Click the link to read the article on the AZCentral.com website (Arlyssa D. Becenti). Here’s an excerpt:
May 1, 2024
Two months after Navajo Nation officials released details of a sweeping agreement to secure rights on the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers, there have been numerous community meetings to discuss what it means for people to secure water access. What’s clear is that the settlement, known as the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement, is about equity, human rights and securing access to water for the next 100 years for the Navajo people.
“Whatever gets built out is going to get us a lot further to building out the infrastructure that we are going to need anyway if we want to be able to grow at our natural growth rate,” Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch said during a livestream meeting…
The agreement would settle all of the Navajo Nation’s water rights claims in Arizona, which includes the Colorado River Upper Basin, the Colorado River Lower Basin, Little Colorado River Basin and some groundwater. The proposal will be put into legislation and voted on by the Navajo Nation Council before it is sent to Congress, where lawmakers could make their own adjustments.
