From The ParkerPioneer.net:
The Colorado River Indian Tribes will receive $209,000 for irrigation canal projects, Congressman Paul Gosar announced Tuesday. The federal funds were awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior to help CRIT pay for canal lining. The project is intended to help stop water seepage from the canal.
CRIT relies on the Colorado River as its primary source of water, and water conserved with help the Tribes meet existing demand during times of drought, Gosar said. The project will line nearly 4,000 feet of the earthen canal with a membrane covered in sprayed concrete. The stretch of canal has been identified as having the most significant seepage rate of all 232 miles of canals in the Colorado River Irrigation Project, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
“We must do all we can do to preserve the life of the Colorado River,” said CRIT Chairwoman Amelia Flores in a news release. “Improvements to the Colorado River Irrigation Project, like this canal lining, are desperately needed. No one can afford to waste water in these times of drought.”
She said CRIT would commit an equal share of the money needed to improve the efficiency of the irrigation project. The total cost of the project is $443,229.