Thursday, Mar 21 2013 3:28PM
A landmark Native American settlement will give water rights to four tribes in New Mexico.
The U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn, New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez and the leaders of four Native American tribes met to celebrate a historic water rights settlement agreement.
The settlement grants the four Pueblo tribes, the Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque and San Ildefonso, access and rights to water system services through the Rio Pojoaque Basin north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The settlement also provides innovations that manage the tribes' water, and ensures they will have adequate supplies for their existing and future needs.
Salazar said the settlement will be carried out in such a way as to not disrupt non-Indian water users.
"By executing this settlement today and reaching agreement on five other water rights settlements since 2009, we not only have closed the chapter on these longstanding water disputes, but also opened a new chapter in Indian Country - delivering clean drinking water and certainty to water users across the West while providing more than $2 billion to help tribes," said Salazar.
New Mexico has been involved in several water disputes in recent years. For example, Texas recently alleged that New Mexico was illegally diverting water from the Rio Grande and has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue.
For more information, check out this resource: The Department of the Interior