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Controversial corporate deal gives Queen Creek more Colorado River water
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An irrigation canal and siphon tubes water an alfalfa field in Arizona.
The drought has forced Arizona communities to take a hard look at their water supplies and plan for the future.
The town of Queen Creek has worked to diversify its water portfolio and is getting ready to bring in additional supplies from the Colorado River.
Under a deal that took five years to negotiate, GSC Farm, LLC, a Delaware-based company, will stop irrigating about 485 acres in La Paz County and sell about 2,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water to Queen Creek, which relies heavily on groundwater.
A number of western Arizona counties said corporate water transfers like this could set a dangerous precedent, and fought the transfer.
In April, Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote that she also has concerns about the practice.
