Western Governors’ Drought Forum Case Study: Gila River Indian Community, Salt River Project

The Gila River Indian Community in central Arizona has used irrigation to support agriculture for more than 2,000 years. The tribe’s culture is inextricably linked to the Gila and Salt rivers. Large-scale diversions, combined with a lack of policy to conserve water, led to declines in agricultural production, famine and widespread starvation. Years of litigation led to the Arizona Water Settlements Act of 2004, which included the Gila River Indian Community Water Settlement Act. This case study was presented at the Western Governors' Drought Forum meeting in Tempe, Ariz.