By Bureau of Reclamation
The Bureau of Reclamation has announced its intent to gather information necessary for preparing an Environmental Assessment evaluating the effects of the proposed assignment and transfer of water from GSC Farm, LLC to the Town of Queen Creek.
The proposed action includes the partial assignment and transfer of 2,033.01 acre-feet/year of GSC Farm’s Arizona fourth priority Colorado River water entitlement to Queen Creek. Queen Creek has a Central Arizona Project municipal and industrial water subcontract for 495 AFY with the United States and the Central Arizona Water Conservation District.
To convey a Colorado River water entitlement on the mainstream to entities within its service area in central Arizona requires that Queen Creek have a CAP wheeling contract. The proposed partial assignment and transfer would entail a change in the place of use (from GSC Farm located in the Cibola Valley Irrigation and Drainage District to Queen Creek), change in the type of use (from agricultural to domestic), and change in the point of diversion from the Cibola Valley Irrigation and Drainage District to the Mark Wilmer Pumping Plant for conveyance through the CAP to Queen Creek.
Under the proposed action, pursuant to the Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928, Reclamation would enter into a new Colorado River water delivery contract with Queen Creek, amend the existing Colorado River water delivery contract between Reclamation and GSC Farm, and enter into a new federal wheeling contract authorizing the conveyance of Queen Creek’s Colorado River water entitlement through the CAP.
The public will have the opportunity to participate in Reclamation’s scoping process by providing comments via mail, email or web-based comment during the 30-day NEPA scoping period. Written comments on the scope of the EA will be accepted through close of business September 24th, 2021, and should be submitted to: Bureau of Reclamation, (ATTN: GSC-QC Water Transfer EA), 6150 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale, Arizona 85306, or emailed to: proposedwatertransfer@usbr.gov, or submitted online through: www.gscfarmqckwatertransfer.com. (Source)