Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement

The Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement was approved and implemented by the Arizona Water Settlements Act of 2004. The agreement provided the Gila River Indian Community with a water budget of 653,500 acre-feet of water annually. The budget is composed of water from the Central Arizona Project, the Gila River, the Salt River, and groundwater. The agreement resolved water rights claims filed by the Indian Community and the United States to over 1,000,000 acre-feet of water. The settlement also provided for resolution of enforcement issues surrounding the Gila Decree, Globe Equity No. 59, that had been the subject of litigation between the Community, the United States, and non-Indian water users in the Safford, Duncan, and Virden Valleys.