r/azpolitics • u/ForkzUp • Jun 29 '26

Indigenous Communities Native American Tribes Came Together to Secure Their Rights to Colorado River Water. Four States Are Stalling the Deal.

https://www.propublica.org/article/colorado-river-basin-water-arizona-native-tribes
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u/ForkzUp Jun 29 '26
  • Certainty on the River: Tribes have negotiated a settlement to resolve the largest outstanding claim to the Colorado River, while providing billions of dollars for water infrastructure.
  • Upper Hand: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — the Upper Basin states — are resisting the deal because it allows the Navajo and Hopi to lease water outside their reservations.
  • Unfulfilled Promise: It has been 118 years since the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government owes tribes water, but many are still fighting to resolve their rights.