MONUMENT VALLEY – An agreement that recognizes and protects the reserved water rights of the Navajo Nation and will help bring clean drinking water to the Navajo people in Utah was finalized Friday by government and tribe officials.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox and Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez signed a federal reserved water rights settlement agreement 18 years in the making in the picturesque Monument Valley.
“Today we celebrate the opportunity to bring drinking water infrastructure to the Navajo Nation and water certainty for Utah, the fastest-growing state in the country,” said Cox, according to a news release. “Sometimes the most important work done by government is done quietly on issues that don’t sound very exciting but which make a big difference in the lives of people. This is one of those times.
“I’m proud of the staff and leaders who have worked diligently and in good faith for many years to make this happen” Cox added.
The settlement recognizes a reserved water right of 81,500 acre-feet for current and future water use within the Navajo Nation in Utah.
“There are significant water quality challenges in Navajo Utah communities, namely elevated uranium and arsenic in groundwater,” Nez said. “Accessing surface water is an opportunity to provide water security for the largest land-based and populated Native American tribes in the United States, spanning over 27,000 square miles with a population of more than 400,000 tribal citizens — 405,856, but who’s counting?”
The federal government will pay the Navajo Nation more than $210 million and the state of Utah will contribute $8 million toward water projects on the Navajo Nation, the news release said.
“Utah leaders have long-prioritized finding a solution to bring running water and wastewater facilities to the Utah portion of Navajo Nation, including ensuring its citizens have proper water infrastructure, and I picked up that torch when I came to the Senate by reintroducing the Utah Navajo Water Rights Settlement Act,” Sen. Mitt Romney said. “I was proud to have helped negotiate the bipartisan infrastructure bill to make sure Utah would have a seat at the table, and make good on the longstanding promise by the federal government to the Navajo Nation in Utah.”
Added Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson: “While there are no easy answers to the issue of water in the West, I am emboldened by the spirit of collaboration that made this moment possible. This historic agreement will bring clean drinking water to the Navajo people in Utah, and I’m grateful for all of our partners who tackle tough issues with an eye toward solutions.”