and concluding on Thursday November 12, 2026. Written comments should be submitted and received no later than 5:00 P.M, Pacific Standard Time, on November 12, 2026. Written comments should be sent to: Sarah Woolf, General Manager Eastside Water District 731 East Yosemite Avenue, Suite B #147 Merced, California 95340 Comments may also be emailed to: kareneastsidewater@att.net. For any questions, please use the contact information above. Hardcopies of the IS/MND are available at the following public libraries: Turlock Public Library - 550 N Minaret Ave, Turlock CA 95380 Stanislaus County Library - 1500 I St, Modesto, CA 95354 Merced County Library - 2100 O St, Merced, CA 95340 An electronic copy of the IS/MND is also posted on the EWD website at: https://eastsidewaterdistrict.com/ The EWD Board of Directors will consider the IS/MND for adoption at a regularly scheduled EWD Board meeting. The anticpated Board meeting date is December 17, 2026 at 9:00 AM and will take place at Cortez Hall, 12937 North Cortez Avenue, Turlock, CA. 95380. IPL0380776 Oct 14 2026