Picuris Pueblo shuts off water over non-payments

Tuesday, July 17, 2007  

A New Mexico tribe has angered several families by shutting off their water.

Picuris Pueblo charges $16 a month for service. The tribe needs the money to upgrade the water system and pay for repairs.

But some tribal members said they were told the payments were "voluntary." "No one is going to pay when it is voluntary," Olla Shije, 76, told The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Pueblo Sheriff Anthony Knitter said tribal members were told repeatedly that they had to pay their monthly fees. “Some of our people that don’t pay have a satellite dish on their roof,” he told the paper.

Of the dozen or so homes that were shut off, about three have paid their bills.

Get the Story:
Pueblo defends water shut-off (The Santa Fe New Mexican 7/16)
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