As the federal government begins negotiations on long-term plans for the flooded Colorado River, tribal leaders are seeking greater involvement in negotiations, reaching the table for high-level consultations between seven states that depend on the river. says he wants to river.

The 30 tribes in the Colorado River Basin have rights to use about a quarter of the average amount of water in the river. Over the past century, however, tribal-state leaders have been largely excluded from regional consultations on river management, and only in recent years have they begun to play a larger role.

Some tribal leaders say they remain excluded from important talks between state and federal officials, and the Biden administration has said the current rules will help address the shortfall after 2026. We invite you to join us as we begin the process of developing new rules. Expired.

“They met, they talked, they made decisions, but we’ll see later,” said Gov. Stephen Law Lewis, leader of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona. “And 30 tribes are very frustrated by this, especially as they look ahead to the process beyond 2026.”

The interior ministry on Thursday began the process of developing new long-term rules for operating reservoirs and apportioning water loss in times of water shortage. New regulations need to be introduced by the end of 2026, when the current 2007 guidelines expire.

Federal action is a difficult negotiation of how cities, rural areas and tribes across seven states will cope and adapt to chronic overuse as global warming continues to reduce river flow. It will be the stage of

The pivot for post-2026 rule negotiations was announced three weeks after state representatives made their announcements. agreed to the proposal This is a stopgap measure intended to temporarily prevent the reservoir from dropping to critically low levels.

In upcoming talks, Lewis and other Indigenous leaders said they want to include representatives of the 30 tribes whenever the federal government calls meetings with all seven states. He said the approach would not prevent state representatives from meeting with each other.

Lewis raised concerns At a conference in Boulder, Colorado last week, as work began on a post-2026 plan, “it is no longer acceptable for the United States to meet individually with the seven watershed states and negotiate with the watershed tribes after the fact.” said. ”

He said that when tribal leaders met with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland last year, she promised “we will be at the table when decisions are made at the highest levels.”

The Gila River Indian Community Right to Bulk Water Located in Arizona, it agreed to leave some of its water in Lake Mead for the next three years while receiving $150 million from the federal government. The community, which uses Colorado River water to irrigate farmland on the reservation, will also receive $83 million to expand water reuse through the Reclaimed Water Pipeline Project, working with the federal government to: I am working on a project. Cover part of the canal with solar panels.

“When tribes come to the table, tribes can bring solutions, they can bring innovation, and that benefits the whole region,” Lewis said in an interview with The Times.

announced by the Ministry of the Interior. Process for developing new rules Replacing the 2007 guidelines will require “strong cooperation” between the seven states, tribes and other stakeholders and Mexico.

The ministry has officially started the process, Notice in the Federal Register It has revealed plans to conduct research and release a document called an environmental impact report. The notice states that its aim is to develop new guidelines and strategies that are “robust, adaptable and able to withstand a wide range of future conditions”, such as preparing for continued drought, reduced runoff and depleted water storage. It is said that it is to develop.

The Department of the Interior and the U.S. Reclamation Service will spend the next two months, ending August 15, on “how existing regulations should be changed to provide greater stability to water users and the public throughout the Colorado River Basin.” We welcome comments from the public. ”

Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Boudreau said the Biden administration “stays true to its commitment to working with states, tribes and communities in the West to find consensual solutions in the face of climate change and persistent drought.” said.

Efforts need to start now “to enable a thorough, comprehensive and science-based decision-making process,” said Camille Karimrim Touton, chairman of the landfill commission.

The river’s largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have declined to record lows during a 23-year drought exacerbated by climate change. Warmer temperatures have dried up the basin, reducing the river’s flow by about 20% from its pre-2000 average.

This winter storm left the Rockies, Biggest snowfall in yearsAnd the runoff is starting to raise the reservoir level.

Mr. Touton said last week at a conference at the University of Colorado School of Law that he expects this year’s run-off votes to exceed the outflows of the past three years combined. But she said, “There is no guarantee that this is not a one-off event in a larger context of continued drought and dryness.”

