By Tony Davis | Arizona Daily Star
Think of it as a water bailout, easing Arizona’s Colorado River woes and the legal-environmental water conflicts plaguing many rural communities.
Think of it as a boon for Indian tribes looking to make better and more lucrative use of their river water.
Or, think of it as an enabler of growth and sprawl from Sierra Vista to Prescott and points beyond.
Related: $9.1M project to deliver more water to Navajo communities
All these descriptions could apply to a complex plan to send tribal water from the Colorado River into Arizona’s heartland to support existing residents and future development.
Four Indian tribes owning the biggest and the most shortage-proof share of Colorado River water in the Lower Basin want to spread that booty around Arizona. They’re offering a “drought supply,” backstopping existing supplies now threatened by growth and climate change.
