Pronounced “He La,” the Gila Rivers’ headwaters originate in New Mexico, where it is a wild and scenic mountain river. The path of the Gila settles into broad valleys as it enters Arizona, providing water for rural towns and agriculture along the way. The Gila’s flow is interrupted by Coolidge Dam and San Carlos Reservoir on the San Carlos Indian Reservation west of Safford, Arizona. Water from the reservoir is managed by the San Carlos Irrigation District for communities, farms, and ranches downstream. The Ashurst-Hayden and Florence diversion dams in Pinal County send what remains of the Gila River water to Central Arizona farms, after which the river is a dry channel except when there are high flows from rain and snow melt.   The combination of dams, diversions, and drought earned the Gila River the title of Most Endangered River in 2019 from American Rivers, a nonprofit advocacy organization.

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