Office of the Secretary |
Contact:Steve
Brooks
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For Immediate Release:November 20, 2003 |
202-208-6416
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Secretary Norton
Announces Completion of "Settlement is an example of the collaborative approaches announced in Interior's Water 2025 initiative," Secretary Norton says |
(WASHINGTON) - Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton announced today that all of the requirements of the Shivwits Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Water Rights Settlement Act, Public Law 106-263, have been completed, allowing the settlement to become fully effective. As required by the Settlement Act, the Secretary's statement of findings will be published in the Federal Register. "Congress approved this
important water rights settlement for the Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians
and the citizens of Southwestern Utah in 2000, but the Settlement Act
still required certain actions by the parties and full appropriations
by Congress before the end of this year to validate and enforce the
settlement," Secretary Norton said. "I am pleased to report
that all of the requirements under the Settlement Act have been met. "I congratulate the
Shivwits Band, the Washington County Water Conservancy District, the
city of St. George, and the state of Utah for coming together to resolve
these often contentious issues through a creative, negotiated settlement
for the benefit of all the parties, rather than relying upon costly
litigation, which often takes decades and results in few winners and
many losers. I also want to thank the Utah congressional delegation
for their continued support of the legislation and the funding required
to complete this settlement and also thank the federal settlement team
for helping to shepherd the successful resolution of these issues." According to Glenn Rogers,
band chairman, Shivwits Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, "This
settlement will help us become self-sufficient and will open the door
for economic development so that we can look forward to the future." The Settlement Act confirms
a water right of 4,000 acre-feet per year for the Shivwits Band ofPaiute
Indians, whose reservation lies in the Virgin River Basin just north
of St. George, Utah. Most of the water to satisfy the Band's right will
come from two separate projects developed as part of the settlement.
One, the St. George Water Reuse Project, will treat and recycle discharges
from the St. George Water Reclamation Facility. The other, the Santa
Clara Project, will use a pressurized pipeline to replace certain irrigation
water deliveries via area canals, thereby conserving water currently
lost through seepage and evaporation. These projects will not only benefit
the Shivwits Band but will also benefit the city of St. George and other
water users in the area. To become fully effective,
the Settlement Act required the Secretary to find that: congress had
fully appropriated the $24 million authorized for the settlement; parties
had revised, as necessary, the underlying settlement agreements to conform
to the settlement legislation; the state engineer of Utah had taken
all actions necessary to implement the agreements; and the state's district
court had entered a final decree in the Virgin River adjudication confirming
the water rights of the Shivwits Band. Publication of the Federal Register
notice will certify the Secretary's findings as required by the Settlement
Act. This settlement also represents
an example of the collaborative approaches to address water supply problems
in the West sought under Secretary Norton's recently announced Water
2025 Initiative. "In this water-short area of the country, the Shivwits Band, local water users, the city and the state came together to develop innovative solutions to address their respective water needs while also working to protect the habitats of species of concern in the basin, such as the Virgin River spinedace," Secretary Norton said. "The projects developed as part of the settlement provide water supply flexibility through improved water conservation and efficiencies in the area and by also providing an opportunity for market-based transfers of water as well. These projects, combined with the cost-sharing arrangements for all parties under the settlement, represent the type of collaborative approach which I hope Water 2025 will foster in resolving other water supply challenges in the West."
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