Salt River Project President Bill Schrader and Gila River Indian Community Governor Richard Narcia signed an agreement that helps pave the way for the settlement of a landmark case involving Arizona's water rights.

SRP is one of the principal parties in the historic Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Agreement along with the federal government, the Gila River Community, the State of Arizona, the Central Arizona Water Conservation District and numerous cities, towns and irrigation districts.

On Feb. 24, Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain and Reps. J.D. Hayworth, Raul Grijalva, Trent Franks and Jim Kolbe introduced in Congress the Arizona Water Settlements Act, legislation that would settle the landmark case involving Arizona water rights as well as the repayment obligation owed to the federal government by Arizona for construction of the Central Arizona Project.

If the legislation is approved by Congress and signed by President Bush, and the agreement is approved by the Maricopa County Superior Court overseeing the Gila River General Stream Adjudication, it will mark the end of a decades-long legal dispute among the 35 parties to the agreement.

Under the agreement, the Gila River Indian Community will receive a permanent entitlement to an average of 653,500 acre-feet of water per year. Of this amount approximately 190,000 acre-feet will be new water made available from several sources, including the CAP, SRP, the cities of Mesa and Chandler, and the Roosevelt Water Conservation District.

SRP's share of the contribution will average about 20,000 acre-feet per year, and the agreement provides, with limits, opportunities for the Gila River Indian Community to store any unused water in SRP's reservoir system. Additionally, SRP has agreed to permit the Gila River Community to use a portion of SRP's water-delivery system to facilitate water exchanges and direct deliveries of Gila River Community's CAP water to its reservation.

In return for these new water sources and funding to help put them to use, the Gila River Indian Community, its members and allottees, and the federal government, on their behalf, will execute a comprehensive waiver and release of claims for water rights, injuries to water rights and injuries to water quality.