In recent years, I’ve been following the long-running negotiations over the Colorado River, which have made little progress in transforming the century-old system that manages the river’s dwindling waters. While Colorado is suffering from high water use and a quarter-century of drought, exacerbated by climate change, seven western states are looking for ways to reduce water withdrawals and live within river limits.
But last month, leaders of a tribal nation on the California-Arizona border proposed a concept that might help change the conversation, or at least ensure that the health of the river itself isn’t completely ignored.
The Tribal Council of the Colorado River Indian Tribe has decided to recognize the Colorado River as a legal entity under tribal law. This is the second time a Native American tribe has declared legal status for a U.S. river. The Yurok Tribe of Northern California declared this person a corporation in 2019.
I wanted to know more about why Colorado River Indian Tribe (CRIT) leaders wanted to take this action, and President Amelia Flores agreed to speak with me.
She said the decision was reached after a year of discussing the idea, holding a community meeting to hear input from more than 4,000 tribal members.
“This just reaffirms what our tribal people already know and what we believe,” Flores said. “This river is alive and has taken care of us for years and years.”
“This river is part of us,” she added. “That’s who we are.”
When Flores was growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, she and her family spent summer weekends swimming in the river, fishing and camping.
Founded in 1865, the district encompasses approximately 300,000 acres straddling the Arizona and California rivers, a patchwork of lush farms set on wide plains surrounded by desert mountains.
The Mojave people, one of the tribes that make up CRIT, have lived along the river for many years. Their traditional name is Aha Makabu, which means river people.
Flores said this is a central part of their creation story and features prominently in their traditional songs.
“We always say we are stewards of the river from our Creator who has given us resources, land and water,” she said.
“Protecting rivers is ingrained in us from our ancestors,” she says. “And we pass it on from generation to generation.”
There are 30 tribal nations in the Colorado River Basin. They have rights to about a quarter of the river’s water. Indigenous leaders have long existed, and tribes have also participated voluntarily.
CRIT and other tribes said they are ready to help reduce water use as states scramble to develop plans to prevent reservoirs from dropping to critically low levels.
CRIT water attorney John Bezdek said the character decision was about “recognizing that the river itself has needs” and affirming tribal leaders’ efforts to address those needs.
River ecosystems have largely taken a backseat in discussions about water management. For decades, as much water as rivers have has been taken for farms and cities.
The decision means future leaders must consider the welfare of the river, for example, if they agree with Bezdek’s statements.
Flores said he knows of at least two other tribes interested in taking the same step. The more similar actions are taken, she says, “the better we can do to protect the river.”
Recent water news
To learn more about character determination, read this great book by Debra Utasia Kroll in the Arizona Republic. Alex Hager of public radio station KUNC also visited the reservation earlier this year. Tribal Chairwoman Amelia Flores, writing in Republic, said she and others believe there is a sacred obligation to protect river ecosystems “at a time when we need it more than ever.”
One year after spawning in the Klamath River, salmon are once again able to reach spawning habitat far upstream, near the California-Oregon border. “Salmon are everywhere,” said Michael Harris, environmental program manager at “Salmon.” The rapid reappearance of salmon in their ancestral habitat is “amazing and thrilling.” Fisheries Director Barry McCovey Jr. said he was surprised at how quickly the salmon returned. “I don’t think anyone expected how well the fish would respond to dam removal.”
The Trump administration recently notified California officials that it plans to weaken environmental protections and pump water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to the Central Valley Project’s southbound aqueduct. The proposal has drawn strong opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration, as indicated in a letter to the federal government. I wrote about what state officials warn could threaten native fish and reduce water for millions of Southern Californians.
More climate and environment news
President Trump this week will ease the auto industry’s vehicle mileage regulations that limit air pollution. My LA Times colleagues Tony Briscoe and Haley Smith report that the plan, expected to be completed next year, will significantly lower fuel economy standards for new cars for the 2031 model year. President Trump said the government would eliminate what he called “ridiculously burdensome and horrendous” standards. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the president is supporting “big oil campaign donors,” which will “pollute our air.”
California’s Environmental Oversight Board has taken another step toward improving the way hazardous waste is disposed of. But Briscoe said environmental groups are concerned that the plan could redefine what is considered dangerous, potentially weakening protections.
Power companies looking for economical strategies to prevent wildfires are working with a handful of artificial intelligence startups to map fire hazards along thousands of miles of power lines. Lauren Rosenthal and Joe Wertz say utilities like PG&E are contracting with AI startups that analyze satellite imagery to determine where trees are most likely to fall on power lines and start fires, allowing them to choose individual trees to remove and power poles to replace.
This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. . Listen to the Boiling Point Podcast .
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