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The Ak-Chin Indian Community

The Ak-Chin Indian Community . Community Background. The Ak -Chin Indian Community, ‘ the Community,’ is nestled in the Santa Cruz Valley of Southern Arizona and about 20 miles south of Phoenix. There are 1,106 enrolled Ak -Chin Community Members.

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The Ak-Chin Indian Community

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  1. The Ak-Chin Indian Community

  2. Community Background • The Ak-Chin Indian Community, ‘ the Community,’ is nestled in the Santa Cruz Valley of Southern Arizona and about 20 miles south of Phoenix. • There are 1,106 enrolled Ak-Chin Community Members. • The Community is governed by 5 member Community Council which oversees governmental operations and departments that service the Community of Ak-Chin • The Ak-Chin people are a mixture of Pima and Tohono O’odham Tribes whose background is farming. The word Ak-Chin comes from an O’odham word meaning mouth of the wash or place where the wash loses itself in the sand or ground. • Ak-Chin also refers to the type of farming that is dependent on washes created by seasonal flood plains. The relationship of land and water has always been at the heart of Ak-Chin’s identity and as such the entire 22,000 acre reservation. • The City of Maricopa is adjacent to the Community, it had a population of 1,040 people in the 2000 Census, it has now grown to approximately 46,903 in 2016. The rapid growth has forced the Community to adapt, as well as plan for continued long term growth in the corridor that connects Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.

  3. Ak-Chin Indian Community Tribal Council

  4. Agricultural Farming Community • The Community’s agricultural operations benefitted from securing water rights to the Colorado River in a 1984 settlement. This settlement enables the Community to provide irrigation for agricultural production and other uses. • The Community has inhabited the arid southwest desert and mastered irrigation and farming techniques since time immemorial. • The Community farms cotton, corn, barley, wheat, potatoes, and alfalfa. • The agricultural history and practice remains strong within the Community making climate and availability to water a major priority. • The Community has established initiatives for water conservation, energy efficiency, reducing the carbon footprint, and solar energy resourcefulness.

  5. Agricultural Farming Community

  6. Agricultural Farming Community • The Community has four washes that run through the Community: Vekol Wash, Smith Wash, Santa Cruz Wash, and Santa Rosa Wash. • Historically, these are the washes that irrigated the farm fields since the beginning of time. Depending on the amount of rain from Tucson will run into the washes. When there are heavy rains, many of the washes flood and impact natural waterways and can effect natural water ways in the Community. • Arizona has been in a drought for many decades. There is a correlation between drought and our powerful dust storms during monsoon season (May-August). So, when we do get rain or the washes run water, the dry ground cannot soak up the water fast enough often causing flash flooding and washes to overflow, causing damage throughout the washes and waterways. • We applied for some FEMA grants to assists with the revamp of our interoperability for a radio tower and radios for emergency services, monsoon season used to take out our entire radio system.

  7. Wash Flows

  8. Wetlands

  9. Wetlands • An example of a study being conducted of one of the washes: Smith Wash • Through a EPA Grant Ak-Chin incorporated a management plan to address free range cattle which are grazing in the wetlands; trampling and eating the wetlands vegetation; creating turbidity and impacting water quality and preventing wildlife from making the wetlands their home. • A number of native species of vegetation within the Community’s wetlands have been lost and destroyed over the years by negative human impacts and livestock activity. There have been numerous activities both by humans and livestock which have had a negative impact on the local wetlands wildlife community and natural flood management the wetlands provide. • In addition, the wetlands are slowly being destroyed and taken over by invasive plants such as the salt cedar, which use water and impair water quality. This also has resulted in impaired water quality and changes in water flows and flood management. • Conducting an annual Wetlands Ambient Conditions and Water Quality Assessment report with water quality data, photographs and updated maps of wetland changes, assessment of improvements, visual aids to show seasonal variations to ambient conditions of the wetlands, if present.

