Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: August 21, 1997

Contact: John Wright 202/208-6416

CAP water delivery to Gila River Indian Community and San Carlos Irrigation

and Drainage District expected to begin Thursday afternoon, August 21

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation today signed a contract with the Central Arizona Water Conservation District to purchase approximately 8,200 acre-feet of Central Arizona Project water to help maintain water in San Carlos Reservoir to protect the sport fishery and meet environmental needs.

The CAP water is being purchased with $300,000 in Bureau of Reclamation funds that were made available by Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt last week. Babbitt released the maximum amount available under the Department’s Drought Emergency Assistance funds after the Arizona Congressional delegation asked the Department help to rescue the shrinking lake by providing an alternate irrigation water supply for the Gila River Indian Community and San Carlos Irrigation and Drainage District, both of whom have the rights to use of water from San Carlos Reservoir.

In addition to the federal funds, the San Carlos Tribe and the Phelps-Dodge Corporation have each committed to provide $78,000 dollars to purchase additional water from the Central Arizona Project. The additional funding will add about 4,000 to 4,500 acre-feet of water to the 8,200 purchased by the Interior Department, for a total purchase of about 12,500 acre-feet. Although the amount of water needed to protect the fishery resources is not precisely known, fishery biologists have indicated that a larger pool would provide greater certainty that all of the fishery resource would be protected.

“Even though federal budgets are tight, we have released these funds to protect San Carlos Reservoir because of its importance to the San Carlos Tribe, its significance as a sport fishery, and its cultural and wildlife values,” said Babbitt. “The San Carlos Tribe and Phelps-Dodge Corporation have also stepped forward to help, and we are hopeful the State of Arizona will do so as well.”

As part of the purchase agreement, the SCIDD and the Gila River Indian Community have agreed to leave in the lake the same amount of water that is purchased from the CAP. That water is to remain in the lake until the lake fills and the water is released, or until it is deemed to have been lost through evaporation and seepage.

“Hopefully, this action will avert any immediate impacts to the lake fishery,” said Babbitt. “It is very important that others will step forward with additional financial commitments so that this important resource for the State of Arizona can be protected.”

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