U.S. Senate advances water bills for tribes in Arizona
The U.S. Senate has advanced three bills that would improve access to water for some tribes in Arizona amid an unrelenting drought. One measure approved on Dec. 19 would give the Colorado River Indian Tribes in northwestern Arizona the ability to lease water from the Colorado River. The tribe based in Parker has one of the largest allocations of the Colorado River anywhere, and it’s among the most secure. Another bill would settle the Hualapai Tribe’s claim to water from the Colorado River and give the tribe $180 million for the infrastructure to deliver it to the tribe’s main tourist center at Grand Canyon West and to residents.