Water-rich Gila River tribe near Phoenix flexes its political muscles in a drying West
Associated PressSACATON, Arizona — Stephen Roe Lewis grew up seeing stacks of legal briefs at the dinner table — often, about his tribe’s water. Stephen Roe Lewis walks past a solar panel project before the panels are placed over a water canal in the Gila River Indian Community, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Sacaton, Ariz. Stephen Roe Lewis pauses along the Gila River where the water diverts into a canal in the Gila River Indian Community, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Sacaton, Ariz. Rerouting a river These fortunes are recent. “So we know how devastating that can be.” Today, the Gila River tribe’s primary water use is farming, Lewis said. “So we’re looking at ways we can grow that industry.” Water, visible along the Gila River Interpretive Trail, has allowed for abundant growth of trees and plants bringing wildlife to the Gila River Indian Community, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Sacaton, Ariz. Future negotiations A towering figure in the Southwest, Lewis was re-elected for a fourth time last December.
History of this topic
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