Hualapai leaders are urging the Senate to approve a water plan that would give the tribe water rights to local rivers as their wells fail under the stress of the continuing drought.
The Hualapai Tribe Water Right Settlement Act would give the tribe water rights to the Colorado, Verde and Bill Williams rivers. It would also fund the construction of water infrastructure that would deliver an estimated 4,000 acre-feet of water per year.
The project would also serve Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk. Hualapai Chairman Damon Clarke told a Senate committee Wednesday that getting access to Colorado River water is “the only feasible solution” for the 1-million acre reservation.
The bill is sponsored by Arizona Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema.