By Shannon Mullane | The Colorado Sun
Tribal nations, Arizona and over 30 other stakeholders have just days to get a historic water rights settlement through Congress, and they’ll have to get past pushback from Upper Basin states, including Colorado, to do it.
The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act would secure safe, reliable water for thousands of Navajo, Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute tribal members in northeastern Arizona. It would give the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe a reservation. It would resolve water rights disputes, and potentially set up new funding streams for tribes. If successful, it would conclude about 60 years of work, advocates say.
But some Congressional representatives have balked at the price tag: $5 billion. State officials have asked for clarity on how water will move across state lines. And Colorado River officials in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming have concerns about how the settlement would allow water from their basin to be used farther downstream.