Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill settles decades of water rights disputes for three Arizona tribes by legally confirming their rights to use water from the Colorado River, underground sources, and surface water. The tribes give up certain legal claims in exchange for guaranteed water and funding.
• The bill authorizes building the iina ba - paa tuwaqat'si pipeline to deliver clean drinking water from Lake Powell to tribal communities that currently lack reliable water access, serving both Navajo and Hopi communities.
• Congress would provide about $5.1 billion total. Roughly $1.715 billion goes to building the pipeline, while $3.42 billion is deposited into trust funds for the three tribes to cover water projects, farming improvements, renewable energy, and system maintenance.
• The bill officially creates a roughly 5,400-acre reservation for the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, giving the small tribe its own permanent homeland on land that was previously within the Navajo Reservation boundary.
• The Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe can lease portions of their Colorado River water to other users in Arizona, generating revenue to help cover operating costs. However, the water can never be permanently sold or used outside Arizona.
• If the settlement conditions are not met by June 30, 2035, the entire Act (except the San Juan Southern Paiute Reservation creation) is repealed and all unspent funds revert to the Treasury.