As the Colorado River faces historically low levels, Native American tribes that have depended on its life-sustaining waters for generations are raising concerns about the impacts on their communities, economies and cultural traditions.
The Navajo Nation, which includes portions of southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, is actively working to secure water rights settlements in Arizona crucial for their agricultural and municipal needs.
Bidtah N. Becker, chief legal counsel for the Navajo Nation, told St. George News there is an urgency to secure the tribe's legal rights to the Colorado River in Arizona, calling it their "No. 1 issue."
Becker explained that while the tribe secured water rights settlements in Utah in 2022 and in New Mexico in 2009, members still lack a legal water allocation in Arizona. A proposed bill in Congress, the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025, seeks to address this gap.
The bill involves partnerships with the Hopi Tribe, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, the state of Arizona and more than 30 municipalities and communities in northern Arizona.
"This is something that needs to move forward," Becker said. "The reason it hasn't moved forward is because we are situated in the heart of the Colorado River Basin."
The legislation has been delayed due to a lack of agreement from the seven Colorado River Basin states, which are focused on post-2026 guidelines for managing the river. Becker said the Navajo Nation remains hopeful that once those discussions advance, a settlement can gain momentum.
As river flows drop, the effects are already being felt on the reservation. Agriculture remains vital to many Native American communities. The Navajo Nation operates one of the largest Native American-owned agricultural enterprises in the country, the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project.
"In terms of our largest Colorado River water use, that's the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project," Becker said. "They do engage in water conservation. They have in the past, and I have no reason to doubt that they would now."
The Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, located in northwest New Mexico, draws its water from Navajo Lake on the San Juan River and moves it through more than 70 miles of main canals and 340 miles of laterals. Approved by Congress in 1962, the project transformed from a small-scale farming initiative into a major agricultural operation.
The project holds rights to 508,000 acre-feet of San Juan River water annually, used to irrigate high desert lands south of Farmington, New Mexico.
Historically, the Navajo Nation has entered into shortage-sharing agreements, voluntarily reducing water use in times of scarcity.
"The Nation has long been actively engaged in recognizing the need to work within what Mother Nature provides, and in partnership, definitely in New Mexico," Becker said.
Beyond agriculture, the Navajo Nation is working to secure municipal water supplies. Becker said one key project underway is the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. A lateral portion of the project, running along U.S. Route 550, is already constructed; the second lateral section still requires funding to be completed.
"The way we are designing these municipal projects is to ensure that in the future, these projects are protected from shortages," Becker said. "This will develop over time, but we've got to get the projects developed first."
Water shortages on the Colorado River impact not only economic development but also the basic needs of communities. Many Navajo communities still lack consistent access to clean drinking water, he said.
"There are still communities that lack water security, and the Navajo Nation is one of them," Becker said. "The settlement that's pending in Congress will provide the security that the Navajo Nation needs so that we can develop a thriving on-reservation economy."
The tribe's relationship with water runs deeper than economics — it's rooted in culture.
"The way we describe the Navajo Nation is surrounded by four mountains and four rivers," Becker said. "That's the Little Colorado River, the San Juan River, the Colorado River, and the Rio Grande far to the east. Those rivers are very important to the Navajo people culturally. They are living beings."
Access to clean water is not just a necessity; it is a gateway to economic opportunity.
"It's definitely the access to water security, access to clean drinking water, and the understanding that access to clean drinking water is also a tool for economic development," Becker added.
As the Navajo Nation looks ahead, one recent milestone offers hope.
A water rights settlement between the tribe, the federal government and the state of Utah finalized all Navajo claims to water within Utah. The agreement secures 81,500 acre-feet of reserved water rights for current and future use.
The federal government will pay more than $210 million toward water infrastructure projects on the Navajo Nation, with the state of Utah contributing $8 million.
“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,” Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said in a press release. “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.”
The Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Act, introduced by former Sen. Mitt Romney in 2019, was authorized by Congress in 2020 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. It received full funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
Yet Becker said they still need a water allocation in Arizona. He added that they will continue to push for the construction of infrastructure, secure the water they’re entitled to and ensure that future generations have access to the rivers that have sustained them for centuries.
