"Water is and always will be our most precious resource in the Southwest. Control of water rights has fueled seemingly endless and intractable disputes among competing interests. That’s why resolving water rights claims is so important. It is surely one of the most challenging and satisfying issues that I have worked on as a Senator. Each settlement involves long hours and tough negotiations, with the final step being legislation that legally affirms the agreement.

It now appears as if parties in Arizona have come together to settle yet another claim. I have introduced legislation that would resolve major water claims in the state and provide a reliable source of drinking water to the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

The White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act would authorize and confirm the tribe’s water settlement and authorize funding for a key drinking water project on the tribe’s reservation in northeastern Arizona called the Miner Flat Project.

Under the settlement, the tribe’s water claims are resolved by allocating it a total annual water right of 52,000 acre-feet, per year, through a combination of both surface water and Central Arizona Project (CAP) water. "

Get the Story:
Jon Kyl: A Win-Win Water Settlement for Arizona (The National Ledger 1/27)

Related Stories:
White Mountain Apache Tribe reaches water deal (1/16)