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<br />Indian Water-1997: Trends and Directions in Federal Water Policy <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />rights begins from: groundwater. It replenishes everything, replenishes the <br />surface water so that I can continue to exist. The mainstream ofthe White <br />River, where we all live. <br /> <br />We talk to the state ecosystem people-Clean Water Act, you name <br />them-and there are a bunch of commissioners all over the place, I don't <br />know what else they are called, all of these commissions; Clean Water Act, <br />pure water, clean air, endangered species. .. Every one of them is aimed at <br />my reservation: "How in the world can we stop Ronnie Lupe from going on <br />and continuing building? That's against the law, Ronnie, you can't do that." <br /> <br />I've lived on my reservation all my life. We were going to build a dam on the <br />White River called Miner Flat Dam. Maybe some of you have heard about <br />that. We thought maybe we could survive with a small overhead, provide <br />our own energy, and then provide water, gravity fed, to a big canyon on the <br />other side of the mountain, where we have an area that can be farmed and <br />built and then grow at White River in a community. <br /> <br />I don't remember who it was that came on our reservat\on when we were <br />talking about it. The Bureau knows what I'm talking about. They know <br />exactly what I'm talking about. All of sudden an endangered specie was <br />created-really created-a little tiny fish called Loche minnow. I have never <br />heard of Loche minnow in all my born days. I have never seen it. I will <br />probably never see it as long as I live, but it just so happened to be right <br />there in White River. <br /> <br />There's an endangered specie fish right there in what you're doing. So what <br />do they do? They stop my project. I could go on and on and on. I wish the <br />Federal Government would wake up and fund some of my projects. <br />Roosevelt Dam started recently, and it's already finished. The walls have <br />been increased so it can carry more water. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Miner Flat started long time ago, and I can't even get it off the ground. This <br />was subsidized by your money and my money, too. I need help. I have a very <br />long ways to go. I am the endangered species. If all of these endangered <br />species can stop projects, we are in trouble with our development on our <br />reservation. <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />If the groundwater continues to be pumped from the Coconino Aquifer at the <br />north end of my reservation, all of the trees will die and where will I go? I <br />will have no surface water left. I have over 400 miles of rivers and streams, <br />created from our sacred mountain, not going through the reservation, right <br />there on my reservation. All of those streams that flow from the White <br />Mountain creates a big river called Salt River. Where does that go? Right <br />here. <br /> <br />42 <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />