--------------------------- System Warning --------------------------- Warning: A problem with the cooling system has been detected. Please turn off the computer immediately, and return it for service. --------------------------- OK --------------------------- Restoring Sacred Waters A Guide to Protecting Tribal Non-Consumptive Water Uses in the Colorado River Basin Restoring Sacred Waters A Guide to Protecting Tribal Non-Consumptive Water Uses in the Colorado River Basin Julie Nania and Julia Guarino Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment 2014 Acknowledgements We would like to thank those who have shared their insight and on the ground experiences from seeking non-consumptive use protections in the Colorado River Basin and beyond. The input we received from tribal water resources personnel, natural resource departments, and attorneys dealing in these matters was crucial when identifying the key issues and creative solutions addressed herein. To our research assistants who spent hours editing this guide and pouring over footnotes, thank you. Chloe Bourne, Will Davidson, and Casey Strong, once again, your work was invaluable. Finally, we would like to offer a special thank you to our colleagues who volunteered their time to review various segments of this guide. Contents Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................. - 0 - Protecting Non-Consumptive Uses in the Colorado River Basin and Beyond ..................................... - 1 - Contents ............................................................................................................................................................................ - 2 - Strategies .......................................................................................................................................................................... - 3 - Instream flows........................................................................................................................................................... - 3 - Settlement agreements .......................................................................................................................................... - 4 - Leveraging federal laws ........................................................................................................................................ - 4 - Conservation easements ....................................................................................................................................... - 4 - Irrigating for instream flows and traditional plants ................................................................................. - 5 - Purpose .............................................................................................................................................................................. - 5 - Chapter 2: Gathering Information and Starting the Process ............................................. - 6 - Step One: Selecting the Project Team ................................................................................................................... - 6 - Who should be involved? ...................................................................................................................................... - 7 - The role of experts ................................................................................................................................................... - 7 - Step Two: Determining Non-consumptive Use Goals .................................................................................... - 8 - Protecting traditional, sacred or cultural uses ............................................................................................ - 8 - Protecting important wildlife or sustenance uses ..................................................................................... - 9 - Providing for recreation and aesthetics ...................................................................................................... - 10 - Determine how far the tribe is willing to go to accomplish these protections ........................... - 11 - Step Three: Gathering Legal and Scientific Information ............................................................................ - 12 - Instream flow methodologies and information ........................................................................................ - 12 - The reservation water budget ......................................................................................................................... - 14 - Obtaining information ........................................................................................................................................ - 14 - Step Four: Considering Your Strategy ............................................................................................................... - 15 - Step Five: Identifying Potential Funding Resources .................................................................................... - 17 - Chapter 3: Indian Federal Reserved Rights Law ................................................................. - 20 - Part One: The Foundations of Indian Federal Reserved Rights .............................................................. - 20 - United States v. Winans ....................................................................................................................................... - 21 - Winters v. United States ....................................................................................................................................... - 22 - Arizona v. California ............................................................................................................................................ - 23 - The McCarran Amendment and state general stream adjudications .............................................. - 24 - Part Two: Precedent Discussing Non-Consumptive Uses of Federal Reserved Rights ................. - 25 - Cappaert v. United States .................................................................................................................................... - 25 - United States v. New Mexico .............................................................................................................................. - 26 - Cappaert and New Mexico are not applicable to Indian federal reserved rights ........................ - 27 - Part Three: Precedent Addressing Non-Consumptive Uses of Indian Federal Reserved Rights - 28 - Instream flow rights to fulfill tribes’ rights to fish .................................................................................. - 28 - Using rights for non-consumptive purposes after they are quantified based on another purpose ..................................................................................................................................................................... - 29 - Part Four: The Importance of the Purpose of the Reservation and Permissible Use of Indian Federal Reserved Rights .......................................................................................................................................... - 32 - What is the purpose of the reservation? ..................................................................................................... - 32 - Part Five: Is Applying Indian Federal Reserved Rights to Non-Consumptive Uses Permissible Under the Winters Doctrine? ................................................................................................................................. - 35 - Precedent supports the use of Indian federal reserved water rights for any purpose ............ - 35 - Cases restricting use to the purpose used for quantification ............................................................. - 36 - Part Six: Authority Over and Administration of Reservation Water Resources ............................. - 37 - The tribe may not have authority over state water rights within reservation boundaries ... - 37 - Tribes must have federal approval before they can undertake certain water uses .................. - 39 - Congress has authority to define Indian federal reserved rights ..................................................... - 40 - Part Seven: Can States Impose Regulations on the Use of Indian Federal Reserved Rights? ..... - 40 - Part Eight: Federal Indian Law Generally Supports Tribal Control Over Water Resources, But Tribes Should Proceed With Caution ................................................................................................................. - 42 - Chapter 4: Using Indian Federal Reserved Rights for Instream Flows ....................... - 44 - Part One: Introduction to Instream Flows ....................................................................................................... - 44 - How have rights to keep water in streams been recognized in the past? ..................................... - 45 - Part Two: State Instream Flow Laws in the Colorado River Basin ........................................................ - 46 - Part Three: Common Questions Regarding the Non-Consumptive Use of Indian Federal Reserved Rights ............................................................................................................................................................................... - 49 - Is using water for instream flows an acceptable use of Indian