State of unease: Colorado basin tribes without water rights
By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press
Hualapai tribal land in northwestern Arizona borders 100 miles of the Colorado River, but the tribe can’t draw from it. The water that serves the tribe’s major tourist center at Grand Canyon West is pumped from the ground, hauled over rough roads and sent through a pipeline. One hundred years after the signing of the Colorado River Compact, many Native American tribes still struggle to fully secure rights in river’s basin. Many tribes have found their best option is to reach settlements for water with states. But even with settlements, building out the infrastructure to deliver the water takes years. And the river that supplies millions across the U.S. West is dwindling.
