(KNZA)--The Kickapoo Tribe during a ceremony Friday morning will commemorate completion of a settlement agreement that quantifies the Tribe's senior water rights in the Delaware River Watershed.

In a news release, Tribal Chairman Lester Randall announced the ceremony will take place beginning at 11:00 at the Kickapoo Tribal Administration building and the public is invited to attend. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt will be among those speaking at the event.

Randall says the agreement, which is necessary for the Plum Creek project to proceed, secures the Kickapoo Tribe’s viability.

He says the ceremony will allow the tribe to formally thank Schmidt, the Kansas Department of Agriculture, and representatives of other state agencies working with the Tribe and the Native American Rights Fund to secure the Tribe’s right to a permanent supply of water.

According to the news release, the Kickapoo Tribe has worked for more than 40 years to secure the water source for its reservation, partnering with regional stakeholders on the development of the water storage initiative known as the Plum Creek project. Despite setbacks, the 4-decade effort continues, with the tribe acquiring land and continuing to solicit the purchase of more from area landowners.