[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 117 (Wednesday, June 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36578-36579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15280]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary


Central Arizona Project, Arizona; Water Allocations

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of final decision to modify the Secretary of the 
Interior's record of decision.

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SUMMARY: The Department hereby issues notice of its final decision to 
modify the 1983 Central Arizona Project (CAP) Water Allocation Decision 
to delete the mandatory effluent pooling provision. As supported by 
public comment, we now view that provision as an impediment to effluent 
exchanges and effective water management in central Arizona. The 
decision that we are publishing in this notice eliminates the 
requirement for a mandatory effluent pooling provision in CAP water 
service subcontracts. We will grant the requests by the cities of 
Chandler and Mesa to amend their water service subcontracts to remove 
the mandatory effluent pooling provision and we will delete the 
mandatory effluent pooling provision in other CAP municipal and 
industrial water service subcontracts upon request.

DATES: This final decision is effective June 18, 2003 and amends the 
previous allocation decision published by Secretary Watt on March 24, 
1983 (48 FR 12446).

ADDRESSES: To receive a copy of the Final Environmental Assessment and 
responses thereto, contact John McGlothen, NEPA Specialist, Phoenix 
Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 81169, Phoenix, Arizona 
85069, telephone: 602-216-3866.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Nelson, Contracts and Repayment 
Specialist, Phoenix Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, telephone: 
(602) 216-3878.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
I. Previous Notices Related to CAP Water
II. Background
III. Rationale for Final Decision
IV. Comments on the Proposed Modification and Responses
V. Compliance with NEPA

I. Previous Notices Related to CAP Water

    Previous notices related to CAP water were published in the Federal 
Register as 37 FR 28082, Dec. 20, 1972; 40 FR 17297, Apr. 18, 1975; 41 
FR 45883, Oct. 18, 1976; 45 FR 52938, Aug. 8, 1980; 45 FR 81265, Dec. 
10, 1980; 48 FR 12446, Mar. 24, 1983; 56 FR 29704, Jun. 28, 1991; 57 FR 
4470, Feb. 5, 1992; and 57 FR 48388, Oct. 23, 1992. The above listed 
notices and decisions were made pursuant to the authority vested in the 
Secretary by the Reclamation Act of 1902 as amended and supplemented 
(32 Stat. 388, 43 U.S.C. 391), the Boulder Canyon Project Act of 
December 21, 1928 (45 Stat. 1057), the Colorado River Basin Project Act 
of September 30, 1968 (82 Stat. 885, 43 U.S.C. 1501) and in recognition 
of the Secretary's trust responsibility to Indian tribes.

II. Background

    Following the 1983 CAP Water Allocation Decision, the Bureau of 
Reclamation, the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD), 
and each of the non-Indian CAP water allottees desiring CAP water 
entered into three-party water service subcontracts providing for the 
delivery of CAP water. In order to ensure implementation of the 
mandatory effluent pooling provision, municipal and industrial (M&I) 
water service subcontractors who choose to circumvent the effluent 
pooling provision and directly exchange their effluent with Indian 
tribes are subject to a reduction in their entitlement to CAP water 
under their subcontracts by the amount of CAP water received from the 
effluent exchange.
    The Department indicated in the 1983 CAP Water Allocation Decision 
that CAP M&I water allocations could be made more firm by execution of 
feasible non-potable effluent exchanges with Indian tribes. The 1983 
CAP Water Allocation Decision also implemented a pooling provision 
whereby all M&I water service subcontractors share in the benefits of 
effluent exchanges. In a time of shortage of CAP water under the 
effluent pooling provision, the additional CAP water made available as 
a result of any effluent exchanges with Indian tribes would be shared 
by all M&I subcontractors, thereby reducing the amount of shortage for 
each subcontractor. The pooling provision was included in the CAP M&I 
water service subcontracts.
    The 1983 CAP Water Allocation Decision also provided that the 
Department could require Indian tribes located in close proximity to 
metropolitan areas to take delivery of effluent in lieu of CAP water. 
This requirement was eliminated by a Secretarial decision published in 
the Federal Register on October 23, 1992, so that any effluent 
exchanges involving Indian tribes would occur on a voluntary basis.
    The major cities in Maricopa County, which are the sources of most 
of the exchangeable effluent, prefer to exchange effluent on their own, 
incur all related treatment and transportation expenses, and receive 
any benefits from the exchange.
    The notice of proposed modification of the Secretary of the 
Interior's Record of Decision to remove the mandatory effluent pooling 
provision and request for comments was published in the Federal 
Register (67 FR 38514, June 4, 2002). Implementation of the proposed 
modification was the only option presented.

III. Rationale for Final Decision

    The Department favors elimination of the mandatory effluent pooling 
provision from the 1983 CAP Water Allocation Decision for the following 
reasons:
    (1) In response to public comments submitted by the City of Phoenix 
in 1992 concerning the mandatory effluent pooling provision, the 
Department committed to re-evaluate this provision at a later date 
after consultation with the Arizona Department of Water Resources 
(ADWR) (see 57 FR 48389, Oct. 23, 1992). In part, the City of Phoenix 
stated ``* * * The City of Phoenix agrees with the reasons for deleting 
the mandatory substitute water provision from the Indian CAP Contracts 
and believes that it is equally important to remove the provision from 
CAP M&I subcontracts that would penalize a subcontractor for entering 
into a direct effluent exchange with an Indian Community for CAP 
water.'' The Department acknowledged the City of Phoenix's concerns 
that the provisions of the effluent exchange article in the CAP M&I 
water service subcontracts may no longer be critical to the management 
of water supplies in central Arizona.
    (2) The mandatory effluent pooling provision removes any incentive 
for a municipality to exchange effluent with an Indian tribe. The 
Department believes that effluent producing entities, Indian tribes, 
the State of Arizona, and other local organizations should be free to 
pursue local water management decisions that are in the best interest 
of the local economies, and that they should not be constrained in such 
water management decisions by the mandatory effluent pooling provision.
    (3) ADWR now supports removing the mandatory effluent pooling 
provision from the 1983 CAP Water Allocation Decision and the CAP M&I 
water service subcontracts.
    (4) CAWCD, as a party to the CAP M&I water service subcontracts, 
does not object to deletion of the mandatory

