New federal rule would increase water cuts in the Colorado River Basin; Native American tribes say they weren't consulted

Colorado River Indian Tribes say the U.S. Department of the Interior did not provide them with enough notice or allow them sufficient input about its newly proposed plan of "future cuts to Colorado River water deliveries to three lower river basin states," reports Daniel Herrera Carbajal for ICT. 

The plan dictates that California, Arizona and Nevada would take less water from the Colorado River "to stave off a crisis in the river." Arizona and Nevada have taken water usage cuts before, but this proposal "could lead to more significant reductions, impacting agriculture, cities and tribes," according to the ICT report. 

In a release letter earlier this month, The Colorado River Indian Tribes' attorney general, Rebecca Loudbear, wrote that the decision does not "reflect the nature and extent of [The Colorado Indian Tribes's] water rights," because the Tribes "holds water rights to over 23 percent of Arizona’s entire allocation of Colorado River water."

The Tribes is a major shareholder of Colorado River water in Arizona and has "some of the most legally untouchable water rights pertaining to the river." The Tribes, along with the Gila River Indian Community, pledged to "'stand ready" to challenge the plan if it does not meet their needs.