[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27347-27349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12575]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR03510000, XXXR0680R1, RR171260120019400]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, 
New Mexico Unit of the Central Arizona Project; Catron, Grant, and 
Hidalgo Counties, New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), as the lead Federal 
agency, and the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC), as joint 
lead agency, intend to gather information necessary for preparing an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the effects of the 
construction and operation of a New Mexico Unit (NM Unit) of the 
Central Arizona Project (CAP). Reclamation and the ISC will work with 
land owners that may be impacted by construction and operation of the 
NM Unit. Reclamation and the ISC will evaluate and disclose the 
potential environmental effects on these lands to determine consistency 
with any applicable land use plans or other guiding documents. This 
notice also opens public scoping to identify potential issues, 
concerns, and alternatives to be considered in the EIS.

DATES: Comments on the scope of the EIS are due 30 days after 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
    Eight public scoping meetings will be held to solicit comments on 
the scope of the EIS and the issues and alternatives that should be 
analyzed. The dates and locations of the scoping meetings will be 
announced at least 15 days in advance through local media, newspapers, 
and the project website at: https://www.nmuniteis.com. At the time of 
this publication, the dates and locations of the scoping meetings will 
be on the project website.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on the scope of the EIS to the Phoenix 
Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation (ATTN: NM Unit EIS), 6150 West 
Thunderbird Road, Glendale, Arizona 85306, or by email to 
[email protected]. If emailing comments, please use ``NM Unit EIS'' 
as the subject of your email.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Sean Heath at (623) 773-6250, or 
by email at [email protected]. Additional information is available 
online at https://www.nmuniteis.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4231-4347; the Council 
on Environmental Quality's Regulations for Implementing the Procedural 
Provisions of NEPA, 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508; and the Department 
of the Interior's regulations, 43 CFR part 46, Reclamation and the ISC, 
as joint lead agencies, intend to prepare an EIS on the NM Unit of the 
CAP. The Proposed Action would develop a NM Unit of the CAP to permit 
the consumptive use of Gila River water, diverted in accordance with 
the Consumptive Use and Forbearance Agreement (CUFA), and pursuant to 
the terms of the Arizona Water Settlements Act, Public Law 108-451 
(AWSA).

Background

    The Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968, Public Law 90-537, 43 
U.S.C. Ch. 32, as amended by the AWSA, authorizes the Secretary of the 
Interior (Secretary) to contract with water users in New Mexico for 
water from the Gila River, its tributaries and underground

[[Page 27348]]

water sources. New Mexico may divert, in any period of 10 consecutive 
years, up to an annual average of 14,000 acre-feet, including a maximum 
of 4,000 acre-feet per year that may be diverted from the San Francisco 
River pursuant to the CUFA and the NM Unit Agreement. Use of this water 
under the AWSA is conditioned on satisfying a variety of laws and 
agreements related to its use in New Mexico and Arizona. These laws and 
agreements generally require that additional CAP water be delivered to 
the downstream users in Arizona to replace diversions in New Mexico 
under the AWSA and the CUFA.
    A NM Unit is the infrastructure that would divert Gila River water 
in New Mexico for this purpose. The AWSA contains specific requirements 
for the Secretary regarding the possible construction, operation, and 
maintenance of a NM Unit on the Gila River.
    The Secretary is authorized to design, build, operate, and maintain 
a NM Unit. A NM Unit is defined in the New Mexico Unit Agreement, which 
the Secretary executed on November 23, 2015. The Secretary is directed 
to carry out all necessary environmental compliance required by Federal 
law in implementing the CUFA and the New Mexico Unit Agreement. 
Reclamation and the ISC are the joint lead agencies for environmental 
compliance regarding the Unit pursuant to Section 212(h) of the AWSA.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to develop a NM Unit of the 
CAP to allow for consumptive use of water from the Gila River, its 
tributaries or underground water sources in southwestern New Mexico, 
diverted in accordance with the CUFA, and pursuant to the terms of the 
AWSA. The water developed via a NM Unit pursuant to the AWSA and the 
CUFA is for the benefit of the New Mexico CAP Entity.
    The needs for the Proposed Action are as follows: (a) To develop 
water for delivery at the times, locations, and in quantities that will 
improve agricultural use within the Cliff-Gila, Virden, and/or San 
Francisco River valleys; and (b) to provide capability for future 
expansion for the beneficial purposes authorized by the Colorado River 
Basin Project Act of 1968 and the AWSA. The Proposed Action identified 
in this EIS is needed for agricultural use and does not include or 
preclude the independent development of subsequent projects to address 
these future needs; however, future projects involving water developed 
pursuant to the AWSA and the CUFA will be subject to all environmental 
compliance required by law.
    Reclamation has concluded that an EIS is required for the proposed 
project, pursuant to the statutory requirements of the AWSA. The EIS 
will evaluate direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of the Proposed 
Action. In addition, the EIS will include a No Action alternative. For 
purposes of analysis and scoping, the No Action alternative represents 
the conditions that exist in the absence of the Federal action. It will 
provide the basis for comparison with the Proposed Action that includes 
the construction and operation of a NM Unit.

