Navajo water rights

Native American tribes along the Colorado River were left out of the 1922 Colorado River Compact that divided water among the states, forcing tribes to negotiate settlements with the states for water.

The Navajo negotiated water settlements with New Mexico and Utah in 2009 and 2020 respectively, but had not reached an agreement with Arizona in 2023.

Indigenous Nations were left out of this agreement, forcing them to negotiate for water from the states.

Congress approved that agreement in 2009, but the tribe lacked pipeline infrastructure to access that water.

Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the tribe could force the government to ensure its access to water.

[1] The court affirmed the Navajo Nation's right to intervene in lawsuits related to water claims.