The Enduring Role of Tribes in the Colorado River Basin

Water and Tribes Initiative | July 1st, 2019

The purpose of this policy brief is to explain the origin, rationale, and purpose of the Water & Tribes Initiative in the Colorado River Basin. As explained more fully be

The purpose of this policy brief is to explain the origin, rationale, and purpose of the Water & Tribes Initiative in the Colorado River Basin. As explained more fully below, the long-term objectives of this Initiative are to: • Enhance the capacity of tribes to advance their needs and interests with respect to water management in the basin; and • Advance sustainable water management through collaborative decision-making.

The Federal-Tribal Trust Relationship: Its origin, nature, and scope

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 1st, 2009

The Klamath River’s dams are being removed. Inside the effort to restore a scarred watershed

Los Angeles Times | March 24th, 2024

HORNBROOK, Calif. — Near the California-Oregon border, reservoirs that once submerged valleys have been drained, revealing a stark landscape that had been underwater fo

HORNBROOK, Calif. — Near the California-Oregon border, reservoirs that once submerged valleys have been drained, revealing a stark landscape that had been underwater for generations. A thick layer of muddy sediment covers the sloping ground, where workers have been scattering seeds and leaving meandering trails of footprints. In the cracked mud, seeds are sprouting and tiny green shoots are appearing. With water passing freely through tunnels in three dams, the Klamath River has returned to its ancient channel and is flowing unhindered for the first time in more than a century through miles of waterlogged lands.

The Status of Tribal Water Rights in the Colorado River Basin

Water and Tribes Initiative | April 9th, 2021

There are 30 federally recognized tribes in the Colorado River Basin. Twenty two of these tribes have recognized rights to use 3.2 million-acre feet (maf) of Colorado Riv

There are 30 federally recognized tribes in the Colorado River Basin. Twenty two of these tribes have recognized rights to use 3.2 million-acre feet (maf) of Colorado River system water annually, or approximately 22 to 26 percent of the Basin’s average annual water supply. In addition, 12 of the tribes have unresolved water rights claims, which will likely increase the overall volume of tribal water rights in the Basin. Under the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decree in Arizona v. California, all tribal water uses are counted against the apportionments made to the states. Tribes’ rights are generally senior to state law-based water rights.

Time-lagged impacts of extreme, multi-year drought on tidal salt marsh plant invasion

Ecological Society of America (ESA) | June 11th, 2020

Climate change is projected to increase the frequency of extreme drought events, which can have dramatic consequences for ecosystems. Extreme drought may interact with o

Climate change is projected to increase the frequency of extreme drought events, which can have dramatic consequences for ecosystems. Extreme drought may interact with other stressors such as invasion by non-native species, yet little research has explored these dynamics. Here, we examine the physical mechanisms and temporal scale underlying a dieback of an invasive non-native plant, Lepidium latifolium, in tidal salt marshes of the San Francisco Bay, California, USA, during an extreme, multi-year drought occurring from 2012 to 2015. Using generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs), we explored the relationship between eight years of estuarine salinity data and five years of L. latifolium density data from three marshes spanning a gradient of salinity across the San Francisco Bay. We found a significant time-lagged (3 yr) effect of estuarine salinity on L. latifolium density, with high salinities preceding reductions in L. latifolium densities and low salinities preceding increases. The most dramatic change in stem density, a 54% reduction in 2015, was preceded by a salinity increase of 43% from 2011 to 2012. We found the L. latifolium decline was driven by impacts on mature, rather than young, plants. Additionally, we tested the importance of local precipitation in driving L. latifolium densities in a one-season rain exclusion experiment. We found 100% exclusion of precipitation during one rainy season (January–mid-May) did not have a significant impact on densities of mature stands of L. latifolium. Our finding that estuarine salinity was a key driver of L. latifolium invasion dynamics suggests sea level rise, like extreme drought, may hinder L. latifolium invasion, as it will also raise estuarine salinities. Further, our study highlights the importance of temporal lags in understanding climate change impacts on biological invasions, which has received very little study to date.

Torres Martinez Tribe Salton Sea Oral Testimony

Salton Sea Authority | September 24th, 2020

 Chairman and Ranking Member, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to testify today. I am the Tribal Council Chairman of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla (Tribe) an

 Chairman and Ranking Member, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to testify today. I am the Tribal Council Chairman of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla (Tribe) and a director on the Salton Sea Authority (SSA). I offer this testimony on behalf of both the Tribe and SSA.  I want to begin by thanking Congressman Ruiz (D-Calif.) and Congressman Vargas (D-Calif.) for their hard work to place this issue squarely before the Committee today. The Tribe and SSA view this hearing as a very important beginning of a more robust Congressional effort to drive federal action at the Salton Sea. 