Proposed Action

    The NM Unit would be a water diversion, storage, conveyance, and 
delivery system for agricultural use and to provide capability for 
future expansion for other beneficial purposes as authorized by the 
Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968 and the AWSA. The study area 
for the EIS comprises portions of Catron, Grant, and Hidalgo counties 
in southwest New Mexico. The Project would divert AWSA water from the 
Gila River or its tributaries in New Mexico pursuant to the provisions 
of the AWSA and the CUFA, convey it for storage in off-stream storage 
sites in the Upper Gila Valley, along the San Francisco River and in 
the Virden Valley, and deliver it to the target water users. The 
Proposed Action would only use a portion of the 14,000 acre-feet 
allowed under the AWSA, while not precluding the future development of 
the full amount. The exact amounts of water that would be diverted are 
unknown at this time and will be determined as the Proposed Action is 
refined prior to the publication of the Draft EIS. The Proposed Action 
includes diverting, conveying, and storing other water rights, except 
for Globe Equity water rights. Possible components of the NM Unit 
include the following:
     A surface water diversion structure on the Gila River, in 
the Cliff-Gila Valley;
     Storage ponds in the Gila River floodplain and in a side 
drainage of the Cliff-Gila Valley, providing approximately 4,000 acre-
feet of storage;
     Aquifer storage with recovery wells in the Cliff-Gila 
Valley;
     Gravity flow and pumped delivery of diverted water to 
storage facilities in the Cliff-Gila Valley;
     Pumping facilities associated with delivery of stored 
water in the Cliff-Gila Valley;
     Ditch improvements, including increased capacity and 
lining of about one-third of existing ditches in the Cliff-Gila Valley;
     Surface storage ponds in the Gila River floodplain or side 
channels, providing approximately 500 acre-feet of storage in the 
Virden Valley;
     Improvements to existing ditches for water conveyance in 
the Virden Valley;
     Pumping facilities associated with delivery of stored 
water in the Virden Valley;
     A surface water diversion structure on the San Francisco 
River, near Alma;
     Pumping facility for delivery of diverted water to the 
proposed reservoir near Alma;
     Conveyance (i.e., open ditch, box culvert, or pipeline) 
construction and improvements to existing ditches for water conveyance 
from a proposed diversion on the San Francisco River;
     Construction of an approximately 1,900 acre-foot off-
stream reservoir near Alma, to store water diverted from the San 
Francisco River;
     Construction of water conveyance facilities from the 
reservoir to points of use.
    Reclamation and the ISC will use the public scoping period, 
previous studies, and stakeholder input to fully identify the range of 
potentially significant issues, actions, alternatives, and impacts to 
be considered in the EIS.
    Resource areas analyzed in the EIS may include air quality; 
cultural resources; geology and soils; hazardous substances and waste; 
land use; noise; socioeconomics; recreation; utilities and 
infrastructure; vegetation; water; wetlands and floodplains; fisheries 
and wildlife; and special status species. The range of issues and 
alternatives addressed in the EIS may be expanded or reduced based on 
comments received in response to this notice and at the public scoping 
meetings. Additional information is available by contacting the person 
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

Principles, Requirements, and Guidelines

    As part of the environmental analysis process, the Federal 
Principles, Requirements, and Guidelines for Water and Land Related 
Resources Implementation Studies (PR&Gs) will be applied to examine the 
various technical, economic, hydrologic, recreation and ecosystem 
services considerations of each alternative, as well as a No Action 
alternative. The requirements of a PR&G analysis are unique to that 
process and are not included in the Council of Environmental Quality or 
Department of

[[Page 27349]]

the Interior NEPA implementing regulations. Additional information 
regarding the PR&Gs is available online at the website provided in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

Cooperating Agency Status

    If, based on the Proposed Action, your agency believes it has 
special expertise or jurisdiction by law, as defined in 40 CFR 1508.15 
and 1508.26, please respond within 30 days of the date of publication 
of this notice to the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this notice.

Special Assistance for Public Scoping Meetings

    If special assistance is required at the scoping meetings, please 
contact Mr. Sean Heath at (623) 773-6250, or email your assistance 
needs to [email protected], along with your name and telephone 
number. Please indicate your needs at least two 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 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. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: June 7, 2018.
Terrance J. Fulp,
Regional Director, Lower Colorado Region.
[FR Doc. 2018-12575 Filed 6-11-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4332-90-P