[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 168 (Tuesday, August 31, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53332-53333]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-21642]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


San Carlos Irrigation Project, Arizona

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and notice of public scoping meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, 
announces its intent to prepare an EIS pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, on the rehabilitation of 
San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP) water delivery facilities near the 
communities of Casa Grande, Coolidge, and Florence in Pinal County, 
Arizona. SCIP canals convey irrigation water from the Gila River and 
Central Arizona Project (CAP) to agricultural lands in the San Carlos 
Irrigation and Drainage District (SCIDD) and Gila River Indian 
Community.
    The EIS will evaluate alternatives for rehabilitation of existing 
facilities and construction of new facilities to meet the objectives of 
the Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Agreement, as 
amended, pursuant to Title II of the Arizona Water Settlements Act of 
2004 (Pub. L. 108-451).

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS will be accepted until 
October 18, 2010.
    A scoping meeting will be held to solicit public input on the scope 
of the environmental document, alternatives, concerns, and issues to be 
addressed in the EIS. The scoping meeting will be a 4-hour open house. 
The meeting will be held on Saturday, September 18, 2010, 10 a.m.-2 
p.m., Coolidge, Arizona.

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be held at the Coolidge 
Police Department, City Council Chambers, 911 South Arizona Boulevard, 
Coolidge, Arizona.
    Send written comments on the scope of the EIS to Mr. John 
McGlothlen, Bureau of Reclamation, 6150 West Thunderbird Road, 
Glendale, Arizona 85306; or e-mail at [email protected].
    Those not desiring to submit comments or suggestions at this time, 
but who would like to receive a copy of the Scoping Notice and/or EIS, 
should write to the address given above. Scoping information will also 
be available on Reclamation's Phoenix Area Office Web site at http://www.usbr.gov/lc/phoenix.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John McGlothlen at 623-773-6256, 
or e-mail at [email protected].

[[Page 53333]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The purpose of the proposed action is to conserve water, reduce 
maintenance requirements and associated costs, and improve service to 
SCIDD and Gila River Indian Community lands. The SCIP system has more 
than 95 miles of main canals that are unlined, and water losses from 
infiltration and evapotranspiration are significant. The long length 
and large cross section of the canal system relative to the service 
area, combined with the system's age, make operating and maintaining 
the facilities challenging. Rehabilitation and modernization of canals 
will conserve water and reduce maintenance requirements by shortening 
the length of the conveyance system needed to serve SCIDD and Gila 
River Indian Community lands. In addition, provisions for increased 
storage and modernized measurement and control will improve service to 
customers while providing additional avenues for water conservation.
    The proposed action includes the reconstruction and lining of major 
canals, such as the Florence-Casa Grande, Casa Grande, and North Side 
canals, and construction of new check structures and cross-drainage 
features. The existing Florence Canal and Florence-Casa Grande Canal 
Extension would be converted to drainage and recharge channels to 
protect rehabilitated canals and associated project lands. These 
conversions would reduce the size of the main water delivery system and 
reduce maintenance requirements. A new canal would be constructed to 
connect the rehabilitated Florence-Casa Grande Canal with the 
rehabilitated Casa Grande Canal. The project would also include 
relocating laterals or placing short reaches of laterals in pipeline to 
accommodate changes in land use within the SCIDD service area.
    Alternatives currently under consideration include:
     Construction and repair of wells adjacent to the North 
Side Canal to allow delivery of a combination of groundwater and Gila 
River water to the SCIDD service area.
     Construction and repair of wells adjacent to the North 
Side Canal to allow delivery of only groundwater to the SCIDD service 
area.
     Implementation of an exchange agreement between SCIDD and 
the Central Arizona Water Conservation District to allow delivery of 
CAP water to rehabilitated North Side Canal facilities through proposed 
interties with the CAP Aqueduct. The exchange agreement would also 
allow flexibility during rehabilitation of the Florence-Casa Grande 
Canal and facilitate long-term operational reliability of the SCIP 
system.
     Construction of mid-system and lower-system reservoirs to 
store irrigation water. Sites presently under consideration may also 
afford suitable conditions for hydropower generation.
    A portion of the water that is conserved from lining SCIP canals 
would be made available to the Secretary of the Interior for exchange 
with water stored in the San Carlos Reservoir to maintain a permanent 
minimum pool in the reservoir for fish and wildlife. Water that is 
exchanged for this purpose would be retained in the San Carlos 
Reservoir and not released to the Gila River.
    Indian trust assets associated with the proposed action consist of 
Gila River water conveyed through SCIP facilities to the Gila River 
Indian Community and conserved water that is retained in the San Carlos 
Reservoir to maintain a minimum pool.

Special Assistance for Public Scoping Meeting

    If special assistance is required at the scoping meeting, please 
contact Ms. Jessie Haragara at 623-773-6251, or e-mail at 
[email protected]. Please notify Ms. Haragara at least 2 weeks in 
advance of the meeting to enable Reclamation to secure the needed 
services. If a request cannot be honored, the requestor will be 
notified.

Public Disclosure

    Before including your name, address, phone number, e-mail 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. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal indentifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: August 25, 2010.
Lorri Gray-Lee,
Regional Director, Lower Colorado Region.
[FR Doc. 2010-21642 Filed 8-30-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P