The river’s depleted reservoir is now at 42% of its reservoir. Touton said dealing with water shortages and coming up with long-term solutions will be a daunting task.

“The next steps will be the most difficult in the history of our organization and the basin has experienced,” Touton said. “We must continue to work together to get through these difficult decisions.”

The history of the exclusion of indigenous peoples from river decisions dates back to the signing of a 1922 agreement dividing water between states.

A century ago, “We weren’t at the table. Joaquin said.

“The tribe should be at the table,” said Joaquin. “We’ll be at the post-2026 table. That’s what it means to us. It’s the right thing to do.”

Joaquin recently Member of the California Colorado River Commission Governor Gavin Newsom made them the first tribal representatives to serve in this role.

The Kechan people have a reservation along the river in the southeastern corner of California, join the program In exchange for payment, some farmland is left dry and unplanted for part of the year, helping to raise the water level of Lake Mead.

Many Indigenous leaders have emphasized that their perspectives can play an important role in rethinking the relationship between regions and rivers.

Nora McDowell, leader of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, made an impassioned call for tribal involvement and protection of the river in her speech at the conference.

“We still have no voice, no seat, no opportunity to think about these things and consider the cultural, spiritual, health and environment of the river,” McDowell said. . , Former tribal chief.

The Mojave, whose lands straddle the rivers of Nevada, Arizona, and California, feel a deep spiritual connection to the Colorado River and the ecosystems that depend on it, but dams and heavy water diversions take a heavy toll. she said she was.

“If the river could talk today, what would it say?

“We have to be here to speak for it, and I know it’s going to say, ‘Respect me.'” thank you. Please let me heal,” she said. “‘Please don’t let me die.'”

McDowell said protecting the river would require changes in how it is managed. “We need to think about sustainability in different ways,” she said. “We all have places and voices that need to be heard, taken into account and part of the solution.”

Many tribes struggle to secure water rights and the basic infrastructure to supply water to their populations, despite tribal calls for greater involvement.Of the 30 federally recognized tribes in the Colorado River Basin, 11 remain Unresolved water claims.

More than 30% of the estimated population of the Navajo are live in a house without running water.Many people in the Hopi community have tap water. Contaminated with toxic arsenic.

Environmentalists also stress the need for tribes to sit at the table.

John Goldin-DuBois, chairman of Western Resource Advocates, said many of the tribes’ water rights, infrastructure and values, long denied, will now be “integrated into the decision-making process and will have equitable access to clean drinking water.” I have to do it,” he said.

Achieving the water savings needed to address long-term supply-demand gaps in rivers will require significant reductions in water use in agriculture, which consumes the largest share of water, and significant reductions in water use to enhance conservation. It is expected that new measures will be required. Improving the efficiency of cities from Phoenix to Los Angeles.

Goldin DuBois said cities, farms and other businesses in the region should take immediate steps to reduce their water use by at least 25%, with the exception of the tribes, who should use more water from rivers. He said any new developments needed should be “unplanned.” The table should be maintained until a sustainable path is identified. ”

Future negotiations will also include the question of what to do with the current system of dam management and water allocation. Improved to adapt to climate change. Scientists predict that average river flows could fall by as much as 30 to 40 percent by the middle of this century as temperatures continue to rise.

Brad Udall, a water and climate scientist at Colorado State University, said he hopes future processes will provide a clear indication of the flow reduction the region must be prepared for. Udal said the crisis also highlights the urgent need to cut carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels to zero.

“We have to reduce these emissions as soon as humans can,” Udal said.

Kathryn Sorenson, director of research at Arizona State University’s Kill Water Policy Center, said the tribe has shown willingness to work on solutions and expects the tribe to play a positive role.

“We know the flow of the river will decrease. And we know the river is over-allocated and all these issues will be due after 2026,” Sorenson said. said.

A stronger tribal voice in the debate will bring diverse perspectives to the benefit of the process, Sorenson said.

“Old ways of thinking cannot solve new problems,” she said.

This story was originally los angeles times.