Tribe offers State of Arizona fallow deal worth $37.5m
The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) has offered the State of Arizona a deal in which they would agree to fallow enough land to save a total of 150,000 acre-feet of water in exchange for $37.5 million over 3 years.
With water levels continuing to drop toward a ‘shortage’ declaration at Lake Mead, the state has been meeting with stakeholders for months to forge a Drought Contingency Plan (DCP).
The offer, outlined in a November 9th letter to the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Central Arizona Conservation District, would extend CRIT’s existing water fallowing agreements. CRIT would agree to set aside enough land to allow the state to save an additional 50,000 acre-feet of water per year, starting in January 2020. CRIT would get $250 per acre-foot.
