THE COMPANY LINE WestLand Resources Welcomes be the first application of ultraviolet light government, the Gila River Community, the Senior Project Managers for potable water disinfection in state of Arizona, the Central Arizona Water Southern California. Conservation District and numerous cities, WestLand Resources, Inc. of Tucson, towns and irrigation districts. The plant expansion and addition of UV Arizona recently welcomed Michael J. disinfection will increase treatment On Feb. 24, Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain Cross and Christopher E. Rife as senior capacity of the Roemer Water Filtration and Reps. J.D. Hayworth, Raul Grijalva, project managers with the Environmental Facility (WFF) from 9.6 to 14.4 million Trent Franks and Jim Kolbe introduced the Services Group. gallons per day, enhance the district’s Arizona Water Settlements Act in Congress. Cross specializes in biological resource ability to effectively treat a full range of This legislation would settle the landmark assessments, environmental impact blends from two surface sources of raw case involving Arizona water rights as well as assessments, riparian mitigation planning, water, and yield treated water in the repayment obligation owed to the federal habitat conservation planning, Endangered compliance with all current and government by Arizona for construction of Species Act compliance, threatened and foreseeable future drinking water the Central Arizona Project (CAP). endangered species surveys and hydro- standards. The pretreatment facilities will If the legislation is approved by Congress, electric licensing. He has more than 15 include coagulation, flocculation and signed by President Bush, and approved by years of experience in environmental sedimentation along with associated the Maricopa County Superior Court consulting and biological research, with chemical storage and feed facilities. overseeing the Gila River General Stream expertise in project management, The application of UV technology for Adjudication, it will mark the end of a administration, planning, report disinfection of surface water is relatively decades-long legal dispute among the 35 production and agency negotiations. new, and federal regulatory standards for parties to the agreement. Rife specializes in regulatory compliance the use of UV for potable water Water settlement negotiations between local support and environmental management disinfection have not been established. parties, the Gila River Indian Community systems support for environmental and “The project presents special challenges, and the federal government were initiated in engineering projects. In addition, his not only in designing and implementing a 1989 to alleviate the uncertainty of claims to expertise includes water resources, solid system that features an emerging the Gila, Salt, Verde, San Pedro and Santa and hazardous waste, mining, agriculture, technology, but also in helping the district Cruz rivers and to groundwater, and to environmental site assessment, validate that system with the California assure the dependability of water supplies to underground storage tank investigations, Department of Health Services,” said the more than three million residents in the and health and safety audit services. Black & Veatch Vice President and Irvine- Gila River basin. Thirteen years later, in WestLand Resources provides based Project Manager Steve Foellmi. 2002, the parties reached a comprehensive environmental and water/wastewater “Careful coordination and timing of the settlement of the Gila River Community’s engineering consulting services with a entire UV validation process is critical to water-rights claims. staff comprised of engineers, obtain DHS approval and achieve Under the agreement, the Gila River Indian environmental specialists, scientists, district objectives.” Community will receive a permanent cartographers and engineering design Visit www2.bv.com. entitlement to an average of 653,500 acre- specialists. Contact the company at feet of water per year. Of this amount (520) 206-9585. SRP Signs Gila River Water approximately 190,000 acre-feet will be new Rights Settlement water made available from several sources, Black & Veatch to Design including the CAP, SRP, the cities of Mesa UV System for California On April 9, Salt River Project (SRP) and Chandler, and the Roosevelt Water President Bill Schrader and Gila River Conservation District. Water District Indian Community Governor Richard Narcia SRP’s share of the contribution will average Black & Veatch, a global engineering, signed an agreement that helps pave the way about 20,000 acre-feet per year, and the construction, and consulting company, for the settlement of a landmark case agreement provides, with limits, announced that it is under contract with involving Arizona’s water rights. opportunities for the Gila River Indian the Rialto-based West Valley Water SRP, the largest provider of water to the Community to store any unused water in District (formerly West San Bernardino Phoenix metropolitan area, is one of the SRP’s reservoir system. Additionally, SRP County Water District) to provide principal parties in the historic Gila River has agreed to permit the Gila River pretreatment design in addition to design Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Community to use a portion of SRP’s water- and implementation of what is believed to Agreement along with the federal delivery system to facilitate water exchanges 32 • July/August 2003 • Southwest Hydrology and direct deliveries of Gila River Conjunctive Use, continued from page 19 mean litigate, at least not as the remedy of Community’s CAP water to its reservation. appellate court concerning who controls the first resort. A carefully negotiated agreement may prove to be of considerable In return for these new water sources and storage rights to southern California’s value in minimizing legal and political funding to help put them to use, the Gila Central Basin even though the prior risks. If they are to be successful, the River Indian Community, its members and adjudication expressly reserved that proponents of the program must be willing allottees, and the federal government, on authority to the watermaster. to embrace the notion that an effective their behalf, will execute a comprehensive Today, conflicts arise over allegations agreement is likely to involve more than waiver and release of claims for water related to the relative priority of storage two stakeholders or interests. In the end, rights, injuries to water rights, and injuries space, quantity of storage space, conjunctive use still presents a viable and to water quality. mobilization of contamination, land important part of California’s water supply The settlement agreement also authorizes subsidence, salt-water intrusion and even future. Either Californians will learn to the Gila River Community to lease CAP the amount of compensation due the accomplish their goals through negotiation water to several Salt River Valley cities for holders of storage rights. Without a or, absent the political willingness to their use in meeting the state’s assured willingness to convene a broad address the subject on a comprehensive water-supply requirements. The leasing stakeholder process and an effort to strike basis, the matter will continue to be provisions permit the Gila River a negotiated resolution properly clarified in a piecemeal fashion through Community to lease CAP water to entities accounting for the various interests, a the courts. in several counties, including Maricopa, lasting conjunctive use arrangement is not Scott S. Slater is a partner at Hatch & Parent, a Pinal, Pima, La Paz, Yavapai, Gila, Graham, likely to be achieved. California-based law firm specializing in water law, Greenlee, Santa Cruz and Coconino. The and serves as the general counsel for Watermaster in Negotiation Before Litigation the Chino Basin adjudication. In addition, Mr. Slater is agreement prohibits both the permanent Experience suggests that those seeking to chairman of the American Ground Water Trust, a non- transfer of the Gila River Community’s profit education organization whose mission is to benefit from conjunctive use and the protect groundwater, promote public awareness of the water rights and the leasing or use of its prospect of more reliable water must be environmental and economic importance of ground- water outside Arizona. water, and provide accurate information to assist willing to expend resources to clarify public participation in decisions regarding the Visit www.srpnet.com ownership and control issues. This does not management of groundwater resources. Learn more about the Trust at www.agwt.org. July/August 2003 • Southwest Hydrology • 33.