Tribal Collaboration in IRWM: Challenges, Solutions and Recommendations

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | May 5th, 2017

The Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Tribal Collaborative Effectiveness Study evaluates Tribal participation in the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Inte

The Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Tribal Collaborative Effectiveness Study evaluates Tribal participation in the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) grant program.  The Department administers the overall IRWM program, and individual regions form Regional Water Management Groups (RWMG) develop IRWM plans and submit specific water management projects for funding consideration by DWR. Following indigenous collaborative research protocols, we conducted surveys, interviews and focus-group meetings with Tribal representatives throughout the state. While we collected data from Tribes statewide, our efforts were focused in five specific IRWM regions. The aim of our research is to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for Tribal participation in the IRWM program.

Tribal Communication Plan

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | June 1st, 2008

Tribal environmental and natural resource assistance handbook

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | March 11th, 1999

This handbook was developed by the Domestic Policy Council Working Group on American Indians and Alaska Natives (Working Group). The first draft of this document was poss

This handbook was developed by the Domestic Policy Council Working Group on American Indians and Alaska Natives (Working Group). The first draft of this document was possible thanks to the significant contributions of the Native American Fish & Wildlife Society. Previous drafts of the handbook were reviewed by each federal contributor and also went through the interagency review process at the Office of Management and Budget. The result is a compilation of the federal sources of financial and/or technical assistance programs available for Tribal environmental management. The handbook is intended to provide a central location for federal sources of both technical and financial assistance available to Tribes for environmental management. Many Tribes have limited environmental staffs that are faced with the challenge of addressing a broad range of environmental issues. Unlike State environmental programs that have received annual federal funding for many years, Tribal environmental programs generally must compete annually for their funds. With 554 federally recognized Tribes, there simply is not enough money to go around. Therefore, Tribal environmental staffs spend a large part of their time applying for grants and searching for sources of federal assistance. This document is an effort to assist Tribal staff in their search and hopefully save them valuable time. The handbook can also assist federal, regional, State and Local government employees in becoming better informed about the sources of environmental assistance available in order to improve customer service to the Tribes. The Working Group recognizes that this document does not contain every federal resource available to Tribes. This is an evolving document and will be updated periodically. Future versions of this document will be available on the Internet (see Comments section).

Tribal Water Study: An Overview

Water and Tribes Initiative | October 28th, 2019

The purpose of this policy brief is to provide an overview of the Colorado River Basin Ten Tribes Partnership Tribal Water Study (Study), a unique review of the water rig

The purpose of this policy brief is to provide an overview of the Colorado River Basin Ten Tribes Partnership Tribal Water Study (Study), a unique review of the water rights, water uses, and future plans of the member tribes of the Colorado River Basin Tribes Partnership (Ten Tribes Partnership). The information in this policy brief is taken directly from the Study. In the foreword to the Study, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) Commissioner Brenda Burman states that Reclamation and the Ten Tribes Partnership collaborated to document current water use and potential future water development to better facilitate planning and decision-making throughout the Colorado River Basin (Basin). The Study strengthens a Department of the Interior commitment to address water issues facing tribes and recognizes that the Colorado River is an essential foundation for the physical, economic, and cultural sustenance of tribes in the Basin. The Study also explores ways to provide a wide range of benefits to both Partnership Tribes and other water users. The mutual trust and understanding forged during the Study will prove to be critical as the Basin collaboratively addresses the significant challenges ahead. The Ten Tribes Partnership, in its foreword, stated that in addition to producing technical information, the Tribes had other goals. First, they wanted to better understand how, at present, the Study’s water use scenarios fit into the overall scheme of Colorado River Basin management. Second, they wanted to know how future development of tribal water resources will affect other water users who are now using water to which a tribe may hold legal title, but which the title-holding tribe has not yet developed for its own use. Finally, they wanted to assess--to the extent present information allows -- the role future development of tribal water rights will have on Basin operations. The Ten Tribes Partnership hopes the Study resolves some uncertainty about how tribes perceive the future for their water uses, and establishes a baseline of information for discussions and development of relationships among tribes, states, federal government, water managers, and water users throughout the Basin.