Indigenizing Water Resources On The Navajo Nation: A Water Policy Analysis And Critique
Swanson, Andrew 1 ; Lander, Paul 2 ; Travis, William 3
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The Navajo Nation is the largest American Indian Reservation in the United States, located at the Four Corners of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado with territory within all four states, is home to 156,823 Navajo living in an area the size of West Virginia with a median family income of $22,392. The Navajo Nation was formed in 1868, and those familiar with the prior appropriation system of water rights allocation in the Western United States will recognize this as one of the most senior water rights able to be claimed. However, American Indian water rights are in constant contention in Federal courthouses across the country and a common alternative to litigation are negotiated settlements, often for far less water than could be otherwise claimed. However, unfair dealings with various state governments and Federal agencies have left many American Indian nations wary of relying on these same groups for assistance in creating the infrastructure necessary to physically move water to its destination. Reducing the reliance on Federal assistance, both technical and financial, is essential to the retention of Navajo culture and self-determination. As such, having a water supply system that effectively moves water along more cost-effective routes and methods, may depart from the traditional American methods of building water supply systems. This analysis will focus on critiquing current policy direction, outlining a new methodology for a water supply system, and proposing methods for merging the current infrastructure too far in development with the newly proposed policy. This report does not focus on the myriad of American Indian water rights law, instead it focuses on the resources available and making the most of them. Make no mistake, these are people who have had many challenges thrust upon them, and the Navajo have risen to each one. Their ability to respond to the challenge of providing water to their people will determine their ability to remain relevant in the 21st century.
Navajo Division of Health Department of Epidemiology Center., 2010, Navajo Population Profile, p 7-24.
Choudary, T., 2005, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy of the Navajo Nation 2005-2006, p 14-17