Adjudication Of Tribal Water Rights

The Indian Resources Section is involved in water rights adjudications throughout the arid West, asserting federal reserved water rights held by the United States for the benefit of Tribes to ensure that Tribal reservations provide viable permanent homelands. The claims generally require expert testimony and involve unique scientific and economic questions. These include issues concerning riparian flow, lake levels, and water quality necessary for fish habitat; the projected reservation population and water use over the next century; the feasibility of future irrigation projects on arable Reservation land; and the economic viability and water use of projected on-reservation commercial ventures.