A proposed water rights settlement would be the first step in securing Colorado River water for the Navajo, Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute tribes.
A proposed water rights settlement for three Native American tribes that carries a price tag larger than any such agreement enacted by Congress took a significant step forward late Monday with introduction in the Navajo Nation Council. The Navajo Nation has one of the largest single outstanding claims in the Colorado River basin and will vote soon on the measure in a special session. It's the first of many approvals — ending with Congress — that's needed to finalize the deal.
landmark 1922 agreement divided the Colorado River basin water among seven western states but left out tribes. The tribes are seeking water from a mix of sources: the Colorado River, the Little Colorado River, aquifers and washes on tribal lands in northeastern Arizona. Nearly one-third of homes on the Navajo Nation, which stretches across 27,000 square miles of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, don't have running water. Many homes on Hopi are similarly situated.
In Leupp, the audience mostly asked about immediate needs: fixing the electricity on the water pump, improving roads and drilling wells. Marlene Yazzie recalled her mother hitchhiking more than 100 miles to pressure tribal officials for electricity and water — which never came. Yazzie herself relies on water hauled to her home in nearby Birdsprings for washing, drinking and for her livestock. 'How many more years do we have to wait?' she asked.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Proposed settlement is first step in securing Colorado River water for 3 Native American tribesA proposed water rights settlement for three Native American tribes in Arizona has taken a significant step forward with introduction in the Navajo Nation Council. It's the first of many approvals needed to finalize a deal that's been decades in the making.
Read more »
Proposed settlement is first step in securing Colorado River water for 3 Native American tribesA proposed water rights settlement for three Native American tribes in Arizona has taken a significant step forward with introduction in the Navajo Nation Council
Read more »
Not that Colorado: The muddy, winding story of how the Texas Colorado River got its nameMany people wonder whether the Colorado River that runs through Texas is related to the other Colorado River that created the Grand Canyon. It's not.
Read more »
Native American tribe seeks return of ancestral remains from UT AustinUT Austin faces pressure to return Native remains to the Miakan-Garza Band but cites insufficient evidence and opposition from recognized tribes.
Read more »
Summit Metro Parks offers native plants for sale, education at Native Plant FestivalSummit Metro Parks’ Native Plant Festival is scheduled for May 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Munroe Falls Metro Park.
Read more »
Colorado River WaterThe most important stories for you to know today
Read more »