Governor Fallin Says Supreme Court Will Decide Tribal Water Case

The showdown between the state and the tribes over water rights has been taken up a notch.

On Friday, Governor Fallin issued a statement announcing the state plans to move forward with a "comprehensive stream adjudication," where the Supreme Court would "determine who has rights to the waters in southeastern Oklahoma."

This comes two days after Fallin met with the Chickasaw and Choctaw chiefs, whose tribes are suing the state over a 2010 deal to sell water rights to Oklahoma City.

11/4/2010 Related Story: Oklahoma City's Future Water Needs in Jeopardy Over Questionable Sardis Lake Deal

In a joint response, the tribes call the Governor's move "neither necessary nor productive", saying that they've made clear they have "hopes of reaching a resolution outside the courtroom."

In her State of the State address Monday, the Governor asked lawmakers for $5 million to litigate the water case.