The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday released a draft environmental impact assessment for a warehouse in Surprise, Arizona, that is slated to be converted into an ICE detention center. The document does not identify any significant negative environmental impact.
According to the draft assessment, the facility would house up to 1,500 detainees and about 676 employees working three shifts a day. The building is located near Dysart Road and Sweetwater Drive. The document is 81 pages long and was written by consultants working under contract for GardaWorld Federal Services.
The assessment covers air quality, noise and road traffic, among other topics. Much of it focuses on water demand. The facility is estimated to use an average of about 190,000 gallons of water per day (about 719,000 liters). The building was designed for consumption of about 63,000 gallons. According to the document, the city of Surprise would have to drill a new well about five years earlier than it had planned and change its planned expansion of an arsenic removal system.
The draft also anticipates that the facility could increase the number of calls for police, fire and emergency medical services. If there were an accident at the neighboring chemical company Rinchem, the document says, detainees would remain inside the building, which has a closed ventilation system. The assessment states that Rinchem has had no reported violations or chemical leaks.
The assessment was prepared under an agreement between DHS and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes that was approved in court. In it, DHS committed not to convert the building until the environmental assessment is finalized. The attorney general’s office said it is still reviewing the document and has no comment on it. The city of Surprise is also reviewing the draft.
Councilman Chris Judd, whose district includes the site, said the matter creates many problems for the city because the community opposes the project. He also noted that the decision to establish the facility is not the city’s to make. Critics argue that the assessment is not thorough enough.
The documents are available at dhs.gov/publication/surprise-immigration-processing-center. A 30-day public comment period is under way. Comments can be sent to ICESustainability@ice.dhs.gov with “Surprise, AZ Comments” in the subject line. DHS says it will take them into account in the final version of the assessment.
Source: AZFamily
KN
