Notice2025-17743
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the GSC Farm-Queen Creek Water Transfer Project
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 15, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentReclamation Bureau
Abstract
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to analyze the environmental impacts of and potential alternatives to the proposed partial assignment and transfer of Arizona fourth priority Colorado River water entitlement from GSC Farm, LLC (GSC Farm), located in La Paz County, Arizona, to the Town of Queen Creek (Queen Creek), located in Maricopa and Pinal Counties, Arizona. The EIS also will analyze wheeling the transferred entitlement through the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and associated changes in place of use, type of use, and points of diversion (Project). The EIS is required by U.S. district court orders. Reclamation is seeking public comments to identify significant issues, effects, or other alternatives to be addressed in the EIS. Reclamation is also requesting relevant information, studies, or analyses with respect to the proposed action alternatives.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 176 (Monday, September 15, 2025)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 176 (Monday, September 15, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44394-44396]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-17743]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[RR03250000; XXXR0680R1; RR.175392PJ.0NEPAAA]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the GSC Farm-Queen Creek Water Transfer Project
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) intends to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) to analyze the environmental
impacts of and potential alternatives to the proposed partial
assignment and transfer of Arizona fourth priority Colorado River water
entitlement from GSC Farm, LLC (GSC Farm), located in La Paz County,
Arizona, to the Town of Queen Creek (Queen Creek), located in Maricopa
and Pinal Counties, Arizona. The EIS also will analyze wheeling the
transferred entitlement through the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and
associated changes in place of use, type of use, and points of
diversion (Project). The EIS is required by U.S. district court orders.
Reclamation is seeking public comments to identify significant issues,
effects, or other alternatives to be addressed in the EIS. Reclamation
is also requesting relevant information, studies, or analyses with
respect to the proposed action alternatives.
DATES: A web-based virtual public scoping meeting will be held on or
after September 30, 2025 to solicit comments on the scope of the EIS
and the issues and alternatives that should be analyzed. Detailed
information for the virtual scoping meeting process will be announced
in advance through press releases, scoping letters distributed via
traditional and electronic mail, postcards, newspaper ads, and the
Project website at: <a href="https://www.gscfarmqckwatertransfer.com">https://www.gscfarmqckwatertransfer.com</a>. At the
time of this publication, the dates and log-in information for the
virtual scoping meeting will be available on the Project website.
Additional opportunities to review project materials and submit
comments will be provided on the Project website (<a href="https://www.gscfarmqckwatertransfer.com">https://www.gscfarmqckwatertransfer.com</a>).
Comments on the scope of the EIS are due October 15, 2025. Comments
should clearly articulate the reviewer's input on the range of
reasonable alternatives and the environmental issues to be analyzed.
Comments received, including names
[[Page 44395]]
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record
for this EIS.
ADDRESSES: Mail written comments on the EIS to the Phoenix Area Office,
Bureau of Reclamation (Attn: GSC-QC Water Transfer EIS), 6150 West
Thunderbird Road, Glendale, AZ 85306. Comments may also be submitted
via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ee8a899c8f94878f8087ae9b9d8c9cc0898198"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="aacecdd8cbd0c3cbc4c3eadfd9c8d884cdc5dc">[email protected]</span></a>, or via the Project website at: <a href="https://www.gscfarmqckwatertransfer.com/">https://www.gscfarmqckwatertransfer.com/</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Dominic Graziani at (623) 773-
6250, or by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ffbf8edfee5f6fef1f6dfeaecfdedb1f8f0e9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1a7e7d687b60737b74735a6f697868347d756c">[email protected]</span></a>. Additional information is
available online at <a href="https://www.gscfarmqckwatertransfer.com/">https://www.gscfarmqckwatertransfer.com/</a>.
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in
the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GSC Farm held an entitlement to an annual
diversion of up to 2,913.3 acre-feet of Arizona fourth-priority lower
Colorado River water for irrigation use within its service area in La
Paz County, Arizona under its Contract for Delivery of Colorado River
Water for Use in Arizona, Contract No. 13-XX-30-W0571, dated December
23, 2013, as amended, with Reclamation. As provided in Contract No. 13-
XX-30-W0571, proposed assignments and transfers of GSC Farm's
entitlement must be approved by Reclamation to be effective.
In December 2018, Queen Creek entered into a Purchase and Transfer
Agreement for Mainstream Colorado River Water Entitlement with GSC Farm
to acquire the GSC Farm Arizona fourth-priority Colorado River water
entitlement held under Contract No. 13-XX-30-W0571. In August 2019, GSC
Farm and Queen Creek submitted to the Arizona Department of Water
Resources (ADWR) a request for consultation for the proposed assignment
and transfer pursuant to A.R.S. sec. 45-107(D). ADWR recommended that
Reclamation approve a transfer volume of 1,078.01 acre-feet per year
(AFY), later revised to 2,033.01 AFY, with GSC Farm retaining 50 AFY
for future consumptive use (69.93 AFY on a diversion basis) on the GSC
Farm lands, and leaving 810.36 AFY of the historical return flow to
remain stored in Lake Mead until released to fulfill the entitlements
of downstream water users.
