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S 953119th CongressIntroduced
Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025
Introduced: Oct 28, 2025
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs
The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 establishes a comprehensive settlement of water rights claims for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. It ratifies the existing settlement agreement, allocates specific amounts of Arizona Upper and Lower Basin Colorado River water, creates dedicated trust funds for each tribe, authorizes the construction of the iina ba‑paa tuwaqat'si pipeline, and sets forth detailed environmental, leasing, and exchange provisions. The Act also includes extensive waivers and releases of claims, defines enforceability dates, and outlines reporting and monitoring requirements.
Key Points
- 1Ratification and execution of the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement.
- 2Allocation of 44,700 AFY Navajo Nation Upper Basin water, 2,300 AFY Hopi Upper Basin water, and specified Fourth/Fifth Priority water.
- 3Creation of separate trust funds for each tribe and for the iina ba‑paa tuwaqat'si pipeline implementation.
- 4Construction, operation, and phased transfer of the iina ba‑paa tuwaqat'si pipeline, including environmental compliance.
- 5Extensive waivers, releases, and retention of claims, with enforceability tied to a federal register finding.
Impact Areas
Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe (including allottees).State of Arizona and its water users (municipal, industrial, agricultural).Federal agencies (Interior, Reclamation, EPA, etc.) and the United States as trustee.Local governments, water utilities, and residents within the affected reservations and off‑reservation trust lands.
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