Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill settles decades-long water rights disputes between Ohkay Owingeh, the federal government, and New Mexico over the Rio Chama river system. It officially approves and ratifies a 2023 agreement among the parties, ending legal battles over who can use the water.
• The federal government would put $745 million into a trust fund for the Pueblo. The money can be used for water infrastructure like pipes, treatment plants, irrigation systems, and wastewater facilities, with adjustments allowed for construction cost changes over time.
• A major part of the plan focuses on restoring the bosque, which is the riverside forest along the Rio Chama. Up to $100 million can be accessed right away for urgent bosque restoration, acequia improvements, and water rights management before the full settlement takes effect.
• New Mexico must contribute over $131 million: roughly $98.5 million for acequia (irrigation ditch) improvements, $32 million for the City of Espanola's water systems, and $500,000 to protect non-Pueblo groundwater users from any impacts of new Pueblo water use.
• In exchange for these benefits, Ohkay Owingeh agrees to waive and release a long list of legal claims against the United States related to water rights in the Rio Chama system, including claims about past failures to protect the Pueblo's water, land, and irrigation resources.
• The Pueblo's water rights will be held in trust by the United States and cannot be lost through non-use. Ohkay Owingeh can lease those water rights for up to 99 years, both on and off Pueblo land, giving the tribe flexible economic use of its water.