Five Pueblo tribes in northern New Mexico finalized a settlement to their long-running water rights dispute.

The settlement secures water rights for the Pueblos of Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque, and San Ildefonso. The tribes were locked in litigation that lasted 46 years.

“By executing this settlement today and reaching agreement on five other water rights settlements since 2009, we not only have closed the chapter on these longstanding water disputes, but also opened a new chapter in Indian Country – delivering clean drinking water and certainty to water users across the West while providing more than $2 billion to help tribes,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a press release.

Salazar was at the Santa Fe Indian School on Thursday to sign the agreement with tribal leaders.

Get the Story:
Aamodt water-rights settlement signed after half-century of dispute (The Santa Fe New Mexican 3/15)
Salazar signs settlement ending 46-year-old dispute (The Albuquerque Journal 3/15)

Federal Register Notice:
Notice of Public Scoping Meetings for the Pojoaque Basin Regional Water System Environmental Impact Statement, New Mexico (March 13, 2013)

Related Stories:
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in New Mexico for Pueblo events (3/14)