Consistent with ADWR's recommendation, GSC Farm and Queen Creek
sought Reclamation's approval to partially assign and transfer 2,033.01
AFY of GSC Farm's water entitlement under Contract No. 13-XX-30-W0571
to Queen Creek, reduce GSC Farm's remaining entitlement under Contract
No. 13-XX-30-W0571 to 50 AFY (69.93 AFY on a diversion basis), enter a
wheeling contract allowing transportation of Queen Creek's entitlement
through the CAP, and change to the points of diversion, places of use,
and types of use of GSC Farm's and Queen Creek's entitlements.
Reclamation's approval included the following four contract actions:
(1) Partial Assignment and Transfer of Colorado River Water Under
Contract with GSC Farm, LLC, to The Town of Queen Creek, Contract No.
13-XX-30-W0571, dated April 28, 2023, between GSC Farm and Queen Creek,
and approved by Reclamation; (2) Contract with the Town of Queen Creek
for Delivery of Colorado River Water, Contract No. 20-XX-30-W0689,
dated April 28, 2023, between the United States and Queen Creek; (3)
Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 13-XX-30-W0571, dated April 28, 2023,
between the United States and GSC Farm; and (4) Reclamation Wheeling
Contract to Transport Non-Project Water, Central Arizona Project,
between the United States and Queen Creek, Contract No. 20-XX-W0691,
dated April 28, 2023.
In accordance with the National Environmental Protection Agency
(NEPA) of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190; 42 United States Code 4321 et seq.),
Reclamation published a final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding
of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in July 2022. The water transfer
contracts were executed. Following a legal challenge to the EA and
FONSI, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
ordered Reclamation to prepare an EIS consistent with the Court's
decision. The FONSI and water transfer contracts remain in place
pending the conclusion of the EIS.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
Reclamation's purpose and need for action is to further evaluate
the Project, in compliance with the Court Orders in Mohave County, et
al. v. United States Bureau of Reclamation, et al., Case No. 3:22-CV-
08246-MTL (D. Ariz.), dated February 21, 2024, and August 13, 2024 to
prepare an EIS.
Preliminary Proposed Alternatives
Under the Proposed Action, Reclamation would continue the four
contracts with GSC Farm and Queen Creek, listed above. These contracts
approve the partial assignment and transfer of 2,033.01 AFY from GSC
Farm to Queen Creek, reduce GSC Farm's remaining entitlement under
Contract No. 13-XX-30-W0571 to 50 AFY (69.93 AFY on a diversion basis),
allow wheeling of Queen Creek's entitlement through the CAP, and change
the points of diversion, places of use, and types of use of GSC Farm's
and Queen Creek's entitlements.
As required by NEPA, the EIS will consider the Proposed Action and
technically and economically feasible alternatives, including a No
Action Alternative. Alternatives considered and dismissed would include
those that are not feasible technically or economically or those that
do not meet the purpose and need of the proposal.
Summary of Expected Impacts
A broad range of issues were identified during public scoping for
the EA and four issues were carried forward for analysis in the EA. The
EIS will evaluate issues identified in the EA and any new issues
identified during scoping for this EIS.
Resources that will be evaluated include: biology (including
threatened and endangered species and special status species),
socioeconomics, and prime farmlands. The effects analysis in the EIS
and the range of issues addressed may be expanded or reduced based on
comments received in response to this notice and at the virtual public
scoping meeting.
Statutory Authority and Anticipated Permits
No additional permits or authorizations were identified for the
Proposed Action.
Cooperating Agency Status
Reclamation is the lead Federal agency in the preparation of this
EIS. No cooperating agencies have been identified. If, based on the
Proposed Action, your agency believes it has special expertise or
jurisdiction by law, as defined by NEPA, please respond within 45 days
of the date of publication of this notice to the person listed in the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
Public Disclosure
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time.
[[Page 44396]]
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Schedule for Decision Making Process
A Final EIS is expected to be published in two years or less.
How To Request Reasonable Accommodation
For special assistance during the web-based virtual scoping
meeting, please contact Mr. Dominic Graziani or the TDD line (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice) at least 5-working
days before the meeting. Information regarding this project is
available in alternate formats upon request.
Genevieve Johnson,
Acting Regional Director, Lower Colorado Basin, Bureau of Reclamation.
[FR Doc. 2025-17743 Filed 9-12-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4332-90-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 15, 2025.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.