Skabewis

Mitchell, South Dakota (AP)

A South Dakotan who leads the Missouri River Association of States and Tribes says tribes will hold a wild card if fights erupt over demands for Missouri River water.

“If we as a nation start getting into this issue of who’s going to get what water, who’s going to get allocated what water, one thing we forget or don’t acknowledge or haven’t had to face is the fact that the tribal interests in water are still out there – they still exist,” said John Cooper, former state Game, Fish and Parks Department secretary.

The Winters Doctrine, which stemmed from a 1908 U.S. Supreme Court case, established tribal water rights. According to the doctrine, corresponding water rights were implied when land reservations were established for tribes.

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