August 24, 2016

2016 Tribal Water Summit in Fort Hall, Idaho

Fort Hall, Idaho – The Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Water Resources Department recently hosted a one-day water summit on Tribal water management issues in Fort Hall, Idaho.  The first annual conference focused on developing water management programs and Tribal water marketing.

The summit was attended by Tribal leaders, water managers and water policy experts, attorneys, and engineers whom all shared the same common goal.  The common goal was a collaborative discussion of the challenges and opportunities encountered by tribes as they manage water and water resources.

Tribal leaders and industry experts discussed the successful implementation of Tribal water management programs and included tribal representatives Elese Teton of the Shoshone-Bannock Water Resources Department; Titus Takes Gun of the Crow Tribe Water Resources Department and Jim Manion from Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprise. Presentations from other industry experts included Woldezion Mesghinna of Natural Resources Consulting Engineers (NRCE), Mason Morisset, Special Water rights legal counsel for the Quechan Tribe (Fort Yuma), and Brett Bovee, the Intermountain Regional Director for WestWater Research.

The sponsors of the 2016 Tribal Water Summit would like to thank all presenters and attendees for participating in the first annual conference of this type, and we look forward to future collaborations.

Elese Teton of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Water Resources Department spoke to the Capital Press about potential water quality restrictions and the need for efficiency.  Click here for the full story