The Wall Street Journal | By: Jim Carlton | August 1, 2017:
The Agua Caliente tribe wants a say in how an aquifer under its Coachella Valley reservation is used.
Deep beneath the desert east of Los Angeles is a Southern California treasure: a massive basin filled with fresh water.
The aquifer has spurred development of the popular resort towns in the Coachella Valley, such as Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage. But it also lies underneath the reservation of a small Native American tribe that owns golf courses and casinos in the area.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians say the drinking water is partly theirs, and wants a stake in how it is used by public utilities. A yearslong legal battle over the issue could end up being taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court this fall.
The high court’s action could affect groundwater rights across the arid West, where utilities now deliver the water to tribes as another customer, along with farmers, cities and businesses.
To read full article in Wall Street Journal – please click here.
To visit the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ website – please click here.
