The city of Phoenix and the Gila River Indian Community could soon be working together to store groundwater.
The city approved an agreement in principal this week. The Gila River Indian Community Tribal Council says they plan to take formal action on the move in the near future.
Officials with the city say under the first phase of the proposed partnership, Phoenix will store up 3800 acre feet of Colorado river water in the Gila River Indian Community’s Olberg Dam Underground Storage Facility.
That facility was originally created to recharge the community’s aquifer and restore flows to the Gila River, a waterway the community considers sacred. The agreement is part of a small-scale pilot project that could lead to larger and long-term programs.
