The Department of the Interior has announced a $65 million investment to fulfill Indian water rights settlements, as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda. This funding, sourced from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will support major water projects across the western United States to secure reliable water supplies for Tribes.
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda aims to provide affordable high-speed internet, safer roads and bridges, modern wastewater and sanitation systems, clean drinking water, reliable electricity, good-paying jobs, and economic development in every Tribal community. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates over $13 billion directly to Tribal communities nationwide. Of this amount, $2.5 billion is dedicated to implementing the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund (Completion Fund), which is intended to deliver long-promised water resources to Tribes. The latest allocation fully exhausts the funds provided through the Completion Fund.
"Today, the Interior Department has upheld our trust responsibilities through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda and ensured that Tribal communities will receive the water resources they were long promised," said Secretary Deb Haaland at the 2024 White House Tribal Nations Summit. "Reliable water is crucial to ensuring the health, safety and empowerment of Indigenous communities. I am grateful that Tribes, some of whom have been waiting for this funding for decades, are finally getting the resources they are owed. I hope that future Congresses continue to recognize the importance of delivering on these long overdue commitments."
Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior
| Official website
Indian water rights are vested property rights with a trust responsibility held by the United States towards Tribal Nations. Federal policy encourages resolving disputes regarding Indian water rights through negotiated settlements. Such settlements help improve water resource management by providing certainty about all parties' rights involved in disputes.
Before signing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, many Indian Water Rights settlements were underfunded. The law's funding aligns with President Biden’s commitment to honoring federal obligations toward Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. Nearly $65.9 million from this law will be allocated for settlements enacted before its execution.
The following settlements will receive funding: Ak-Chin Indian Water Community Rights Act ($25 million), Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement ($6.52 million), Southern Arizona Water Rights Settlement - Farm Extension ($9 million), Gila River Indian Community-Pima Maricopa Irrigation Project ($7.731 million), Nez Perce Settlement ($6 million), San Carlos Apache Tribe - Distribution System ($5.5 million), Animas-La Plata Project (Colorado Ute) ($3.3 million), Navajo-Gallup O&M ($2.5 million), and San Carlos Irrigation Project Rehab ($300 thousand).
