Tribal water rights Archives

AZ CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: Tribal water settlement aims to repair generations of exclusion

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting

July 23, 2025

by Christopher Lomahquahu, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting Guiding a Toyota pickup along a narrow dirt road south of Second...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: Settlements and stalemates: Tribal leaders steer the Colorado River conversation

Courthouse News Service

Colorado River

June 6, 2025

Thirty federally recognized tribes lay claim to a fourth of the Colorado River, a vital water source for 40 million...

NEVADA CURRENT: Tribes help boost Lake Mead water supply, hope for lame duck passage of $5B federal water act

Nevada Current

Colorado River

December 9, 2024

by Jeniffer Solis, Nevada Current Since 2021, a handful of Colorado River Basin tribes have significantly boosted water supply in...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: Colorado River stakeholders tackle climate change, water rights at annual conference

Courthouse News Service

Colorado River

December 5, 2024

Members of the Colorado River Water Users Association met for their annual conference in Las Vegas Wednesday. By Jacob Walters,...

ASPEN JOURNALISM: Feds rule that next round of drought relief funding won’t cover tribes’ unused water

Aspen Journalism

Colorado River

October 4, 2024

Tribal and state officials say Reclamation walked back support for forbearance payments By Heather Sackett, Aspen Journalism Tribes in the...

GRIST: Tribes could lease their water to dry states. Why is it so hard?

Grist

Colorado River

May 16, 2024

The Colorado River Indian Tribes can now lease water to non-Indigenous users along the drought-stricken river. Most nations can’t do...

GRIST: States and tribes scramble to reach Colorado River deals before election

Grist

Colorado River

March 6, 2024

By Jake Bittle, Grist This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. There are...

ASPEN JOURNALISM: Lower basin water managers say it’s time to fix their supply/demand problem

Aspen Journalism

Colorado River

December 15, 2023

Colorado has long pushed for recognition of overuse By Heather Sackett, Aspen Journalsim Representatives from two lower basin states on...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: Native American tribes call for recognition, compensation in post-2026 Colorado River operating agreement

Courthouse News Service

Colorado River

December 15, 2023

Thirty federally recognized tribes lay claim to a fourth of the Colorado River which provides water to 40 million people...

PRO PUBLICA: Western States Opposed Tribes’ Access to the Colorado River 70 Years Ago. History Is Repeating Itself.

Pro Publica

Colorado River

October 17, 2023

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Anna V. Smith, High Country News ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up...

PRO PUBLICA: The Colorado River Flooded Chemehuevi Land. Decades Later, the Tribe Still Struggles to Take Its Share of Water.

Pro Publica

Colorado River

July 6, 2023

The Chemehuevi’s reservation fronts about 30 miles of the Colorado River, yet 97% of the tribe’s water stays in the...

ASPEN JOURNALISM: Federal, state officials promise more tribal inclusion in Colorado River negotiations

Aspen Journalism

Colorado River

July 1, 2023

Tribes say structural inclusion is key By Heather Sackett, Aspen Journalism Federal and state officials have promised more tribal inclusion...

PRO PUBLICA: Supreme Court Keeps Navajo Nation Waiting for Water

Pro Publica

Colorado River

June 26, 2023

By Anna V. Smith, High Country News, and Umar Farooq and Mark Olalde, ProPublica This article originally appeared on Inside...

THE CONVERSATION: Supreme Court rules the US is not required to ensure access to water for the Navajo Nation

The Conversation

Colorado River Policy and regulation

June 23, 2023

By Robert Glennon, University of Arizona The Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the U.S., covers 27,000 square...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: Tribe seeking Colorado River water rights spurned by high court

Courthouse News Service

Colorado River

June 22, 2023

The justices dealt a blow to the Navajo Nation in the war for water in the arid American Southwest. By...