December 12, 2022

San Carlos Apache agree to lease water for Arizona community

Without the agreement the town would have no water.

CAP Canal w Sign HERO The Central Arizona Project moves water from the Colorado River to southern Arizona. July 2021
Christopher Conover/AZPM

The San Carlos Apache Tribe and the Dynamite Water Company reached a preliminary deal allowing the company to continue hauling water to the Rio Verde Foothills community outside of Scottsdale.

The tribe agreed to lease up to 65 million gallons of its Central Arizona Project allotment to the company.

“The Tribe is pleased to have the opportunity to provide assistance to Arizona communities in need of water and stands ready to work in a cooperative manner on complex water issues facing our Tribe and State,” said Terry Rambler, Chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

Residents of Rio Verde Foothills are dependent on private companies to bring water to their homes.

Last year, the City of Scottsdale said beginning January 1, 2023, that it would no longer sell water to commercial companies taking water to the community.

The deal between the tribe and the company is considered preliminary because it still must be approved by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe Council.

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