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Implements a negotiated water-rights settlement for the Yavapai‑Apache Nation, providing federal funding and authorizing construction of the Túńlįįníchoh Water Infrastructure Project (Cragin‑Verde Pipeline and a tribal drinking water system). It places specific parcels into trust, confirms and protects the Nation’s water rights, establishes dedicated project and settlement trust funds, amends Central Arizona Project (CAP) water delivery rules for the Nation, and sets conditions and timelines that must be met before the settlement becomes enforceable. The Act also creates governing rules for waivers of prior water claims, limited waiver of sovereign immunity for enforcement of the settlement, environmental compliance responsibilities, continued USGS river monitoring, and several targeted local land and water adjustments (including a small municipal water allocation from a reservoir and a Forest Service land transfer).
The bill trades substantial, targeted federal funding and final legal certainty for the Yavapai‑Apache Nation and local water infrastructure—delivering long‑term tribal water security and project readiness—against increased federal spending, narrowed future legal claims and oversight, and shifts in水
Tribal members and nearby rural communities will receive large, dedicated federal funding (over $1 billion in appropriations and dedicated trust accounts) to build the Cragin‑Verde pipeline, a Yavapai‑Apache Nation drinking water system, and related wastewater/watershed projects, delivering reliable potable water and infrastructure.
The Yavapai‑Apache Nation gets permanent, clearly defined water rights and long‑term CAP water service (including storage, leasing/exchange authority, and the ability to manage distribution), strengthening tribal self‑determination and local control over water supply.
The Act creates a final, enforceable settlement with clarified legal definitions and dispute remedies (enforceability date, ability to sue to enforce/interpret, and detailed allocations), reducing long‑running litigation and providing certainty for water users and managers across the basin.
Project implementation is accelerated by allowing early planning/design work, providing a $13M pre‑enforceability allocation for environmental review, keeping funds available until spent (with interest usable for projects), and permitting administrative adjustments to address market volatility, reducing delays to construction.
Taxpayers face substantial new federal outlays (Treasury transfers and ongoing federal costs for construction, OM&R, and possible fixed charge subsidies), increasing federal spending that could affect deficits or crowd out other priorities.
The Yavapai‑Apache Nation and many of its members waive broad past, present, and future water claims and limit legal remedies (including aboriginal/Colorado River claims and many negotiation‑period suits), reducing future compensation or litigation options for the Tribe and some members.
The Act grants substantial administrative discretion and reduces congressional and public oversight (funds available until expended, indexing/volatility adjustments, Secretary authority to modify or certify actions, and limited federal receipt/monitoring of lease proceeds), which can increase spending uncertainty and reduce accountability.
Non‑tribal water users and downstream interests may face reduced availability or altered allocations (protected Verde River flows and specified caps/allocations, narrow exceptions for well claims, and transfer limits), potentially lowering supplies for municipalities, agriculture, or other users in shortages.
Transfers $731,059,000 from the Treasury to the Cragin-Verde Pipeline Account of the Túńlįįníchoh Water Infrastructure Project Fund.
Transfers $152,490,000 from the Treasury to the YAN Drinking Water System Account of the Túńlįįníchoh Water Infrastructure Project Fund.
Transfers $300,000 from the Treasury to the Yavapai-Apache Water Settlement Implementation Account of the Yavapai-Apache Nation Water Settlement Trust Fund.
Transfers $58,000,000 from the Treasury to the Yavapai-Apache Water Projects Account of the Yavapai-Apache Nation Water Settlement Trust Fund.
Transfers $31,000,000 from the Treasury to the Yavapai-Apache Wastewater Projects Account of the Yavapai-Apache Nation Water Settlement Trust Fund.
Primary effects:
Yavapai‑Apache Nation and tribal members: Receive a defined package of water rights, reserved and protected water supplies, land taken into trust, funded infrastructure to deliver treated drinking water, and a settlement trust fund to support water, wastewater, watershed, and O&M needs. The Nation’s rights are protected from forfeiture and may be used, stored, leased, or exchanged under the settlement rules.
Local governments and towns (e.g., Camp Verde, Yavapai County): May receive limited municipal water allocations from the renamed reservoir under contract deadlines and a small Forest Service land transfer for municipal/public safety uses; must coordinate with federal agencies on project siting and approvals.
Water agencies and project managers (Bureau of Reclamation, Central Arizona Project, Salt River Project, local water districts): Must implement contract amendments, build and operate new pipeline infrastructure to meet performance standards, coordinate rights‑of‑way and land withdrawals, and adjust delivery, storage, and accounting under new rules. Some construction and delivery costs are designated non‑reimbursable and not obligations of local districts.
Watershed landowners, farmers, and other water users in the Verde River/Gila basin: May experience changes in water accounting, new instream flow protections, and limits on contesting certain claims by the Nation; parties receiving settlement water benefits gain exemptions from certain acreage‑limitation and full‑cost pricing rules.
Federal agencies and taxpayers: Federal agencies are directed to carry out planning, environmental compliance, construction, fund management, and gaging station operation; some Treasury transfers are mandatory and tied to construction cost indices. Federal obligations to expend funds are subject to appropriations language in certain places and to enforceability conditions.
Potential tradeoffs and risks:
Section makes activities under subsection (c)(7) subject to and authorizes entering into agreements in accordance with the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.).
Section states that title to the Cragin-Verde Pipeline Project shall be held by the United States as part of the Salt River Federal Reclamation Project pursuant to the Reclamation Act of 1902 (43 U.S.C. 371 et seq.).
Section requires the Secretary to comply with the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) when implementing the Agreement and this Act.
Section requires compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and states that execution of the Agreement shall not constitute a major Federal action for NEPA purposes.
Section references 25 U.S.C. 177 (section 2116 of the Revised Statutes) as a statute under which certain modifications to the Agreement might require congressional approval.
Section references the investment authority contained in 25 U.S.C. 162a as governing management and investment of the Trust Fund.
Section references the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.) as the statutory framework for Tribal management plans and withdrawal procedures.
Replaces reference to 'Blue Ridge Reservoir' with 'C.C. Cragin Dam and Reservoir' in subparagraph (B) and adds subparagraph (C) authorizing up to 1,639.74 acre-feet per year from C.C. Cragin Reservoir for municipal and domestic uses in Yavapai County without cost to the Salt River Federal Reclamation Project, conditioned on contracting by December 31, 2029.
States that the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (43 U.S.C. 390aa et seq.) and other Federal acreage limitation or full-cost pricing provisions shall not apply to any individual, entity, or land solely on the basis of receipt of benefits under this Act, execution/performance of the Agreement, or use/storage/delivery/lease/exchange of CAP water.
References section 403(f)(2)(A) of the Colorado River Basin Project Act (codified at 43 U.S.C. 1543(f)(2)(A)) as the source of funding for CAP Fixed OM&R charges associated with delivery of YAN CAP Water, subject to availability of funds in the Lower Colorado River Basin Development Fund.
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Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced December 26, 2025 by Eli Crane · Last progress December 26, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House