The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors approved a resolution supporting the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement Act of 2024.
At their Tuesday meeting the Board urged Congress to expeditiously move forward with the agreement.
The agreement would address some of the longest-running water issues in Arizona by securing water rights for the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, and the San Juan Southern Piute Tribe. The Act would provide reliable and safe water to the tribes. Provisions of the agreement also provides $5 billion to build essential water development and delivery projects. The Act also allows for tribal autonomy to lease and exchange it's water supplies to fund infrastructure improvements.
The agreement has been approved by all three tribes and over 30 parties and now requires the federal government to ratify and fund the Act.