Western tribes push for a larger role in water management
When officials from California, Arizona and Nevada signed a deal this month to take less water from the shrinking Colorado River, a large portion of the water savings came through agreements with two Native tribes. Indigenous leaders have also been invited by the Biden administration to play a key role in future negotiations on coping with shortages. The rising involvement of tribes in discussions about managing the West’s scarce water supplies marks a dramatic turn in a century-long history of being left on the sidelines.