(LAS VEGAS) Water conservation and preservation have taken a giant leap forward for the Colorado River and the Colorado River Indian Tribes. CRIT Chairwoman Amelia Flores has signed an historic Letter of Intent with the Bureau of Reclamation in which the BOR has agreed to fund a $5 million study of a re-regulating reservoir on the CRIT Reservation. This reservoir could save as much as 35,000 acre-feet of water a year at a time when severe drought conditions persist, and when water is currently being lost due to inefficiencies in Bureau of Indian Affairs operated irrigation systems.
The reservoir would help CRIT make better use of water the Supreme Court allocated to the Tribes and enable CRIT to put more than 5,000 acres of additional land in production.
Chairwoman Flores said, “I learned from my ancestors that our creator, Matavilya and his son provided the Colorado River for the Mohave and other indigenous peoples who live along its banks. Matavilya also entrusted all of us with the sacred responsibility to care for and sustain the river and the environment that gives us life.”
The Study will also evaluate creating an associated wetland. To that end CRIT has partnered with the National Audubon Society and the Walton Family Foundation to protect CRIT’s water resources in a way that also protects its lands, fish, wildlife, birds, and ultimately its people. Chairwoman Flores added, “I am thankful for their constructive engagement and welcome them as partners in this project.”
The announcement was made during a meeting of the Colorado River Water Users Association and the BOR on December 4th in Las Vegas. In addition to Chairwoman Flores, CRIT Vice Chairman Dwight Lomayesva and several Tribal Council members also attended.
For years Chairwoman Flores, CRIT’s current leadership, and previous Tribal Councils have been fighting to make BIA operated irrigation systems on tribal land more efficient and to hold the BIA accountable. Flores notes there is a $300 million maintenance backlog, and she cautions the Letter of Intent being celebrated should not be seen as an excuse by the BIA to fall even further behind in upkeeping the irrigation project.
Flores added, “We must do all we can to protect our water rights and ensure the water we do have is used as efficiently as possible. We have a long way to go on both fronts. This Letter of Intent is an important step.”
