An irrigation district that helps supply water to Pinal County landowners outside of the Gila River Indian Reservation is suing the federal government for what it says are unfair rates and filed this month.

The San Carlos Irrigation and Drainage District filed a complaint accusing the Bureau of Indian Affairs of charging unfairly high operation and maintenance rates to landowners the district manages.  

The rate is $30 an acre, and the bureau says the money covers costs for personnel and maintaining the Coolidge Dam and irrigation system that controls the allotted water flow.

The complaint alleges the fee does not actually reflect costs going into the project, and that the bureau is not offering appropriate budget information that would explain the costs.

Lawyer Dan Jones represents the district, which is looking for about $2 million in damages.

“We’ve had these issues off and on, we try to avoid being in litigation all the time but unfortunately we weren’t able to sort of just talk through this one," Jones said.

A similar lawsuit was brought by the San Carlos district in 2006 and settled in 2013.