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Yakama Nation emphasizes treaty‑reserved water rights and co‑management in Yakima Basin
Summary
Phil Rigdon, deputy director of natural resources for the Yakama Nation, told the committee that treaty‑reserved rights are senior, federal in nature, not subject to nonuse relinquishment, and central to Yakima Basin water management; he urged co‑management, storage and habitat actions to support fish and communities.
Phil Rigdon, deputy director of natural resources for the Yakama Nation, told the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee that treaty reserved rights predate state law and have the most senior priority date in places where they apply. Rigdon said those rights cannot be lost through nonuse and argued they are federal rights with tribal legal protection.
Focusing on the Yakima Basin, Rigdon described a long history of…
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