Friday, Mar 22 2013 4:24PM
An Oregon tribe was granted top water rights from the state.
Oregon granted top water rights to Klamath Tribes in the Klamath Basin, a step that may ignite further controversy among contenders for rights to the basin, according to the Oregonian.
The decision grants the tribes senior water rights under the state's "first-in-time, first-in-rights" law. Despite the state's decision, the newspaper notes that it will still be subject to court approval.
The basin remains one of the state's leading stages for water disputes, and Oregon received more than 5,000 challenges to rights to the area over the past several decades, the paper reports. However, the state's recognition of the tribe's rights to the basin comes after 38 years of proceedings, and represents a victory for the Klamath Native Americans.
"Everybody is going to be behind the tribes because their rights are time immemorial," Tom Paul, deputy director of Oregon's Water Resources Department, told the newspaper.
Native Americans across the country have steadily gained more access to water system services in the way of court settlements and state recognition. Recently, four tribes in New Mexico won a water rights settlement that will ensure their existing and future supply of water is guaranteed and sustainable.
For more information, check out this resource: The Oregonian