Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper applauded the announcement that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) signed a contract with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe that will help them benefit from the water they have long held rights to in the Animas-La Plata project’s Lake Nighthorse.
“For over a decade, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Bureau of Reclamation worked hard to come to an agreement for the Animas-La Plata Project that would protect the Tribe’s long term interests and ensure it could benefit from federal drought funding,” said Bennet. “I was grateful to have visited Towoac in October and to have successfully encouraged Commissioner Touton to travel there, as well, so she could hear from Chairman Heart directly. Today’s contract signing represents important progress for the effective management of the Colorado River that the Tribe and Coloradans across our state rely on.”
“No one has been denied use of their own water more than Tribes have. Today’s agreement is an important step towards the Ute Mountain Ute finally benefitting from their water rights,” said Hickenlooper. “We’re grateful Reclamation heard us out and worked with the Ute Mountain Ute to reach an agreement.”
“Signing this agreement is an historic moment for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. This agreement is like no other and is the culmination of over a decade of hard work on the part of both the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Bureau of Reclamation. With the signing of this agreement, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is one step closer to finally unlocking its A-LP water,” said Manual Heart, Chairman, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
In October, Bennet visited the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch Operation in Towoac with USBR Commissioner Camille Touton. During this visit, Bennet heard about the challenges the Tribe faces due to long-term drought in the Colorado River Basin. The Ute Mountain Ute are currently unable to access or use water from Lake Nighthorse due to a lack of infrastructure, and would face high operations and maintenance charges if they were to enter agreements regarding use – or forbearance of use – of their water.
Last month, Bennet and Hickenlooper called on the USBR to reach an agreement with Colorado Tribes on their Animas-La Plata repayment contracts to improve their opportunities to benefit from their legally settled water rights. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and USBR finalized the contract after 14 years of negotiation. Bennet, Hickenlooper, and Governor Jared Polis have also called on the Bureau of Reclamation to explore new opportunities for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Southern Ute Indian Tribe to access federal funding for drought and water supply management, including for forbearance proposals in which water users are paid to forgo water use or development.