The Ute Water Legacy

“Right now, we just want to hold...the federal government accountable for the agreement we had on Animas-La Plata [Project],” said Manuel Heart, chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. 

The Animas-La Plata Project and the Dolores Project were the result of the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1988. The primary goal was to supply and deliver water to the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, but congressional funding to develop the necessary infrastructure hasn’t been fully realized. 

Lake Nighthorse is located a few miles south of Durango and was meant to provide water to those tribes, but there are restrictions on how the water can be used and no delivery system. 

“We as sovereign people — as sovereign nations — we have the ability to use our water how we see fit, but not according to our water settlement,” said Lorelei Cloud, the vice chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribal and vice chairman and representative of the San Miguel, Dolores, Animas & San Juan Basin of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. 

“So when we're talking about our future use, we know that the only way to protect our water, to protect the spirits of those waters and everything that uses the water, the only way that we can do that is to develop that water,” she explained. 

As with any decision about water in the arid West, this water story is complicated with many competing interests. In “Colorado Experience: Ute Water Legacy”, we break down what led up to the Settlement Act of 1988 and where it stands now. This documentary features interviews from Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes as well as former politicians and advocates who brought this deal together. 

“Colorado Experience: Ute Water Legacy” drops on rmpbs.org and YouTube on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. The episode also premieres on Rocky Mountain PBS stations at the same time. 

You can learn more about water for the Ute Tribes and watch a preview of the episode below.