What the new rules for a shrinking Colorado River mean for tribal nations by Alastair Lee Bitsóí for High Country News (Aug 28, 2026)
This article offers a helpful discussion on the differences between quantified and unquantified rights, “paper water” and usable water, and the different positions of the Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Colorado River Indian Tribes.
For deeper background
Matthew McKinney, Jay Weiner & Daryl Vigil, First in Time: The Place of Tribes in Governing the Colorado River System, 63 Natural Resources Law Journal 153 (2023)
Eric Kuhn, Katherine H. Tara & John Fleck, Unfinished Business: Twenty-First Century Questions Posed by Ambiguities in the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact and the Law of the River, 55 New Mexico Law Review 417 (2025)
Additional Resources
Record of Decision: 2027–2036 Decision Framework
2027–2028 Operating Guidelines
CRIT’s August 21 response to the decision
Turtle Talk 
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