Interior: $580M headed to 15 tribes to fulfill water rights

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday said 15 Native American tribes will get a total of $580 million this year to fund settlements that ensure access to water that’s legally theirs. The money will help carry out agreements known as water rights settlements. They define the tribes’ rights to water from rivers and other sources and pay for pipelines, pumping stations and canals that deliver it to reservations. Access to reliable, clean water and basic sanitation facilities on tribal lands remains a challenge across many Native American reservations. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1908 that tribes have rights to as much water as they need to establish a permanent homeland.