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<br />~ <br />. '~ <br /> <br />NEGOTIATING AN INDIAN WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT: <br />THE COLORADO UTE INDIAN EXPERIENCE <br /> <br />I. Introduction <br /> <br />The Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Final Settlement <br />Agreement, signed December 10, 1987, benefited the Ute Mountain <br />Ute and Southern Ute Indian Tribes. These tribes are of <br /> <br />, <br />~~ <br /> <br />Shoshonean stock, with aboriginal lands that included central and <br />western Colorado, eastern Utah, and northern New Mexico. Today <br /> <br />" <br />~ <br /> <br />~~ <br /> <br />the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is located on a reservation in extreme <br /> <br />~ <br />r.~ <br />'~ <br /> <br />southwestern Colorado, with portions of the reservation extending <br /> <br />.~', <br /> <br />into New Mexico and Utah. The reservation tatals 599,329 acres <br /> <br />with a population of appraximately 1,400 members. <br /> <br />The Southern <br /> <br />Ute Tribe is located on a 308,000 acre reservation to the east of <br /> <br />'.-j;. <br /> <br />the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation and has a population of approxi- <br />mately 1,000 members. <br />These reservations lie within the drainage of the Colorado <br />River, primarily within the San Juan River drainage basin. <br /> <br />''l <br />'0 <br />;.~ <br />'., <br />'-;. <br />;-.../ <br />:i~ <br />,< <br /> <br />'':'.'- <br /> <br />Almost every river in sauthwestern Colorado passes through one or <br /> <br />both of these reservations. The Navajo, Blanco, San Juan, <br /> <br />~"'j <br />;->. <br />1-31 <br />,~ <br />~ <br />0'" <br />~,: <br />F. <br /> <br />Piedra, Pine, Florida, Animas, La Plata, Mancos, and Dolores <br /> <br />:.'1 <br /> <br />Rivers and McElmo Creek all pass through the Indian reservations <br />and then flow southwesterly into Utah or New Mexico. <br />The Colorado Ute Settlement is an example of the benefits <br />which can be obtained by all parties when Indian reserved water <br />