Intertribal Life Newspaper -

Two recent moves aim to benefit water access for tribal communities in the Colorado River basin. One, a bill in the U.S. Congress, could increase access to clean water. Another, the release of a "shared vision" statement, outlines the goals of tribes and conservation nonprofits.

Tribes in the basin hold rights to about a quarter of the river's flow but have often been excluded from negotiations about how the river's water is used. At the same time, tribal communities often lack reliable access to clean water as a result of aging infrastructure and a history of underinvestment.

The Tribal Acces...