President is the last dam in Soboba water rights issue

From Indian Country Today:

The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians now awaits President George W. Bush’s signature on a bill that will enable the tribe to sustain enough water for its reservation and end nearly 75 years of litigation.

With the U.S. Senate’s unanimous July 23 vote approving the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Settlement Act, which the House had already passed, the act will resolve the tribe’s water claims and authorize the secretary of the Interior Department to execute an agreement between the tribe and three water districts in southern California.

Introduced by Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., the act was needed by the federal settlement team to authorize the settlement agreement of Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians v. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which is pending in federal district court.

”Water is essential to building and sustaining a community. I am pleased that after over 75 years of struggle, litigation and negotiation, this bill clearly shows how reaching a consensus will help the tribe and San Jacinto Valley achieve a reliable water source for years to come,” Bono Mack said.

”We are at this point today because of the collaborative efforts and many years of hard work by the tribe, our local water districts, the federal government and local leaders. This is great news that will benefit the tribe and our entire region, and I am honored to have played a part in reaching such a positive resolution to this issue.”

The Soboba Band was affected by settlement which occurred in the 1800’s when settlers began building dams and diverting streams; this led to the tribe drilling wells in order to supply water to their reservation.

In the 1930’s, the Metropolitan Water District tunneled thirteen miles through the San Jacinto Mountains as part of the construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct. The building of the San Jacinto tunnel was the most challenging part of the task. The numerous faults and fractures caused the groundwater to drain into the tunnel, drying up springs and creeks in the upland area of the reservation. The water flooded the contractor’s equipment twice and eventually led to MWD taking over the project and completing the tunnel in 1939.

”We’ve always seen the light at the end of the tunnel,” Soboba Tribal Chairman Robert J. Salgado said. ”As soon as the president signs the bill, we’ll be able to celebrate in a good way.”

The settlement of the tribe’s water rights adds another chapter to its history, he said. ”The water was made by the Creator. He made it for all of us. When you do it the Indian way, everybody is blessed; but the outside world doesn’t understand where we come from. When they learn to walk in our moccasins, then they’ll understand.”

Every tribal chairman since the 1930s, Salgado said, has worked on the water settlement. ”They did all the hard work. Now I get to sign the agreement. I’m very proud that I am chairman of the Soboba Band. We give all the glory to the Creator.”

Read the full text of this article from Indian Country today by clicking here.

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