Newsletter #143 for December 2025
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Tribal Water Rights and Quality Challenges in Oklahoma |
Oklahoma’s Tribal Nations are facing mounting water challenges that combine environmental threats with legal and political complexities. From contamination concerns to disputes over sovereignty, the fight for clean and secure water access is becoming increasingly urgent.
This article from The Headwaters Report highlights these key challenges:
Water Scarcity and Contamination: Persistent droughts and industrial activities, like fracking, have strained aquifers and raised contamination risks for tribal communities.
Legal Uncertainty: While federal law guarantees certain water rights, most tribes lack quantified claims, leaving them vulnerable under state-controlled systems.
Battles Over Jurisdiction: Recent developments, like the McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling and the controversial “Midnight Rider,” have intensified conflicts over environmental regulation and tribal sovereignty.
Innovative Solutions: Despite these challenges, tribes are exploring collaborative strategies that blend traditional knowledge with modern technology to protect water resources.
Water is more than a resource: it’s a foundation for health, culture, and sovereignty. As legal and environmental pressures rise, the path forward will depend on cooperation, innovation, and a renewed commitment to tribal water rights from legislators.
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Register for Our Upcoming Webinar! |
Essential Safety Resources for Wastewater Operators
December 16, 2025 | 10:00 AM CST
This webinar will explore practical resources to help wastewater operators stay safe in their day to day to work as well as in less common and unexpected scenarios. Plus, participants will learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional resources and training events.
This webinar series from WaterOperator.org covers topics relevant to wastewater operators, including funding, asset management, compliance, and water quality.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered upon request. Check with your certification body for acceptance criteria.
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Tap Talk Episode 59Understanding Water Audits for Small Utilities (Part 1)
For the penultimate episode of our fifth season, Glenn Barnes joins us for the first episode of a two-part series. Glenn is the director of Water Finance Assistance, a consulting agency that provides finance-focused training and technical assistance to water systems. Our discussion focused specifically on water auditing at utilities, or the process of identifying and minimizing the loss of non-revenue water — also known as water loss.
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Tap Talk Episode 60Understanding Water Audits for Small Utilities (Part 2)
It’s the final episode of Season 5! To wrap up this great season, we have the second installment of our conversation with Glenn Barnes, the director of Water Finance Assistance — a consulting agency that provides finance-focused training and technical assistance to water systems. This episode focuses on the role of technical assistance providers in performing water audits and how to develop useful recommendations for water systems’ stakeholders.
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Water Policy Report from ASU: The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement
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The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement (NAIWRSA) marks a historic milestone for water management in the Colorado River Basin. This agreement between the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe resolves longstanding water rights claims, establishes a reservation for the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and authorizes over $5 billion in water infrastructure investments. It also enables off-reservation water leasing, introduces
conservation measures in Lake Powell, and improves water access for tens of thousands of Tribal and non-tribal residents. NAIWRSA represents a significant step toward equitable water distribution and legal certainty for the region.
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Rachel Brown: Expanding Tribal Water Rights and Access Across the U.S.
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"Rachel Brown, former Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of the Interior, is celebrated as a Hydro20 honoree for her dedication to improving water access for tribal communities and the Native Hawaiian community. Her work supported the Department’s treaty and trust responsibilities, fostering collaboration across bureaus like the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation to address issues such as fish passage and equitable water access.
Brown addressed historical inequities in water allocation from the 1920s, when tribal water rights were overlooked, leading to over-appropriated western river systems. She played a key role in securing legal settlements and oversaw $3 billion in tribal water infrastructure investments that supported tribal health and economic development. Working with Bureau of Reclamation engineers and USGS groundwater scientists, she facilitated technical studies that designed infrastructure meeting both tribal and non-tribal needs, notably contributing to the Aamodt settlement in New Mexico, which resolved nearly 70 years of litigation.
Beyond water rights, Brown supported fish restoration in Alaska by connecting tribes with philanthropy and incorporating traditional ecological knowledge to restore salmon runs and improve river habitats.
Brown’s commitment to community engagement and collaboration with Interior colleagues resolved longstanding disputes, leaving a legacy of equitable water access and environmental stewardship."
Find more videos like this on waterloop's YouTube Channel.
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Featured Events for Tribal Water Systems |
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Bridging the Gap Between Limited Budgets and Long-Term Resilience
December 16, 2025 | 11:00 AM MST
American Water Works Association
At this free webinar, presented by Mueller, the focus will be two top issues facing the water sector: aging infrastructure and limited financing required to replace it. Workforce limitations, service affordability, and non-revenue water losses further compound the challenge of maintaining a reliable and secure water supply.
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Finding a Unicorn! Small Wastewater System Funding Series: Building Compelling Award Applications (Part 1)
December 16, 2025 | 1:00 PM EST
Environmental Finance Center Network
This free webinar will focus on federal award requirements and how to prepare your organization to apply and manage a public grant. We will address typical grant compliance, organizational readiness, and components for a successful award application.
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Finding a Unicorn! Small Wastewater System Funding Series: Building Compelling Award Applications (Part 2)
December 18, 2025 | 1:00 PM EST
Environmental Finance Center Network
All strong funding applications start with a thorough understanding of local needs, supported by quantitative and qualitative data. This free webinar will cover the process of developing a compelling application that clearly establishes needs, priorities, and goals for your project funding application.
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Recent Blog Posts at WaterOperator.org |
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Texas Water Supply Endangered by Workforce Shortage
Read Here »
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Pathways for Career Development in Wastewater Treatment
Read Here »
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Groundwater & Well Care for Public Water Systems is a free online course from WaterOperator.org. Certificates are provided and the course is currently pre-approved for 2 hours continuing education
credit in a number of states.
Click here to learn more.
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WaterOperator.org is a free service, grant-funded to support small community water and wastewater operators with comprehensive resources and information in one easy-to-use place. We also serve the 800+ training, primacy, and technical service organizations, by
helping operators get to their information. We aren't selling or advertising anything. Call us at 1-866-522-2681 for assistance.
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Visit our other websites:
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