Arizona senators have introduced legislation that would enable Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) to lease a portion of its federal Colorado River water allocation, benefiting Tribes and providing drought relief for Arizona.
“This legislation comes at a critical time in Arizona as drought conditions worsen,” CRIT Tribal Chairwoman Amelia Flores said. “Thanks to the Tribe’s wise use of resources and conservation, CRIT is able to help Arizona get through this drought, while being fairly compensated for our water. This legislation protects the life of the river, protects Arizona’s fragile groundwater resources and, for the first time in more than 156 years, allows our people to receive the full benefit from our water rights.”
Sens. Mark Kelly (D) and Kyrsten Sinema (D) introduced the Colorado River Indian Tribes Water Resiliency Act, authorizing CRIT to lease water previously used on the reservation for farming purposes for off-reservation use within Arizona. The legislation would enable the Tribes to allocate their water rights to protect natural habitats and provide a short-term water supply for entities experiencing drought or shortages across the state.
“Arizona is dealing with the real-time effects of drought as water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell continue to decline,” said Kelly in a statement. “Our bill will help lessen the impacts of Colorado River drought restrictions in the coming years, while at the same time enabling the Colorado River Indian Tribes full exercise of their water rights.”
According to Flores, CRIT is able to fallow farmland by changing crop patterns on existing agricultural lands and improving water delivery systems.
The Tribes plan to invest part of the revenue from its leases back into its irrigation system to improve water efficiency in its agriculture operations, increasing the amount of water that can be made available for leasing to Arizona communities in future years.
“Our commonsense legislation protects and strengthens Arizona’s water security, while boosting economic opportunities for the Colorado River Indian Tribes,” said Sinema in a statement.
CRIT—containing the Mojave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo Tribes—was created in 1865 by the federal government for “Indians of the Colorado River and its tributaries” on 300,000 acres that stretch along the Colorado River on both the Arizona and California side. CRIT has priority decreed water rights to divert 719,248 acre-feet per year for use. The decreed water rights resulted from the Supreme Court decision in the case of Arizona v. California in 1964.
The CRIT Reservation has been working on this issue for some time, bringing the issue of CRIT voluntarily leasing water to a vote in 2019. Two-thirds of Tribal members approved the resolution for the council to pursue this legislation.
“The (CRIT) communities continue to be trusted partners in reaching resolution to Arizona’s water needs,” said Arizona House Speaker Russell Bowers (R-25). “This legislation provides optional flexibility for the Tribal community and central Arizona water users as we move forward in long-term stability for our state’s future. I sincerely hope that Congress will see the wisdom in allowing these Tribal authorities and their people this additional tool for their economic future.” The legislation was also written in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Water Resources and CRIT. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
