Tribal Water Rights Deal Stalled 

7.17.26 – The largest tribal water rights settlement in U.S. history is at a stalemate. The Northeastern Arizona Water Rights Settlement Act, if approved by Congress, would provide much-needed water for the Navajo Nation, as well as the Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute tribes. A provision with the deal has received pushback from some negotiators at the table, questioning whether the Navajo Nation should be allowed to lease some of its water to nearby cities outside of its reservation. KUNM Reporter Jeanette DeDios speaks with Heather Tanana, an assistant law professor at the University of Denver, about the settlement’s many details and discusses how life-changing this deal would be if it went through. 

Correspondent: Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) 

Guest: 
Heather Tanana (Diné), Assistant Law Professor, University of Denver 

For More Information: 
Largest tribal water rights settlement in U.S. history stalls due to four states – KUNM