David H. DeJong

Dr. David H. DeJong was born to Frisian immigrants and grew up in Mesa, Arizona. He holds a Doctorate in Indian Water Rights from the University of Arizona. He has worked for the Gila River Indian Community for over 32 years, 26 as director of the Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Project where he oversees all facets of the planning, design, and construction of the Community’s $1.25 billion irrigation system under the Arizona Water Settlements Act of 2004 and the Community’s 1998 Master Repayment Contract with the Department of the Interior. When completed, the P-MIP system will irrigate 90,000 acres of tribal land, making this the largest irrigation construction and agricultural development project in North America. This work includes overseeing the installation of the first solar-over-canal project in the Western Hemisphere (second in the world) and construction of all four of the Community’s managed aquifer recharge sites. Under his direction, the Community has implemented its blue-green economy of water and renewable energy. Dr. DeJong’s academic work focuses primarily on Indian water rights and agricultural history. He has published eleven books, five of which deal with Gila River water history. He has also published more than twenty articles on federal-Indian policy matters.