- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
On Tuesday, the San Carlos Apache Tribe signed a $1.5 million contract with the U.S. Department of Interior to develop water infrastructure on its reservation.
The historic signing has been more than 40 years in the making; in 1980, Secretary of Interior Cecil B. Andrus promised to deliver water to the reservation for agriculture and drinking water.
“This is a truly historic day,” San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler said in a statement. “We have waited 43 years for the federal government to make good on its promise to deliver Central Arizona Project water to our Reservation.”
The signing will initiate studies to deliver the Central Arizona Project (CAP), a 336-mile diversion canal in Arizona that allocates water from the Colorado River to the reservation. Currently, the Tribe gets water delivered from the Black River in Eastern Arizona and is looking for a more suitable alternative.
The Tribe says that the water will be used to replenish aquifers, increase agricultural development and revitalize its cattle industry.
Before the 1928 building of the Coolidge Dam, the San Carlos Apache was a leader in breeding Hereford cattle and produced tens of thousands of bushels of corn, wheat, and other food crops while operating a flour mill. The dam altered the reservation’s surrounding environment and, in turn, the Tribe’s economy.
“The construction of Coolidge Dam flooded our farms, destroying our agricultural economy,” Chairman Rambler said in a statement.
The Tribe estimates that the Bureau of Reclamation’s cost share will be at least $400 million. The Bureau will commit to three phases of work to be performed by both the Tribe and the department to complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the water delivery system.
Building water infrastructure for the reservation is expected to create nearly 400 construction jobs and 200 jobs to operate and operate the water delivery and distribution system.
In December 2022, Native News Online reported that the San Carlos Apache Tribe is in agreement to lease up to 200-acre-feet—or 65 million gallons—of its CAP water allocation to meet the needs of the Rio Verde Foothills community near Scottsdale.
More Stories Like This
Interior Department Moves to Expand Oil and Gas Development in Alaska’s National Petroleum ReserveFeds Release Final Environmental Impact Statement on Oak Flat Mine
Interior Department Announces Over $119 Million for Abandoned Coal Mine Reclamation
Osage Minerals Council Celebrates the Final Dismissal of Hayes II Litigation
Bad River Chairman: "Line 5 is a daily threat to our clean rivers and lakes, our fish, and our wild rice."
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
