Gila River Indian Community & System Conservation

1. Gila River Indian Community & System Conservation December 14, 2017 Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor

2. Water Settlement Arizona Water Settlements Act of 2004 was signed into law, which included the Gila River Indian Community Water Settlement Act Settlement provided infrastructure funding Settlement provides for a total annual water entitlement of 653,500 AF

3. Water Settlement continued • Although the settlement includes an entitlement to Gila River water, the natural flow of the river was not restored • Colorado River water through Central Arizona Project is supplemental water to Gila River water • The Community has the single largest entitlement to Colorado River within the CAP system – annual entitlement is 311,800 AF

4. Proposed DCP Under the proposed DCP, cuts to Arizona Colorado River supplies would limit the Community’s Non-Indian Ag CAP water, and reduce its ability to store water to generate revenue for its Permanent Water Fund Community concerned that DCP did not include incentives needed to get Arizona stakeholder buy-in

5. System Conservation & DCP+ DCP+ is an AZ stakeholder proposal to reduce the risk of Lake Mead falling below 1075’ through incentives: • Paid System Conservation • Intentionally Created Surplus

6. Community’s Role In Future System Conservation We can make a portion of our Colorado River supplies available over short-term for System Conservation, and possibly ICS to help address regional drought Developing recharge projects through partnerships with other AZ stakeholders makes the Community less reliant on Colorado River water for domestic needs

7. Community’s Role In Future System Conservation As part of a comprehensive approach that the Community is taking to water management, System Conservation, along with its other management efforts, also is proving to be a critical part of the Community’s efforts to return the Gila River to the Reservation through the further development of its riparian recharge areas.