Debra Utacia Krol
Arizona Republic
Leaders of the Colorado River Indian Tribes met with U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Wednesday to discuss a list of concerns, including what leaders called their most critical issue: water and the infrastructure to deliver it.
The 4,270-member tribe also used the occasion to thank Sinema, I-Ariz., for her ongoing support for tribal sovereignty and for ensuring that the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included funding for water management and conservation, transportation, broadband and other infrastructure for tribal and rural communities.
CRIT leaders said they are particularly worried that decisions on Colorado River management are being made with no tribal input, even though they have voluntarily conserved water and left parts of their nearly 720,000-acre-foot allocation in Lake Mead to forestall deeper reductions outlined in the Drought Contingency Plan.
“Nobody noticed that 15% of that water came from CRIT,” Council Member Robert Page said. “We’re farmers, and taking land out of production to conserve water was a hard decision.”
“We’re tied to the Colorado,” added CRIT Chairwoman Amelia Flores. “Right now, the river is sick.”
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The Colorado River holds not only economic importance for CRIT. Its waters are also at the heart of the tribe’s culture and spiritual beliefs.
“No plan, no grand scheme is going to work without tribal involvement,” Flores said.
Page said the tribe is losing valuable water to breaks in the irrigation system for its farm. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, which built the system and is responsible for its upkeep, hasn’t been able to maintain it, he said.
“We’re having to use money meant for housing, welfare and other needs to fix what is BIA’s responsibility,” Page said.
Colorado River Indian Tribes meet with U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., on Aug. 2, 2023, to discuss water and other issues.
Tribal consultation is inconsistent
Tribal officials said federally mandated consultation continues to be spotty and inconsistent, despite pledges by the Biden administration to engage in more robust and meaningful consultation, including a requirement that agencies produce consultation plans.
But tribe after tribe has continued to report that the consultation process is not working. Consultations often begin too late or are only part of a “check the box” list in a project to make any meaningful change or mitigation possible.
