News Release Archive

Bureau of Reclamation to issue FONSI on Proposed Transfer of CAP Water from Flowing Wells Irrigation District to the Town of Marana

Media Contact: Patricia Cox , (623) 773-6214 , pacox@usbr.gov
Sandy Eto , seto@usbr.gov

For Release: August 26, 2009

Reclamation is issuing an Environmental Assessment on a proposed plan to transfer 1,481 acre-feet annually (AFA) of Central Arizona Project water from Flowing Wells Irrigation District to the Town of Marana in Pima County, Ariz.

The proposed transfer would amend Marana's current CAP water service contract from its existing allocation of 47 AFA to 1,528 AFA. Flowing Well's subcontract would be amended to reduce its allocation, which has never been used, by 1,481 AFA. Marana's utilities department will use the additional CAP water to reduce its dependency on groundwater and to fulfill Marana's replenishment obligations under the Arizona Groundwater Management Act. In the foreseeable future, Marana would recharge this additional CAP water in the Lower Santa Cruz Recharge Project.

The EA determined that no new facilities needed to be constructed and no land-disturbing activities will occur as a direct result of approval of this transfer; therefore, Reclamation has made a preliminary determination that a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate for this proposed transfer, and an environmental impact statement does not need to be prepared.

Public comments will be considered on both the EA and the draft FONSI prior to making a final decision regarding the proposed transfer. The EA and a draft FONSI are available for public review on Reclamation's Phoenix Area Office website, www.usbr.gov/lc/phoenix. A hard copy or CD version of the EA also may be obtained by calling the Environmental Resource Management Division at (623) 773-6251, or by e-mailing rkonst@usbr.gov.

Please mail your comments to Ms. Sandra Eto, Bureau of Reclamation, PXAO-1500, 6150 W. Thunderbird Rd., Glendale, Ariz. 85306-4001, or via electronic mail to seto@usbr.gov, or by fax to 623-773-6486, no later than September 30, 2009.

# # #

The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.