A request for comment on Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Post-2026 Operational Guidelines and Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead – 91 FR 2131 was sent yesterday to the United States Bureau of Reclamation.
I am writing to voice my profound concerns regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Post 2026 Operational Guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, and the detrimental impacts the proposed alternatives would have on my community.
The Colorado River is critical to sustaining the Town of Gilbert and all of Central and Southern Arizona. Colorado River water, delivered through the Central Arizona Project (CAP), is the lifeline that supports our homes, schools, parks, and businesses. Gilbert is the third-largest municipality in the Greater Phoenix area and continues to be one of the fastest-growing communities in Arizona, with a population exceeding 290,000. Gilbert’s thriving economy is anchored by significant employers in industries including healthcare and life sciences, clean technology, aerospace and defense, advanced business services, information and communications technology, optics, and education.
Reliable water supplies are not optional for these sectors; they are foundational. CAP reductions of the magnitude contemplated in the DEIS would jeopardize business operations, threaten jobs, and undermine billions of dollars in public and private investment across our region. The DEIS does not adequately analyze the full socioeconomic impacts on Arizona and the Nation.
Over the past several years, Gilbert has made extraordinary financial commitments to ensure water resilience. The Town has invested and committed more than $800 million in infrastructure, including new wells, treatment upgrades, expanded recharge, and advanced metering technology. These efforts have been supported by substantial rate increases for residents and businesses from 2024 through 2026. Our community has stretched to do its part. The DEIS fails to acknowledge these efforts or evaluate the additional, untenable burdens the proposed alternatives would impose. Any post-2026 framework must equitably account for reductions already borne by Arizona water users.
Our community relies heavily on Colorado River water to meet existing municipal, industrial, and economic needs. Historically, Colorado River water delivered through CAP has represented roughly half of Gilbert’s annual water portfolio. The DEIS threatens to cut off Gilbert from this critical water supply while shifting a disproportionate share of the shortage reductions onto Arizona water users. These arbitrary and dangerous cuts to Arizona are unacceptable.
In addition, the DEIS alternatives depart from the framework established under the Colorado River Compact, the Boulder Canyon Project Act, and subsequent agreements that allocate water among the Basin states.
The DEIS does not provide the “hard look” at environmental consequences required by law and threatens to impose unconscionable devastation on the State of Arizona and its people. We urge Reclamation to withdraw this defective DEIS and reissue a document that complies with the law.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Sarah Watts, Gilbert Chamber of Commerce President / CEO