Arizona water future tied to unresolved tribal rights
The future of Arizona’s water will depend not only on Colorado River negotiations and groundwater policy, but also on long-unresolved tribal water rights, three water experts told attendees at the 99th Annual Arizona Water Conference and Exhibition here on April 28. … [T]he Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement is one step toward addressing that gap. The settlement involves 39 parties, including the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the state of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, Salt River Project and the city of Flagstaff. The settlement would resolve claims involving the upper and lower Colorado River, the Little Colorado River, Cibola allocations, groundwater and supplies tied to the Navajo-owned Big Boquillas Ranch.
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