Native News
Senate Committee Examines $5B Water Rights Settlement for Navajo, Hopi, and Paiute Tribes
About one-third of the Navajo Nation lacks access to clean drinking water, a reality that impacts every aspect of daily life.
Testifying Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs during a hearing on Indian water settlements, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren recalled hauling water in five-gallon containers with his grandmother and mother as a child.
Nygren said a typical Navajo family spends an average of $600 per month hauling water.
“According to the Navajo Department of Water Resources, families that haul water for domestic purposes spend the equivalent of $43,000 per acre-foot of water compared with $600 per acre-foot for typical suburban water users in the region. The Navajo water hauling cost is $133 per thousand gallons. This water is among the most expensive in the United States for a sector of the population that is among the poorest,” Nygren said in his written testimony.
Nygren was one of three tribal leaders who testified at the committee’s Examining Federal Policies Governing Indian Water Rights Settlements hearing, which examined the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 (S.953). He was joined by Lamar Keevama, chairman of the Hopi Tribe, and Carlene Yellowhair of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe.
The tribal leaders were introduced by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) who said access to clean, reliable water shouldn’t be a question in the United States.
“This settlement is a major step forward, securing the Tribe’s water future while providing long needed certainty for Arizona and the entire Colorado River Basin. Without it, uncertainty over tribal water claims will persist, affecting not only the tribes but also the communities across the region that depend on clean, clear, and reliable water management,” Kelly said.
For the leaders of the Committee, ensuring tribes have clean water are part of the trust responsibility the United States has for tribal citizens.
“Indian water rights settlements are about more than resolving legal claims—they’re about honoring our trust responsibilities, strengthening tribal self-determination, and making sure Native communities finally have the infrastructure they need to secure reliable access to clean water.” Committee Chair Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said in her opening remarks.
“Congress’s obligation to consider legislation that codifies Indian water rights settlements is not optional. It’s the critical final step to ensure our trust responsibilities are met,” said Vice Chair Schatz. “I urge my colleagues to move pending settlements like S. 953 forward. Authorize them. Fund them. Give tribes, states, and water users in these basins the certainty they need, not just for today, but for generations to come.”
The price tag for the S. 953 is $5 billion.
Representing the U.S. Department of the Interior at the hearing, Principal Deputy Asst. Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget Scott Cameron testified that while the Trump administration supports tribes having clean water, it is concerned about its costs.
“With over $13 billion in Indian water rights settlements pending before Congress, we believe it is important for settling parties to have realistic expectations regarding the Federal contributions toward settlement that this Administration can support,” Cameron said.
“Whatever the path forward, we have an obligation to find the resources to uphold our commitments to Tribal Nations so that they can build strong sustainable futures,” Murkowski said.