Advocates of a deal to secure reliable water for thousands of tribal members in Arizona raced to win Congressional approval until the final hours of the session in December. They didn’t make it. … The proposed Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act aimed to secure water rights for Navajo, Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute tribal members in northeastern Arizona and to give the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe a reservation. The $5 billion deal failed because officials from around the Colorado River Basin, including Colorado, couldn’t resolve key questions and concerns in time to call a vote before Congress adjourned.

Other Colorado River articles:

• Deseret News (Salt Lake City): Sen. John Curtis celebrates final House wins
• Bureau of Land Management news release: Celebrating Colyn Moore, an unsung hero of the BLM Arizona Colorado River District