Indian Water Rights Settlements – Issues for Consideration From a State and Water User Perspective
This paper was originally presented at the American Bar Association 35th Annual Water Law Conference, March 28-29, 2017 ABSTRACT Indian water rights settlements have played and will continue to play an important role in resolving conflict over shared water resources throughout the United States. …
A Historic Moment in Indian Water Rights in New Mexico: Entry of the Aamodt Final Decree
The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico entered its final decree in State of New Mexico, ex rel. State Engineer v. Aamodt, a state stream adjudication filed in 1966 (Aamodt) to determine the rights of water users in…
Indian Reserved Water Rights: Groundwater Included
Most Native American tribes have at least some land that was reserved by the federal government for the purpose of creating a homeland for the Tribe. Under the Winters doctrine, established by the United States Supreme Court in 1908,[1. Winters v. United States, 207…
Affirming A State’s Sovereignty Over Its Allocated Water, Supreme Court Upholds Red River Compact
On Thursday, June 13, 2013, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion, authored by Justice Sotomayor, in Tarrant Regional Water District v. Hermann, ruling that the Red River Compact did not permit a Texas water district to acquire water from within Oklahoma’s sovereign…