Reclamation has issued an Environmental Assessment and a draft Finding of No Significant Impact on the Central Arizona Water Conservation District's proposed Superstition Mountains Recharge Project in Pinal County, Arizona. The proposed project will be constructed on Reclamation-owned land acquired for the Central Arizona Project and State trust lands. It includes eventual use of 157 acres of recharge basin to recharge up to 56,500 acre-feet of CAP water annually.

Initially, two 20-acre recharge basins located on the Reclamation-owned land will allow recharge of 25,000 acre-feet annually. It is not known at this time when the state trust lands will become available for the project; however, the EA and FONSI were prepared for the completed proposed project.

The EA describes the existing affected environment and anticipated environmental impacts. Based upon the EA, Reclamation has made a preliminary determination that Reclamation's approval regarding use of CAP land for the SMRP will not result in significant impacts, that a FONSI is appropriate, and an environmental impact statement does not need to be prepared. 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, Environmental Resource Management Division, at the above address, Attention PXAO-1500, or via electronic mail to seto@usbr.gov, or send a faxogram to 623-773-6486, no later than November 30, 2009.

Questions should be directed to Ms. Eto at 623-773-6254.