Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Water Rights Settlement Act

This bill approves a water rights settlement among the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Coachella Valley Water District, the Desert Water Agency, and the United States. It confirms the Tribe's right to pump and use up to 20,000 acre-feet of groundwater per year, held in trust by the United States, and lets the Tribe charge its own water fees instead of the districts' replenishment charge. It creates a federal trust fund with $500 million for water projects, groundwater replenishment, water management, and upkeep costs. In exchange, the Tribe and the United States would give up certain legal claims about water rights. The bill also lets the Tribe tax possessory interests on reservation land in place of the Riverside County property tax, with part of the revenue passed to other local public agencies.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Alex Padilla Democrat sponsor
• 1 cosponsors