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Gila River Indian Community Turns on Power for First-Ever Canal Solar Project • Arizona Mirror

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The Gila River Indian Community celebrated a historic milestone in its work to provide water conservation and renewable energy solutions by launching the nation’s first canal solar project.

“The Gila River Indian Community is proud to be spearheading this groundbreaking canal solar project that not only generates renewable energy but also protects our most precious resource – water,” said Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis. in a written statement.

The project includes more than 2,700 linear feet of the Casa Blanca Canal, which is located along Interstate 10 near Sacaton.

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The tribe said the project provides a transformative solution to the interconnected energy, water and climate change crises, specifically addressing the unique needs of the Gila River Indian Communities, Arizona, the Southwest and the Colorado River Basin.

“This project builds on the work of our ancestors who found innovative ways to use our water and natural resources over generations,” Lewis said.

The Gila River Indian Community and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed an agreement in 2023 on the start of construction on the project, which is the first phase of the Pima-Maricopa Renewable Energy Pilot Project.

The Gila River Indian Community hosted an event on Oct. 3 to commemorate the power-up of its solar project near Sacaton and hosted federal leaders White House Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President Tom Perez, Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner David Palumbo and U.S. Representative Greg Stanton.

According to the tribe, the project is the first canal solar energy initiative of its kind in the Western Hemisphere and sets new standards for sustainable water and energy management.

“The Gila River Indian Community, known for its longstanding leadership in water conservation and irrigation innovation, continues to lead the way for cutting-edge solutions to 21st century challenges,” the tribe said.

Casa-Blanca Canal Solar Project is being developed by the Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Project, a division of the Gila River Indian Community, with financial support from the Bureau of Reclamation.

$5.6 million for the project came from President Joe Biden’s Investing in America program. The tribe said the project was part of the administration’s broader strategy to promote innovative renewable energy and water-saving technologies.

“The Gila River Indian Community is a national leader in creating practical solutions to some of the most pressing environmental challenges we face,” Perez said in a statement.

“This project serves as a model for communities across the country as the administration continues to invest in America and work to build a sustainable, resilient future,” he added.

The tribe emphasized that the canal solar project offers numerous environmental and operational benefits, including generating clean and renewable energy, reducing water evaporation from the canal, reducing maintenance requirements on canal infrastructure, and contributing to the tribe’s goal of reducing carbon neutral emissions energy footprint.

The Gila River Indian Community announced that two additional phases of the project are planned, with financing and design work already underway. The next phase includes work covering most of the irrigation system.

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