National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Scoping Process

NEPA requires federal agencies to engage the public during preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Scoping is the process that continues throughout the planning and early stages of EIS preparation. Agencies use scoping to engage various stakeholders, including state, local, and Tribal governments, and the public in the early identification of affected resources, issues to be considered, and potential alternatives.

Scoping Meetings

Three in-person and two virtual public meetings were scheduled during the scoping period. During the scoping period, the public had the opportunity to participate by joining any of the identical meetings or by providing comments through this website.

In-Person Public Scoping Meetings

The in-person public scoping meetings were conducted in an open-house format. At the open houses, participants could visit stations to examine posters, receive information on project components, and speak one-on-one with interdisciplinary team members. The PowerPoint presentation developed for the virtual meetings is available here.

All public open house attendees were be asked to sign in with their names, affiliations, and contact information for the mailing list and project records.

• July 29, 2025, 5:30 – 7:30 PM MST (AZ), Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation area

Fountain Hills Community Center

13001 N La Montana Drive, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268

• July 30, 2025, 5:30 – 7:30 PM MST (AZ), Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community area

Escalante Multi-Generational Center, Multipurpose Room (Senior Center) 

2150 E Orange Street, Tempe, AZ 85281

• July 31, 2025, 5:30 – 7:30 PM MST (AZ), Town of Carefree

Hampton by Hilton Inn Meeting Room

2 Easy Street, Carefree, Arizona 85377

Virtual Public Scoping Meetings

The virtual public scoping meetings were held via Zoom and included a project presentation, a question-and-answer session, and information on how and where to provide scoping comments.

Registration for the virtual public scoping meetings was required.

• July 28, 2025, 5:30 – 7:30 PM MST (AZ), Virtual Meeting on Zoom [Registration required]

• August 1, 2025, [12:00 – 2:00 PM MST (AZ)], Virtual Meeting on Zoom [Registration required]

Previous Station: Preliminary Alternatives

For more information on the VRSMP Feasibility Report and EIS, please visit Reclamation’s project website, or email VRSMP@usbr.gov. If you would like to receive email notifications and updates on the VRSMP, please email VRSMP@usbr.gov with subject line "Add me to Email List."