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City of Williams backs Havasupai water rights claims

Clara Beard/WGCN<br>
Havasupai Councilwoman Carletta Tilousi discusses the tribe’s concern regarding development in Tusayan at a recent Tusayan Town Council meeting.

Clara Beard/WGCN<br> Havasupai Councilwoman Carletta Tilousi discusses the tribe’s concern regarding development in Tusayan at a recent Tusayan Town Council meeting.

WILLIAMS, Ariz. - Williams City Council members voted to draft a letter to the Havasupai Tribe supporting the tribe's efforts to secure water rights during the council's regular Nov. 10 meeting.

The move comes on the heels of the approval of a development agreement between the town of Tusayan and developers seeking to build residential and commercial property on land within town limits and on land to be annexed.

A major concern to the Havasupai Tribe is where the town will obtain water for the development. The tribe, under federal and state law, has extensive water rights in the ground water beneath Tusayan and beneath the Coconino Plateau.

The letter will back the tribe's request to have an outside entity help quantify exactly who has claims to water in the region.

"I think is very important for us to send this letter and work closely with the Havasupai Tribe with what is going on north of us," Moore said.

Councilman Dent asked whether it was known exactly what the Havasupai's water rights claims are.

City Attorney Kelly Petersen said the tribe holds aboriginal claims to water to sustain their way of life in the Grand Canyon.

"What they are asking the negotiating team to do is to quantify those water rights for them," she said. "How many acre feet do they get throughout the year and where are do they get it from."

Dent questioned further whether the tribe could claim water rights that the city of Williams could also rightly claim.

Peterson said the tribes negotiating team would help to balance the water rights of all users in the area.

"They are going to get rights anyway," Peterson said. "What this asks for is for the federal government to come in and to help quantify and settle out exactly what those rights are going to be."

Council members voted unanimously to forward a letter of support to the Havasupai.


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