Navajo Nation leaders have finalized the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Act in a signing ceremony in Monument Valley.
President Jonathan Nez was joined by council delegates and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, Utah Governor Spencer Cox and others Friday.
According to tribal officials, the agreement will deliver running water to many homes on the Utah portion of the reservation.
It confirms the Navajo Nation’s right to use more than 81,000 acre-feet of water from Utah’s Colorado River Basin apportionment and authorizes $220 million for water infrastructure.
The tribe says eight Navajo Utah communities will benefit from the settlement.
More than 40% of Navajo households in the state lack running water and adequate sanitation.