  10. Wetlands

  11. Ak-Chin Environmental Protection Department • Under direction of Community Council, the Ak-Chin Environmental Protection Department (EPD) prepared a Strategic Plan citing eleven (11) priorities in coordination with Public Works Department, Cultural Resources, and Community Council: • Water Quality • Pesticides-Regulation and Program Development • Toxic Substance, Hazardous Waste, Chemical Response • Wetlands Management • Air Quality • Species Requiring Special Protection • Solid Waste Management • Open Range Management • Flooding Issues • Environmental Management/Planning • Climate Change

  12. Ak-Chin Environmental Protection Department • Community Council recently adopted a new FY2018-FY2021 EPA-Tribal Environmental Plan provided by our EPD Department. • The Plan assists the Community in identifying and prioritizing environmental goals and seek additional funding for key priority areas as identified. • Currently the Department is managing several EPA grants: • Clean Air Act 103 • Clean Water Act 104 • Clean Water Act 106 • Clean Water Act 319 • Direct Implementation Tribal Cooperative Agreement (DITCA) • Pesticides Enforcement & Program Implementation • General Assistance Program

  13. Sustainability Efforts • We are developing a program to understand our climate change vulnerabilities and conduct a climate change vulnerability assessment concerning the Community’s current and future water usage requirements (current, 25 years, 50 years, 100 year). • Utilizing some solar energy on street lighting throughout Community. • LEED certified building design and construction • Chiller Plant for Air Conditioning large buildings • Surface Water and Water Reclamation Facilities

  14. Chiller Plant

  15. Chiller Plant • Our total cooling capacity is 5,100 tons. We supply chilled water to the Enterprises (Casino and Ultra Star Multi-tainment Center). • We just expanded our plant (almost doubled the size) to accommodate the recent casino expansion. • Separate Chiller Plant for the Multi-Purpose Justice Complex, housing Police, Shooting Range, Detention, Courts, Prosecutor, and Public Defender, 56,000 square feet.

  16. Chillers

  17. Water Reclamation Facility

  18. Water Reclamation Facility • The Water Reclamation Facility was designed to produce 1.2 Million Gallons per Day (MGD). It is a Plug Flow Activated Sludge system with Membrane Filtration. • The Ak-Chin Indian Community established long-range goals for economic growth and development. This proposed development would severely overload the Community’s existing water and wastewater infrastructure. Consequently, Community leaders commissioned a Water and Wastewater Feasibility Study that identified a series of critical infrastructure and facility upgrades necessary to accommodate the proposed growth initiatives. • The Waste Reclamation Facility produced 192 million gallons during 2017 with an average daily production rate of 530,000 gallons.

  19. Water Reclamation Facility • The high quality reclaimed water it generates will assist in conserving the Community’s valuable water supplies to be used for agricultural production and as a source for treated drinking water. Ak-Chin’s progressive and innovative thinking, commitment to their members, and dedication to preserving the environment • Awards • 2013 Water Treatment Project of the Year - AZ Water Association • 2012 Wastewater Treatment Project of the Year - AZ Water Association • 2012 Excellence in Masonry Architectural Awards - Arizona Masonry Guild, Inc. • 2011 Small Water Reuse Project of the Year (Honorable Mention) – Water Reuse Association • 2010 Innovations in Water and Wastewater Treatment Grand Award - Bentley Be Inspired Award

  20. Surface Water Treatment Plant

  21. Surface Water Treatment Plant • 2013 Water Project of the Year Award from the AZ Water Association. • The plant, commissioned in 2012, has a capacity of 2.25 million gallons per day and provides drinking water to community members and Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, UltraStar Multi-tainment Center. It also provides sufficient capacity to meet the needs of existing commercial operations as well as future expansions. • Provides a advanced water treatment equipment to provide a reliable, safe and secure drinking water supply that met the Ak-Chin Indian Community’s current needs and provided critical flexibility to accommodate variable flow and water quality conditions in the future. • Both the WRF and the SWTP are fully automated with functioning Programmable Logic Controllers and a SCADA system. Each plant can be controlled remotely by a mobile device such as a cell phone over a secure network.

  22. Questions? • Contact Information Karen Fierro Self-Governance Director 520-568-1036 kfierro@ak-chin.nsn.us

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