Queen Creek town officials celebrated Wednesday as the East Valley suburb begins receiving a share of the Colorado River water, five years after the purchase was greenlit.
The town will receive 2,033 acre-feet of water each year from the Colorado River, the fourth highest priority.
The water that was used to irrigate 485 acres of farmland in Cibola, eastern Arizona, will now supply approximately 6,100 homes in Queen Creek.
Queen Creek made a one-time payment of $24 million to GSC Farm LLC for annual rights.
“We have made a strategic decision to reduce our reliance on groundwater in a cost-effective manner for our residents and future generations,” Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley said at a press conference Wednesday.
Mojave, La Paz, Yuma counties and the city of Yuma filed complaints with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in December following the controversial water rights deal. The right called for the court to declare that the ministry “violated the (National Environmental Policy Act) and the (Administrative Procedures Act)” and that the final environmental assessment “did not rigorously consider the environmental impact of the transfer.”
The Arizona federal district court has ruled that Mojave and La Paz counties are ineligible to sue, town public utility director Paul Gardner told the Arizona Republic. Yuma County and the city of Yuma may continue to file complaints, but it won’t affect Queen Creek’s ability to receive water quotas, he said.
Water is supplied through the Central Arizona Project Canal, which runs along the eastern boundary of the town. Gardner said the town’s proximity to CAP’s canal system makes it easier to promote such water deals.
Cibola’s water transfer is the first step in the City of Queen Creek’s strategy to reduce its reliance on groundwater and become a designated water supplier by 2030. To receive that designation, the town will be able to prove it can supply new developments with 100 years of water, instead of requiring each developer to apply for its own Water Guarantee Certificate.
The designation became important for cities like Queen Creek after Governor Katie Hobbs announced that the Arizona Department of Water Resources would not issue certificates of secure water supply to developments that rely solely on groundwater.
Queen Creek, which covers 70 square miles and is about 70% built, has 92% of the land with water certificates, Gardner told the Arizona Republic in June.
“The town continues to evaluate additional renewable supplies, including Hulkuahala water, and is participating in research to raise the Bartlett Dam. Water is a finite resource and we will continue to do our part to diversify our supply,” he said.
The Hulkuahala Groundwater Basin is an untapped source of water west of Phoenix. Both Buckeye and Queen Creek are seeking state approval to pump water from their aquifers.
The City of Queen Creek is also in the process of obtaining permits and beginning construction of three new recharge facilities to pump treated wastewater back into the aquifer.
Gardner has worked for the town’s water company since it was founded in 1985, growing from 500 customers to more than 40,000. Queen Creek has over 66,000 inhabitants, but it is estimated that he will reach 125,000 when the town is fully developed.
Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa and Gilbert. maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. follow her on her twitter @maritzacdom.
