Established in 1865, the Colorado River Indian Reservation was set aside for indigenous residents of the Colorado River and its tributaries. Today, the Reservation includes approximately 300,000 acres of lands and is primarily home to four distinct tribes – the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi, and Navajo. The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) have territory that stretches along 56 miles of lower Colorado River lands with the majority of their reservation located in Arizona.
The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) System Conservation Project is a key part of Arizona’s interstate commitments under the Drought Contingency Plans and is one of the most important projects needed to achieve water security for Arizona. The CRIT System Conservation Project is designed to compensate the Colorado River Indian Tribes for leasing up to 150,000 acre-feet of water—the CRIT have pledged to lease this water and leave up to 50,000 acre-feet per year in Lake Mead for a multi-year period in order to achieve decade- scale water supply benefits for the Colorado River, Lake Mead, Arizona and southern California.