What will U.S. Supreme Court decision mean for tribal water rights?
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on a case that focuses on water access for the Navajo Nation but could impact battles for the resource across the West. For 20 years, the Navajo Nation’s fight for water has been circulating through lower courts. The foundation of the case reaches back more than 150 years, involving the treaties that established the reservation, decades of court decisions and the United States’ legal responsibilities to the Navajo Nation. The state of Colorado and other tribes, including those with reservation land in Colorado, are keeping a watchful eye on the outcome. … The average person on the Navajo reservation uses 7 gallons of water a day, Dvoretzky said. The U.S. average is 80 to 100 gallons. In New Mexico, the average is 81 gallons; Utah, 169; and Arizona, 146 …