Tribes say their future is at stake as they push for Congress to consider Colorado River settlement

In the heart of the Navajo Nation and in the shadow of the sandstone arch that bears the name of the tribal capital, simple greetings and big smiles were shared again and again Friday as tribal officials gathered: “Yá ‘át’ééh abíní! »

It was indeed a good morning for Navajo President Buu Nygren as he signed legislation in Window Rock, Arizona, outlining a proposed water rights settlement that would guarantee supplies to the Colorado River and other sources for three Native American tribes – as well as greater security for drought-stricken Arizona.

The signing comes a day after the tribal council voted unanimously in favor of the measure. It was also approved this week by the Paiute and Hopi tribes of South San Juan.

Now, the three tribes will work to gain congressional approval for what could be the most expensive water rights settlement in U.S. history.

“We have a very big task ahead of us,” Nygren told the crowd. “But we will get there.”

The Navajo have one of the largest outstanding claims in the Colorado River basin, and officials say needs across the entire territory exceed the proposed $5 billion price tag.

Nearly a third of homes in the Navajo Nation, which spans 70,000 square miles in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, do not have running water. Many homes on Hopi lands are similarly situated, and the Paiute of southern San Juan were left for generations without a reservation – or right to water – that belonged to them.

Tribal leaders told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that the proposed settlement is not limited to a basic right to water, but marks a new avenue of cooperation among Native American tribes as they assert their rights to exploit natural resources and plan for the future in the context of the worsening effects of climate change.

While efforts to negotiate a deal have spanned generations, leaders said the ongoing drought and effects of the coronavirus pandemic were among the challenges that prompted the latest round of negotiations.

Navajo Council President Crystalyne Curley said Friday the importance of having clean, reliable sources of drinking water has become even more evident during the pandemic. She talked about Navajo families who must travel many miles to collect water and transport it home and who earn their dues on just a few gallons a day.

Other non-tribal parties to the settlement must still approve the measure, but tribal officials and their attorneys hope discussions in Congress will be well advanced before the November election.

Congress has passed nearly three dozen tribal water rights agreements across the United States over the past four decades. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, federal negotiating teams are working on 22 other agreements involving dozens of tribes.