[[Page 36579]]

effluent pooling provision from the subcontracts.
    (5) The Department is aware of two pending effluent exchange 
agreements that require Departmental approval. The cities of Chandler 
and Mesa each have a proposed effluent exchange agreement with the Gila 
River Indian Community (GRIC). The benefits resulting from the proposed 
exchanges to the cities and GRIC will not occur unless and until the 
mandatory effluent provision is removed from the cities' CAP water 
service subcontracts.
    (6) The Department received four responses to the proposed action 
during the Federal Register notice public comment period. Each 
respondent provided rationale and recommendations that support the 
option of modifying the Secretary's Record of Decision to remove the 
mandatory effluent pooling provision. The Department received no 
objections to this proposed action.

IV. Comments on the Proposed Modification and Responses

(1) Salt River Project, July 5, 2002

    Comment 1-1: ``SRP agrees with the Department's determination that 
the mandatory effluent pooling provision is an impediment to effluent 
exchanges and effective water management in central Arizona. For 
example, without the modification the cities of Chandler and Mesa will 
not be able to undertake effluent-CAP water exchanges pursuant to the 
Reclaimed Water Exchange Agreement portion of the Gila River Indian 
Community Settlement.''
    Response 1-1: SRP's expression of support for the Department's 
proposal is noted.

(2) City of Phoenix, July 5, 2002

    Comment 1-2: ``The City of Phoenix has long supported the removal 
of that sentence. In 1982 the City sent two letters to then Secretary 
of the Interior James Watt asking that the mandatory effluent exchange 
pooling concept be eliminated from the Secretary's proposed allocation 
decision. We maintained then that the inclusion of such a provision 
would serve to inhibit future exchanges which would otherwise be 
mutually beneficial to the exchanging parties * * *. We are pleased 
that you are now proposing to eliminate the mandatory effluent exchange 
pooling requirement from both the Secretary's record of decision and 
also from the CAP M&I subcontracts.''
    Response 1-2: The City of Phoenix position has remained consistent 
throughout the period following the Secretary's decision. It has been 
instrumental in spurring the Department's investigation of the issues 
arising from the mandatory effluent exchange provision.

(3) City of Chandler, July 3, 2002

    Comment 1-3: ``The City of Chandler, Arizona submits this letter in 
support of the proposed modification of the Secretary of Interior's 
March, 1983 Record of Decision, which deletes the mandatory effluent 
pooling provision from Central Arizona Project (``CAP'') water service 
contracts. This provision, and the related M&I subcontracts' effluent 
exchanges restriction, prevent municipalities from exchanging effluent 
for CAP water held by Indian communities. The proposed modification 
encourages better water management, and will allow for a necessary 
effluent exchange as part of the Gila River Indian Community water 
rights settlement.''
    Response 1-3: The Department acknowledges the City of Chandler's 
statements of support for the Secretary's proposed modification of the 
1983 Record of Decision. It also notes that Chandler's position 
supports and is consistent with its formal request for an amendment of 
its CAP water service contract to remove the mandatory effluent pooling 
provision, which is pending.

(4) City of Mesa, June 17, 2002

    Comment 1-4: ``The City of Mesa fully supports the Department's 
proposal to modify the 1983 Central Arizona Project (CAP) Water 
Allocation Decision to delete the mandatory effluent pooling provision. 
We agree with Department's determination that the mandatory effluent 
pooling provision is an impediment to effluent exchanges and effective 
water management in central Arizona. * * * The City of Mesa intends to 
enter into an effluent exchange agreement with the Gila River Indian 
Community (GRIC) through the proposed GRIC water rights settlement. The 
benefits resulting from the proposed exchanges to Mesa and GRIC will 
not occur unless and until the mandatory effluent provision is removed 
from Mesa's CAP water service subcontracts * * * We urge the Secretary 
to amend Mesa's CAP water service subcontracts to delete the mandatory 
effluent pooling provision.''
    Response 1-4: The Department acknowledges and accepts the City of 
Mesa's statements of support for the Secretary's proposed modification 
of the 1983 Record of Decision. Its comments are consistent with its 
formal request for an amendment of its CAP water service contract to 
remove the mandatory effluent pooling provision, which is pending.

V. Compliance With NEPA

    The Department has completed a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) 
on the impact of modifying the 1983 CAP Water Allocation Decision to 
delete the mandatory effluent pooling provision. The Final EA resulted 
in a ``Finding of No Significant Impact'' (FONSI) to the human 
environment and was signed August 5, 2002 by Reclamation's Phoenix Area 
Office Manager, Phoenix, Arizona.

Final Decision

    The following sentence is hereby deleted from the 1983 CAP Water 
Allocation Decision (March 24, 1983, 48 FR 12447): ``This allocation is 
subject to adoption of a pooling concept whereby all M&I allottees 
share in the benefits of effluent exchanges.''

    Dated: May 14, 2003.
Gale A. Norton,
Secretary of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 03-15280 Filed 6-17-03; 8:45 am]
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