Cibola National Wildlife Refuge
By John Gutekunst | Parker Pioneer
The La Paz County Supervisors have approved entering into a Joint Representation Agreement with Mohave County for a lawsuit to block the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from transferring water from the Colorado River to the town of Queen Creek, Ariz. At the board’s Dec. 19 meeting, they Supervisors limited the county’s financial contribution to the costs at $25,000.
In her summary of the situation on the official description of the matter, County Administrator Megan Spielman noted the Supervisors voted Oct. 3, 2022 to name La Paz County as an additional plaintiff to Mohave County’s suit to block the transfer of fourth-priority Colorado River water from Cibola, Ariz. to Queen Creek. There are two other plaintiffs who have joined the case: the City of Yuma and Yuma County.
Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Thomas Buschatzke recommended Sept. 4, 2020 the U.S. Department of the Interior approve the transfer. One of the claims of the plaintiffs is the environmental assessment that led to this recommendation was not done properly.
