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DEPARTNlENT o. the .TERIOR l-' '. tC r::: t"r': c Bureau of Reclamation Arizona Projects Office P.O. Box 9980 Phoenix, Arizona 85068 s release r'C,C, 0' 85 l.iL \j U 19 ' ...---- ,~ @t) cE",f ;p.1~ p"(,,,f ,,' -- (602) 870-2104 Contact: Robert Walsh COLORADtffi~- CO.ISr.OVfITf[ ,'c' "late Rel ease .'- _.. ecem er 3, 1985 RECLAMATION TO PREPARE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT ON UPPER GILA RIVER WATER SUPPLY PROJECT, CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT The Bureau of Reclamation will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed Upper Gila River Water Supply Project, a feature of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), said Larry Morton, Acting Project Manager of the Arizona Projects Office in Phoenix, Arizona. The Upper Gila River Water Supply Project will provide New Mexico water users with an average annual consumptive use of up to 18,000 acre-feet of CAP water. In addition, the project could include flood control on the Gila River and provide additional recreational opportunities. The Upper Gila River Water Supply Project was authorized for construction in 1968 as part of the Colorado River Basin Project Act. Morton said that five alternatives are being considered for display in the EIS pending the completion of the scoping process. The alternatives include: (1) Conner Dam and Reservoir, (2) Small Conner Dam and Reservoir, (3) direct pumping and offstream storage, (4) Hooker Dam and offstream storage, and (5) no federal action. Morton added that Reclamation's preferred action is not identified at this time because planning studies and public involvement activities are still under way. The preferred action, however, is scheduled to be identified and announced to the public by June 1986. Public meetings on the Upper Gila Water Supply Project were previously held in Silver City and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and in Thatcher, Arizona. An additional meeting is scheduled at Coolidge, Arizona to solicit information from interested public agencies and persons. The meeting will serve as a scoping session to determine significant environmental impacts and issues that should be addressed in the EIS. It will be held on December 10, 1985, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Coolidge Adult Center, 250 South Third Street, Collidge, Arizona. Morton also said that a public information document will be available at the public meetings. Individuals who want to be placed on the mailing list for a copy or who want additional information on the public meetings should contact Joe Smith or June Gibbons, Arizona Projects Office, Bureau of Reclama- tion, P.O. Box 9980, Phoenix, Arizona 85068; telephone (602) 870-2221. 001