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<br />Indian water
<br />
<br />rferenee. . .
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<br />Two non. Indian 3ptd:C'r'I quC's-
<br />liofled !.be dirc:~uon 1111:: llib~ would
<br />We' their warer. John Fo!.k.William.ll,
<br />prc-sidelll of Wcslcrn Network in
<br />Saf'lta Fe, opeDed hi, fa(k. by saying it
<br />....at good [Q be ill Colorado:
<br />"In puts of Colorado, you tan
<br />actually sce the WlIler flowing in the
<br />1.~:lIT\'J.. Where I come from ill the
<br />Soulhwut, wILter is. so pr<<.i<:l.\l.'&. ,/'<N
<br />neYC'c gC'l fa Ice il. En the ^-modt
<br />area, you .see only a lUBe empty river.
<br />When you II.K where Ihe warer is, rhey
<br />show you II pump. The walee is
<br />pumped up from undt:cSctlund and pur
<br />in II direh. h is lifdeu -. Wl.1C'C has co
<br />bcdc\'cr there tOSI.I('Iivc."
<br />Folk.WiJJjam8 (onrralled the
<br />Uares and rhtirsllycreign equals, the
<br />uibn. The Supreme Court's SporNse
<br />decision, he sll.ld, made It lcgalfor rich
<br />Stales ILkC' TellU and California 10 buy
<br />water in SIllies such as New Mexico
<br />and Colorado. The rhee-a( of
<br />exportillioll "beyond Ihe sphc:~ <Ji
<br />IlXal ei"onomic activity, has pron;apted
<br />the l1.t.aU:~!lo II) act more like tribes" in
<br />
<br />order h) prorect !heir water. "Thr:
<br />'tar~.. are :nepping intO economic
<br />If,ctivi()' in a WollY theywouJd regard u
<br />~iaWr.Uc ~ relation to lUty other
<br />re6ou.rce."
<br />The Indians, he aaid, can C'Xercise .
<br />even more connol over their ....ler:
<br />"Indian &oVnlUTlenu arc: Ir once
<br />owners and re,ulalon of their
<br />resources alld ....ell pos.itioned 10
<br />Ilndenake l;omprehenslve plannin,
<br />and management."
<br />
<br />Charlea Willtia.soD, .. In..
<br />prufc:SSGl" at the UDiveraity of
<br />Oregon who has worked 00
<br />many Indian water cue" asked;
<br />"Arc Indian tribes Koiag to be
<br />diffen:nr?" Me [hey goi.cg to look It
<br />wato::r 31:10 a pure commodity, or are
<br />they goin, 10 loolr. at other valua:
<br />"PoUUrlon, groundwater, luellD Ita.
<br />bilizarion. Will mey dlanlae Ihe whole
<br />warershed? Will lhey uear the
<br />w'ler.rhed as I unit?"
<br />Another quuuon ,was implicit
<br />
<br />'In parts 0 olorado, you can
<br />actually see the water flowing
<br />in the streams. Where I come
<br />from in the Southwest, water is
<br />so precious you never get to
<br />see it... When you ask where
<br />the water is, they show you
<br />a pump... Water has. to be
<br />clever there to suroive.
<br />
<br />throu,hout the confereDCe, but never
<br />direcLly addre"ed. MOSt of the water
<br />bas been won by a tiny team of Anglo
<br />and Jodiao anorneys wor.kiog with
<br />uibal leadeB. Now Wt they have
<br />done meir work, what oex:t? It.rc- then:
<br />enouJh Indians on the reu'l'Vluions
<br />capable of ma..kina use of lhese Wlter
<br />riJ:hrs? Or will the tribea lack the
<br />ability 10 orsanize to us~ the warer, ro
<br />
<br />anraa arpiw, or to suilr.e favorable
<br />dea.Js if the water is to be aoId or
<br />leaaed ro othen?
<br />The pan hill lory of I.cdiao
<br />ro:IO\U'c.CS is aotpromisi.nJ. The aibes'
<br />foretta, minerals, oil. gaa and e'ien
<br />Wid has often been sold or leued for
<br />the ta..lksfail.. willclearlyhuten the
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<br />(Conn1lIl,J 011 pI-I.' l~)'
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<br />Idaho will negotiate water rights with tribes
<br />
<br />On OClOber 30, far.reaeh.ing waler
<br />nelOll.8.lion!. began il"1 Bo~e berween
<br />lhe .ure of Idapo and lhe
<br />Shoshone:.Bitnnoclt lnbes. The issue
<br />is the: uibe.\i' ...,uer righes in the Sllilke
<br />Rivet Basin.
