Oklahoma tribes caught in water battle before Supreme Court

Thursday, May 2, 2013  

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments lats week in Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann, a water case involving Oklahoma and Texas.

The Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation aren't parties to the dispute. But the outcome of the case could affect their water rights, which are the subject of a lawsuit in federal court.

“The United States is currently involved in litigation over the asserted right of the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations to water within their historic treaty territory,” the Department of Justice said in a brief to the Supreme Court, The Epoch Times reported.

Citing treaties, the two tribes are claiming ownership of water in the Red River and in southeastern Oklahoma. The Tarrant Regional Water District in Texas is trying to draw water from a Red River tributary and the tribes submitted their own brief, saying that the district failed to take into account their needs.

A decision on the case is expected by the end of June.

Get the Story:
Oklahoma-Texas Water Rights: Where Local Tribes Stand (The Epoch Times 5/1)

Supreme Court hears water suit that affects Oklahoma tribes (4/22)
Supreme Court asks for DOJ brief in Oklahoma water dispute (4/3)