Three key water settlements were presented to the U.S. Congress on behalf of the Navajo Nation, focusing on improving access to safe drinking water. These include the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, and the Navajo Nation Rio San Jose Stream System Water Rights Settlement Agreement in New Mexico. These efforts aim to help the Navajo Nation manage its water resources effectively, as per a release from the Navajo Nation Office of the President.
The settlements follow a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision that opposed the Navajo Nation’s treaty rights. Despite this, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren views the decision as motivation to fight harder for the nation’s water rights. “It’s in our hands to quantify our own water,” President Nygren said in the release. “Only we know what we need, only we know the struggles of living without water, so why don’t we create the plan to save our water.”
The Navajo Nation Department of Justice, 25th Navajo Nation Council, Navajo Nation Water Resources, and Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission support President Nygren’s efforts. To build public awareness, Principal Hydrologists Crystal Tulley-Cordova and Robert Kirk, along with attorney Dwight Witherspoon, started an information series called “Preserving Dinétah” in November 2023. This initiative aims to educate the community and encourage support for the water rights cause, as per the same release…