Indian Nations Reach Deal on Water Rights Dispute

The Choctaw and Chickasaw nations reached a deal with the state of Oklahoma on a dispute that claimed the state wasn’t abiding by the 1830 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.

From the Chicago Tribune:

The tribes filed a lawsuit alleging the state Water Resources Board had no right to consider an offer to use water from traditional Indian homeland. Oklahoma later countersued, saying it wanted a court to resolve where the tribes’ rights either begin or end.

Under the settlement, Oklahoma would continue to manage the state’s natural water supply but would acknowledge tribal sovereignty and meet the tribes’ conservation guidelines, negotiators said. The deal also guarantees Oklahoma City’s long-term access to Sardis Lake.

Read more on this agreement on ChicagoTribune.com.