The White Mountain Apache Tribe has been working with the Bureau of Reclamation on a dam project for years, and now the project is one step closer to completion.

The Bureau recently opened an environmental impact statement on the Miner Flat Dam to public comments.

Although many of the reservation’s communities are located near the White River, the tribe gets its water from wells.

The Miner Flat Dam project could potentially provide water to tribal communities from the Fort Apache area to Cibecue.

It could also divert water for agriculture. The reservation is located about 180 miles east of Phoenix.

The public can submit comments by Sept. 12 at wmat-rws-eis.com/comment.aspx.