Three tribes secure Colorado River water in settlement—but full terms hidden in external agreement

What it does

This bill ratifies a water rights settlement agreement among the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, the U.S. government, and Arizona. It confirms and protects specific water allocations for each tribe from Colorado River and groundwater sources, establishes trust funds for water infrastructure and conservation projects, and resolves decades of competing water claims in northeastern Arizona. The tribes gain enforceable water rights; the U.S. government gains finality and closure on contested claims.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to ratify and implement a multi-party water rights settlement agreement resolving competing claims among three federally recognized tribes and the federal government. It is a settlement/dispute-resolution instrument, not a regulatory or appropriations measure.

What the text implies

• The bill's operative effect depends entirely on the Settlement Agreement dated May 9, 2024, which is not reproduced in this text. Restrictions, dispute-resolution mechanisms, and enforcement procedures live in that agreement, not in the statute.
• Section 4(e) states that execution of the Settlement Agreement 'shall not constitute a major Federal action' under NEPA, potentially limiting environmental review scope for water infrastructure projects.
• Section 5(d) restricts tribal water use to reservation lands or trust lands, with narrow exceptions for municipal use via connected facilities—limiting tribes' ability to lease or transfer water off-reservation.
• The bill establishes multiple trust fund accounts for infrastructure and conservation but does not specify total appropriations or funding timelines in the visible text.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Tribal members and allottees gain enforceable water rights and infrastructure funding, resolving decades of uncertainty and litigation risk. However, the bill's operative mechanism depends entirely on a 50,000+ character Settlement Agreement not fully visible in this text, and the text is truncated mid-clause, preventing full assessment of restrictions, dispute-resolution provisions, or hidden carve-outs that may limit tribal sovereignty or benefit non-tribal water users.

Who stands to gain

• Navajo Nation
• Hopi Tribe
• San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe
• Individual tribal members and allottees

Named in the bill

Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, U.S. Department of Interior, Secretary of Interior, State of Arizona, Central Arizona Water Conservation District, Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, Salt River Valley Water Users' Association, Colorado River, Little Colorado River, Bureau of Reclamation — and 1 more

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.

• Mar 11, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Mar 11, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Indian Affairs · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs”
• Mar 11, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 4 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $550,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Mark Kelly, the sponsor, reported $48,750 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Navajo Nation — $270,000 on 2 filings
• Salt River Project — $250,000 on 1 filing
• Hopi Tribe — $30,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.