To approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Yavapai-Apache Nation in the State of Arizona, to authorize construction of a water project relating to those water rights claims, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill settles long-standing water rights claims between the Yavapai-Apache Nation and the State of Arizona, including claims to the Verde River and Colorado River watersheds. It quantifies exactly how much water the tribe is entitled to, authorizes construction of a major pipeline from C.C. Cragin Dam to deliver water to the reservation, and appropriates over one billion dollars in federal funding for water infrastructure and tribal trust funds.
Who Benefits and How
The Yavapai-Apache Nation receives approximately 6,837 acre-feet per year of guaranteed water rights, plus access to Central Arizona Project (CAP) water they can lease for up to 100 years. The tribe receives roughly $156 million in trust fund deposits for water projects, wastewater systems, and operations. Salt River Project (SRP) gains operational control of the new Cragin-Verde Pipeline as part of its federal reclamation project. Yavapai County water users may access up to 1,912 additional acre-feet per year from the new pipeline infrastructure.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers bear the cost of approximately $1.04 billion in mandatory appropriations: $731 million for the Cragin-Verde Pipeline, $152 million for the tribal drinking water system, and $156 million for tribal trust funds. The State of Arizona and other water claimants must accept the settlement terms and release competing water claims. The Yavapai-Apache Nation must waive all past, present, and future water rights claims beyond those quantified in this settlement.
Key Provisions
- Appropriates $731 million for Cragin-Verde Pipeline construction to deliver 6,837+ acre-feet of water annually to the reservation
- Establishes Yavapai-Apache Nation Water Settlement Trust Fund with $156 million for tribal water infrastructure and operations
- Authorizes land exchanges totaling nearly 8,000 acres between the Nation, Forest Service, and federal government
- Requires the tribe and United States to waive all competing water rights claims in exchange for the settlement benefits
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Settles water rights claims of the Yavapai-Apache Nation in Arizona by quantifying their water rights, authorizing construction of water infrastructure projects, and appropriating over one billion dollars in federal funding for these purposes.
Key Policy Areas
Water Rights, Tribal Affairs, Infrastructure, Federal Lands, Environment
Primary Purpose
Settles water rights claims of the Yavapai-Apache Nation in Arizona by quantifying their water rights, authorizing construction of water infrastructure projects, and appropriating over one billion dollars in federal funding for these purposes.
Policy Domains
Title I - Water Rights Settlement
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Yavapai-Apache Nation
- Salt River Project
- Bureau of Reclamation
- Yavapai County water users
- Arizona water management
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
- Yavapai-Apache Nation (waiver of claims)
- State of Arizona (release of competing claims)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title II - Land Exchange
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Yavapai-Apache Nation
- U.S. Forest Service
- Town of Camp Verde
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- U.S. Forest Service (land transfers)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Mark Kelly
D-AZ | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Kelly (for himself and Ms. Sinema) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
All settlement parties, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation
Yavapai-Apache Nation faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Bureau of Reclamation, National Forest System, Parties to the Agreement
Negative-direction: All settlement parties, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Forest Service, Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Arizona municipalities and water users, Arizona water users and municipalities, Central Arizona Project
Positive-direction: Arizona municipalities and water users, Arizona water users and municipalities, Water and wastewater contractors
Negative-direction: Central Arizona Project
State of Arizona, State of Arizona water claimants
Infrastructure and construction contractors, Pipeline construction contractors
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "SRP"
- → Salt River Project
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_commissioner"
- → Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Department of Agriculture
- "forest_service"
- → U.S. Forest Service
Note: 'The Secretary' refers to the Secretary of the Interior in Title I but the Secretary of Agriculture in Title II (land exchange provisions)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Yavapai-Apache Nation Water Rights Settlement Agreement dated June 26, 2024, and any amendments or exhibits made in accordance with this Act
Acre-feet per Year
The reclamation project authorized and constructed by the United States in accordance with Title III of the Colorado River Basin Project Act (43 U.S.C. 1521 et seq.)
Land held by or for the benefit of the Yavapai-Apache Nation including the Reservation, Trust Land, and After-Acquired Trust Land
The date on which the Secretary publishes findings in the Federal Register that all conditions for the settlement have been met
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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