The Zuni Water Rights Settlement Act, which grants Zuni water rights on the Little Colorado River in eastern Arizona in order to restore a sacred site, has been finalized. The law was signed by President Bush a year ago, and the final signing ceremony took place July 8 with Zuni tribal leaders, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Dave Anderson. The act allows the Zuni to purchase 3,600 acre-feet of water with funding from the federal government, the state of Arizona, and the Salt River Project, a power and water utility. The sacred site, known as Zuni Heaven, is a burial place and a ceremonial and cultural center for the tribe. Water once flowed plentifully there, but was dried up by upstream dams and diversions.
