Tribes across the West have worked with states to protect the Colorado River and conserve enough water to raise elevations in the river’s two largest reservoirs, Lakes Powell and Mead, a move that has helped states during critical droughts.
Now tribes want to make it clear that any future agreements on how to manage the river’s water must include their input and an acknowledgment that they intend to develop their water rights.
“It’s high time that tribes begin to really begin to flex their sovereignty,” said Mike Natchees, a member of the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee.
The Ute Indian Tribe holds significant senior water rights, including 500,000 acre-feet in the Green River basin in Utah, but faces challenges with unused water flowing downstream due to lack of infrastructure and funding.
“It just continues to flow downstream. We are uncompensated for it. It is undeveloped. And again, that is unacceptable for the Ute Indian Tribe,” Natchees said.
That sentiment was shared among representatives for dozens of tribes who spoke at the Colorado River Water Users Association conference at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in December.
Western states that rely on the Colorado River have less than two months to agree on how to manage the troubled river. The seven Colorado River Basin states – Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming – have until Feb. 14 to reach a new water sharing agreement before current operating rules expire at the end of 2026 – or the federal government will step in with its own plan.
But the Ute Indian Tribe, whose reservation is located in Northeastern Utah, emphasized that any new agreement will have a significant impact on tribes across the Colorado River basin.
One of the biggest disagreements between the Upper and Lower Basin states is over which faction should have to cut back on their water use during dry years. Historically, Lower Basin states have used nearly all their 7.5 million acre-feet Colorado River allocation under current Colorado River guidelines, compared to the 4.5 million acres-feet used by the Upper Basin states.
Natchees said the impact of water cuts to tribes in the Upper Basin have not been discussed enough during negotiations, adding that he hopes tribes will one day have a seat on the Upper Colorado River Commission, an interstate water administrative agency that represents Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.
“The bottom line is that the Lower Basin is just simply over allocated. They’re overusing and they’re doing it with no regard to anyone in the Upper Basin, which feeds their system, and that needs to change,” Natchees said.
Tribes have continued to be a part of the solution when it comes to conservation on the river, said President of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, Jonathan E. Koteen.
In 2025, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe signed an agreement to conserve 13,000 acre-feet of water to bolster elevations in Lake Mead, and contributed additional water savings through its ongoing seasonal fallowing agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Those water savings helped California reach its goal of conserving 1.6 million acre-feet in Lake Mead a year ahead of schedule.
“Tribal inclusion must be formal, meaningful and permanent. Tribes are not new participants. We are original stewards of the river, and our voices must be part of shaping the future family,” Koteen said.
Conservation efforts by tribes have also been innovative, said Koteen. The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe secured funding to line the Reservation Main Canal, reducing seepage and improving efficiency for water deliveries to large portions of the Yuma Project Reservation Division.
Another example of an innovative solution was when the Jicarilla Apache Nation entered a landmark 10-year water-sharing agreement with New Mexico and The Nature Conservancy in 2023 to lease up to 20,000 acre-feet of its Colorado River water annually, supporting endangered fish habitat and water security for the state by strategically releasing water into the San Juan River.
“It’s increasing water security for the state of New Mexico, allowing the state to meet its obligations under whatever framework that we end up coming up with in post 2026, so it’s a great project,” said Jenny Dumas, the water attorney for the Jicarilla Apache Nation.
But Dumas emphasized that not every tribe can replicate such an agreement, and every tribe has their own unique needs that must be considered when settling on a new water sharing agreement.
Councilmember for Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Conrad Jacket said the tribe’s Bow and Arrow Farm is a major economic driver. While tribes in California, like the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, are able to reduce crops for payment, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe cannot.
“This year, we did have to cut back,” Jacket said. “And that’s not good on our part. That is not good on all this whole region’s part.”
Instead, the tribe would benefit more from flexible tools that allow the tribe’s water to be set aside in good water years, while contributing to additional release in dry years.
Tribes said they were committed to helping states reach a seven-state consensus on how to share the river’s water, in order to stabilize the river and secure their rights.
During the conference, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the Gila River Indian Community and the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, which manages the Central Arizona Project, signed a major proclamation to work together to protect the Colorado River.
The Colorado River Indian Tribes is Arizona’s largest and most senior Colorado River water rights holder.
“All of us who live in Arizona, native and non-native alike, are connected by water, for without water, there is no life. And it is that common thread that binds us, which has us here today, pledging to work together for the greater good of all who live in Arizona,” said Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores.
