Ruben Gallego

09/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/26/2024 09:18

Gallego, Governor Lewis Announce $107 Million is Coming to Gila River Indian Community for Colorado River Conservation

September 25, 2024

Gallego, Governor Lewis Announce $107 Million is Coming to Gila River Indian Community for Colorado River Conservation

WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) and Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) Governor Stephen Roe Lewis announced that $107 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act is coming to GRIC for three Colorado River conservation projects.

"Arizona's tribes are critical partners in securing our water future," said Rep. Gallego. "That's why I'm proud to announce this funding, which I helped secure, to support the Gila River Indian Community and conserve Colorado River water."

"We are very excited to be finalizing our agreements for these three major infrastructure improvements, which will have major benefits not just for the Community, but for the entire region," said Gov. Lewis. "Each one of these projects will allow us to use our water more efficiently on our farms, with annual savings in water of over 7,400 acre-feet per year. Because we are the largest entitlement holder of Colorado River water delivered through the CAP canal, our savings can readily translate into major reductions in our use of Colorado River water, which will add to the 1 million acre-feet of our water that we have already left in Lake Mead for the benefit of the system."

The funding announced today is expected to conserve of over 73,000 acre-feet of water over the next 10 years. The funding will be split among the following three projects:

  • $64 million to replace and upgrade irrigation systems on Gila River Farms.

  • $26 million to concrete line over 7.5 miles of earthen canals in the Blackwater area.

  • $17 million to construct a regulating reservoir to capture flows that are currently being spilled from the Santan Canal when too much water is accidentally ordered or delivered into the system.

Gov. Lewis added that the projects are ready to go, reaffirming to the significance of today's announcement.

"We will begin construction on two of these projects in early October and on the third in early November," he explained. " All the projects will be completed prior to the Post-2026 Guidelines, which will undoubtedly hit the State of Arizona very hard. These savings will help us all weather those anticipated cuts, and also put us in a position of ensuring we use every drop of our water most efficiently.

The entire Gila River Indian Community is appreciative of the role that Cong. Gallego and the Arizona delegation played in ensuring that drought and water conservation funding were included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act."

You can learn more about Rep. Gallego's work on water in his report: Securing Arizona's Water Future.