Leaders Of Colorado River Indian Tribes Face Recall

By Bret Jaspers
Published: Friday, April 27, 2018 - 10:56am
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Leaders of the Colorado River Indian Tribes are facing a recall election on Saturday. The recall effort came after leadership tried to negotiate leases for the tribe’s water.

Organizers of the recall want CRIT to stop talks with Arizona water leaders. News of the talks broke last fall after an investigation by the Arizona Daily Star.

The tribes’ leadership is thinking about leasing out up to 150,000 acre-feet of water, about 20 percent of their total water rights. It would go to uses in non-tribal cities like Phoenix and Tucson. A deal would bring in money for the tribes, but recall organizers say water is too important culturally and economically to lease.

They also object to the secrecy of the negotiations.

Nine leaders of the Colorado River Indian Tribes are up for recall in Saturday’s vote.

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