The Bureau of Reclamation as the lead Federal agency, with the White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as cooperating agencies, has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts from the proposed WMAT Rural Water System Project.

The proposed action follows from the WMAT Water Rights Quantification Act whereby the United States Congress authorized and directed Reclamation to plan, design, and construct the WMAT Rural Water System (also known as the Miner Flat Dam Project) to divert, store, and distribute water from the North Fork of the White River for the use and benefit of the WMAT.

The Draft EIS is now available for a 45-day public review period (July 29, 2022 – Sept 12, 2022). Reclamation, WMAT, BIA, and USACE hosted a virtual public meeting to present an overview of the project and provide an opportunity for public comment. The meeting was broadcast in a virtual format using the Facebook Live and YouTube platforms on August 27, 2022 at 10 AM MST. Presentations were made by WMAT and Reclamation on the proposed action, including a summary of the alternatives analyzed in the Draft EIS and a review of the environmental analysis.

All links to view a recording of the virtual meeting and review additional information needed to provide comments on the Public Draft EIS are included on this page.