Indian Tribe’s Water Rights Upheld

The Arizona Supreme Court has unanimously affirmed a trial judge's approval of the 2004 settlement between the Gila River Indians, the federal and state governments and numerous irrigation districts and municipalities in Maricopa and Pinal counties.

The ruling has finally settled decades-old lawsuits involving the water-rights claims of the Gila River Indian Community, several Apache tribes, the town of Gila Bend and other interested parties.

The settlement will provide the Gila River tribe with 653,500 acres of water annually from various sources. In exchange, the tribe agreed to resolve claims for additional water rights from other parties and pay compensation for damages.