Saving water:
Phoenix, Gila River community, federal agencies agree
The Phoenix City Council unanimously approves an agreement on water conservation with the Gila River Indian Community and federal agencies on Tuesday to finalize a plan that will help stretch supplies on the Colorado River.
The Phoenix City Council unanimously approved a water-conservation agreement with the Gila River Indian Community and federal agencies on Tuesday, finalizing a plan that will help stretch supplies on the Colorado River.
To stem falling water levels and help prevent a shortage, the Gila River Indian Community will leave 40,000 acre-feet of its river allocation in Lake Mead. In exchange, the city of Phoenix, state of Arizona and Bureau of Reclamation will each pay the tribe $2 million. The Walton Family Foundation will contribute $1 million.
The tribe’s water contribution is equivalent to 13 billion gallons of water, which equals 35 percent of Phoenix’s annual consumer use.
City and Gila River officials say it is the first agreement of its kind, with local, federal and tribal governments joining to conserve the region’s water. Cities have leased tribal water in the past but, under this deal, the water will not be used.
“This is an incredible partnership among many parties,” Mayor Greg Stanton said. “This agreement today is one of the many ways the city of Phoenix is leading the way to make our city and our state more resilient than ever.”
For years, the Colorado River system has been drained faster than it has been refilled. Water levels have dropped about 12 feet a year in Lake Mead, which today sits at 1,081 feet above sea level.
If that level falls below 1,075 feet, the Secretary of the Interior will declare a
shortage. Larger shortages would be triggered at 1,050 feet and 1,025 feet, severely reducing the city’s water access.
“It is unchartered territory,” Phoenix Water Services Director Kathryn Sorensen told the council. “Our economies can withstand controlled shortages of known quantities. We can plan for that, but it is difficult to plan for the unknown.”
Leaving water stored in Lake Mead will slow the decline in water levels and give water managers in the seven Colorado River states more time to work on long-term conservation plans.
It is the second water agreement between Phoenix and the Gila River community this year. In March, the city agreed to store 3,800 acre-feet of its water in aquifers along the Gila, restoring flow to the tribe’s namesake river. That deal allowed the city to set aside some of its Colorado River water in case of a future shortage.
Already, that water has brought life back to the long-brown banks of the Gila. Birds and coyotes have returned, and plants have grown so quickly the tribe is now looking for volunteers to cut back the greenery.
Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis and Stanton are longtime friends from before their time in office.
“As neighbors, we can accomplish
"Historic agreements like this one make it easier to work on other matters that may impact our communities from time to time." STEPHEN LEWIS GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY GOVERNOR
great things together,” Lewis said. “And historic agreements like this one make it easier to work on other matters that may impact our communities from time to time.”
The one-year agreement will be formally signed next month at the Gila River Indian Community, with hope that a long-term Arizona drought contingency plan will be in place by year’s end.