Navajo and Hopi are hardly friends.

Yet they have unanimously agreed to a deal that could finally bring running water to thousands of tribal homes that lack it in northeastern Arizona.

The wide-reaching settlement would resolve a slew of tribal water claims in Arizona, not just those for the Little Colorado River that have been tied up in court for generations.

As a result, Navajo and Hopi would be entitled to water from the Little Colorado River and the Colorado River, as well as to the effluent they produce and the groundwater that lies beneath their lands.

The deal also carves out a permanent homeland for the San Juan Southern Paiute tribe and quantifies water rights for use on those lands.

That’s huge.

The closest Arizona ever got to a settlement was more than a decade ago, when some tribal members balked at the last minute and the deal fell apart under its own weight.

Even a few years ago, most folks would tell you that it was a lost cause to try to amicably settle water claims for the Navajo Nation, the nation’s largest tribe, and their historic Hopi rivals outside of court.

But a few things have changed since then:

As the trial for the Little Colorado River progressed, it became increasingly clear that neither Navajo nor Hopi would get anything........

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