Senator, Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, and local and federal leaders detailed the historic, Sinema-secured funding
PHOENIX – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema, White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, representatives from the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Reclamation, Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Representatives Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Governor Katie Hobbs announced major, Sinema-secured investments in water conservation and infrastructure for the Gila River Indian Community from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law and Inflation Reduction law.
“Today is an important day for Arizona’s water future and our state’s continued leadership on water conservation and solutions to the western water crisis. I’m proud to personally negotiate and secure these historic funds providing Arizona families certainty that our state remains a safe and healthy place to call home for generations to come,” said Sinema.
From the Sinema-led Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law, the Bureau of Reclamation has allocated $83 million for a reclaimed water pipeline running from Mesa onto the reservation. From the Sinema-shaped Inflation Reduction law, the Gila River Indian Community and Bureau of Reclamation agreed that the Community will conserve up to 125,000 acre feet of water per year for three years at a price of $400/acre foot. If fully implemented, this is $50 million per year and $150 million over three years.
Between Sinema’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law and the Inflation Reduction law she shaped, the Senator has secured more than $12 billion in drought relief and Western water funding. Sinema has regularly met with farmers, stakeholders, irrigation groups, tribal leaders, and her Water Advisory Council to ensure the funding is implemented efficiently and effectively.
In February, Sinema announced a historic $728 million for Western drought relief from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law, the Inflation Reduction law, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
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