Colorado Voices
Water project advances Tribal sovereignty, lifts communities in Four Corners region
Clip | 3m 31sVideo has Closed Captions
A look at how The Dolores Project changed lives in the Colorado Ute communities.
It took over 100 years to deliver clean, reliable water to the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. The Dolores Project is one of two water projects that were constructed as a result of the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1988. The project changed lives, shaped economies and asserted the role sovereign nations serve within the Colorado River Basin.
Colorado Voices
Water project advances Tribal sovereignty, lifts communities in Four Corners region
Clip | 3m 31sVideo has Closed Captions
It took over 100 years to deliver clean, reliable water to the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. The Dolores Project is one of two water projects that were constructed as a result of the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1988. The project changed lives, shaped economies and asserted the role sovereign nations serve within the Colorado River Basin.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipWhen you talk about the Ancestral Pueblos that used to live here, why did they leave?
If it doesn't snow or rain, it makes the water very precious.
But let me tell you how good that McPhee reservoir made things for the Tribe.
[music] My name is Eric Whyte.
I'm a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
I presently work for the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch Enterprise.
Been there for 33 years.
I remember when were growing up We'd have to drive for some good, clean water.
That access to water in Cortez was really vital for the community of Towaoc.
But it took money took to drive up there.
And transportation is also still a big factor with that.
Hauling water may be a different concept to people that don't understand that, and even nowadays still kind of happens on other reservations elsewhere.
At the time I was growing up, the community wasn't as big as it is now, But as that was slowly changing over time, it put the pressure on having a real good adequate water supply for Towaoc.
When it came to the Dolores Project, it helped the Towaoc community have access to running water, whether it's for laundry, just regular household needs, necessities that you take for granted.
You can't just do that with your own funding for the Tribe.
And that all takes time.
It it took us a long time for Native Americans to be recognized as citizens of the United States.
How did the relationships develop over time with the state and local community and the Tribe?
You know, they weren't easy.
Some of them, once you had to go into, you were the only, possibly the only Native American in these conversations or in these meetings.
Some people say you got to live in two worlds.
And I said, no, it's one world.
We just got to learn how to live together.
And so that's why my mom was always and my dad always said, you're going to have to learn these ways because you're going to have to understand what they're talking about.
And they never taught us our language because that's not who you're going to be talking with.
That's not how you're going to keep moving forward.
The quality of life changed when water started flowing for the Dolores Project.
You can make it a tool that you have, but do not say that it's an overabundance.
At times you will be where you're without.
But we can actually extend our water use and make it better for us.
You see the efficiencies that we were able to expose and develop, seeing that happen around the community.
So it's not something that just affected us, it affected the whole community.
So when our time is up, the next generation can take over.
You have a farm that's been built.
You have a domestic water supply that is adequate, but you need to take care of it.
That's my goal, is if they can take care of it and continue this on, which I think is really promising.
It's getting to know your neighbor.
You have to be a part of that conversation.
That's key to making us grow as a community, making us grow as a Tribal Nation.
We're alive and viable people, and we're still here.
When life gives you a house, move it.
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