The Colorado River stretches 1,450 miles across the U.S. And for just 17 miles, the river flows through the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe’s reservation, which spans across three states: Arizona, California and Nevada.
The tribe has roughly been allotted 133,000 acre-feet of water a year — enough to sustain over a quarter of a million households. Most of that goes to their alfalfa and upland cotton operation, which pays for healthcare services, housing, a state-of-the-art elementary school and other services. But as states, cities and the federal government fight over the future of the river, all of that is at risk. And tribes like the Fort Mojave are often left out of the negotiations.
“These are the things that keep us up at night,” Fort Mojave Indian Tribe chairman Timothy Williams said. “But we are a strong and resilient people, Fort Mojave, and we will continue on no matter what takes place, you know, no matter what decisions take place out there, we will continue on and we will continue on as a people out there.”
