Tuesday October 8, 2024
KJZZ —
Along the bustling Interstate 10, west of Sacaton, rows of new plastic neon blue irrigation pipes will soon be flowing with hope through the Gila River Indian Community. The tribe got $63.8 million to fund the Gila River Farms Efficiency Project through the Inflation Reduction Act.
They’ll be replacing 140,000 feet of original, concrete pipeline.
“That’s about 27 miles, give or take,” said Dave DeJong, director of the Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Project. “Gila River Farms will be more efficiently able to irrigate the land and increase irrigation efficiencies from the high 60% to hopefully in the 80% level.”
When all is said and done, with construction scheduled to be finished by spring of 2026, he estimates that total water savings should tally 4,220 acre-feet annually. It’ll amount to 42,200 acre-feet in conserved water over the next decade across the 12,000-acre tribally owned community farm.