Navajo sign water rights settlement with Utah and feds

Associated Press

MONUMENT VALLEY, Utah (AP) — The portion of the Navajo Nation that lies in Utah is getting $210 million to go toward clean drinking water infrastructure. Navajo leaders signed an agreement Friday with Utah and federal officials that provides the funding and also settles the tribe’s claim to Colorado River water rights. The signing formalizes the Utah Navajo Water Rights Settlement, which became law last year as part of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill. It’s one of 16 tribal water rights settlements the administration is devoting $1.7 billion to fund. The settlement also resolves long-standing concerns about legal battles over the Colorado River and the tribe’s claims to senior water rights.