<br />Fo)rfourye:a~,lheslareand JTUl.ny
<br />interesred parties have struggled 10
<br />deflIle \l proce:los for furure alJacalion
<br />llnd management of Snake River
<br />wato::!. The end of surplus ...arer in the
<br />Snake River Basin is in sight, lInd
<br />l;OrtlliCI among u~crs and pOlenual
<br />users is one tesell!: ^fler Ihree
<br />sessions of de.lldlock, the 198'
<br />u:gislature acred ro resolve: the
<br />con1liclll.1t passed a lalll which diretu
<br />oll Slale COutl 10 delermine me size and
<br />priori()' of all walC'r righ/s in rhe Snake
<br />BIl.\iin. This pro.ess is C.lllled
<br />adjudiCllrion.
<br />Enler che Shoshone.Bannock.
<br />"The uibes were lhe finl ones herc-,"
<br />says crib;!.l attorney Howatd Fume.
<br />"When Ihey agreed 10 (to lO
<br />reseC'Valions, they reserved fraclions
<br />of /heir fonner termQry The Supreme
<br />COUll hllS established Ihe Wi"Urr
<br />DOUTt". -. rhar implicir in Ihe
<br />esrabhshmenr of the reservations is
<br />enough w.lller to fulfilllhe purposes of
<br />Ihe resen'arlon." The trl~s' da.im is
<br />b.lISed on che J868 Fan BridgerTrea()'.
<br />II re!.erve:d for rhe!1' che Fon Hall
<br />RcfoC:rv\lIlOn in e:asceln Idaho, and
<br />fishing and hunling tlghls in a luge
<br />pall of rhe: Salmon River drainage.
<br />
<br />At th~ same 198~ LcaislilllUre, the
<br />tribes 1l1lmucd th~ proposal to
<br />negoria/e racher IhAn hUgilre lheir
<br />righlS. "We looke-d around the
<br />We.!iI," says Fuuke. "When Ihe8e
<br />siruilrioM go to court, rhey ae~m EO
<br />seule lillIe, COSI millions, and lie up
<br />thing! for decad~,. We're trying ro
<br />avoid Ih:1t IUrmoil. And bGth ~ides
<br />have more flexibililY in a negotia.
<br />lion The LegislillUre agreed ro
<br />
<br />l
<br />
<br />negoUale. perhaps because of the
<br />waler victories various tribes were
<br />winning III around the We,t. The
<br />nego!ialiolt$ llte expctled 10 lake rwo
<br />10 rhree y~an.
<br />The srare Is represenled by Gene
<br />Gray, t:haiima.n of Idaho's Water
<br />. Resources Board. and .ssistant
<br />Arrotney General Clive Suong. The
<br />U.S. Depanmem of the: Interior,
<br />represenled by h.ssociate SolicilCr Tim
<br />Vollrnann, is participating in a dual
<br />role: a crustee: for rhe tribes
<br />lupporring rheir posirion, and a
<br />moniror fot the Bureau of Recl~lion
<br />and other affected federal agencies.
<br />The nc:gotil/.tKlnl witL not direcLl.,.
<br />decide any non-Indian fede:tal WArer
<br />riJhll, bUI itS outcome ",ill sUlely
<br />affcctthem.
<br />Tenralive Rareemenr w.s reached
<br />al me fltSl meeting to lIdd three
<br />non-voling membenl to repre5,cnt
<br />exis/ing waler users. Non.consump.
<br />live users ...ill probably hAve one of
<br />lholoC seal5. The WArer Board i,
<br />bringing specific nominations to me
<br />next meeting.. December 10 in FOll
<br />HalL
<br />Funke eJ;pcctS 1he substantive
<br />talks ro bo::gin in January. The tribes
<br />intend HI ask for minimum flows on
<br />rhe Blac!r..foot, Pormeuf, and Snake
<br />Rivels -- "our bOllndasy :Ioueam.s,"
<br />Funke calls them. They wlll also
<br />reque:sr some minimum flo...s in the
<br />Sil.lmon drainage .. proba.bly in me
<br />mau,slem S:illmon; its Middle, WI,
<br />and Yankee forks; and che Pah,imeroi
<br />and umhi riven.
<br />The neaociacioils will be 'io::ry
<br />diffkulc. "There are 110,000 pemtirs
<br />on we Snake now,". say. Funke -.
<br />"!.tate, federal, and privare inrerens.
<br />h ...ill be lough ro keep all that
<br />toge/her h 10 make .I framework work
<br />",ilh alllhose illlere.scs." Forex:ampJe,
<br />a Snake River minimum flow At FOll
<br />Hollll could well pur all Ihe
<br />
<br />unappropriared Wllcer left in the Uppcr
<br />Snne' Ri'Ver Valley off.limits, forcinS
<br />irrigators and othe:r consumptive userl
<br />to buy warer if mey ,.,ant mon:o .
<br />The ncgoti..tioo -. or' litiSltiOO if
<br />
<br />the la.I/c:a fail .. will dearly hasten the
<br />end of (re~ W$uer in southern Idaho.
<br />The 'qIle.tion: by how much?
<br />
<br />..PilIFonl
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<br />Th_ Slid_ Ril'lr 'M Hells CIlIfYO"
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