Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Water Rights Settlement Act
Introduced April 22, 2026 · Last action April 22, 2026
Plain English Summary
This bill settles a long-running water rights dispute involving the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in California's Coachella Valley by confirming the tribe's right to 20,000 acre-feet per year of groundwater and establishing a $500 million trust fund for water projects and infrastructure. In exchange, the tribe waives most legal claims against the federal government and water agencies (CVWD and DWA) related to water rights and past water-related damages, while retaining claims for enforcement and environmental violations.
Who benefits
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians tribe (confirmed quantified water right of 20,000 AFY with senior priority), tribal members (especially allottees receiving irrigation water), the tribe's Water Authority (can impose taxes and fees), Coachella Valley Water District (obtains 842.4 acres of facility land at fair market value and water district infrastructure remains in operation with no RAC imposed on tribal water), Desert Water Agency (continuing domestic water service authority), federal government (resolves 13-year litigation and conflicting claims)
Who pays / loses
The United States (appropriates $500 million from general treasury over time, transfers ~3,582 acres of federal land, assumes liability for compliance with environmental law), Riverside County (loses ad valorem property tax revenue on tribal possessory interests when tribe imposes tribal tax; but receives distributions to 'other public agencies' equivalent to what county would have collected), other public agencies in Riverside County (must receive distributions from tribal tax equivalent to prior county tax apportionment but rely on tribe to enforce this), litigants and claimants in pending water rights litigation (claims waived except narrow carve-outs), competitors/non-tribal groundwater users in Indio Subbasin (lose access to junior groundwater rights and must accommodate tribe's senior 20,000 AFY entitlement)
Fiscal note: $500 million total mandatory appropriations: $300M for Agua Caliente Development Projects Account, $100M for Agua Caliente Groundwater Augmentation Account, $50M for Agua Caliente Water Management Account, $50M for Agua Caliente Operation, Maintenance and Replacement Costs Account. Amounts adjusted for inflation using Bureau of Reclamation Construction Cost Index. All funds appropriated from general treasury and remain available until expended, withdrawn, or reverted. No time limit specified for appropriation, but settlement expires if funds not fully deposited by December 31, 2035.
Funding & Lobbying Interests
Water districts (CVWD and DWA) benefit from certainty and avoid litigation costs; they obtain facility land and avoid RAC disputes. The Agua Caliente tribe obtains $500 million in federal funds and water rights certainty. Groundwater augmentation account ($100M) explicitly reimburses water districts for past and future groundwater augmentation investments, making them indirect beneficiaries. Federal government funds settlement through general treasury. No sponsor finance data provided; inferred from bill text that water management and environmental interests support certainty-creating settlements.
Political Impact
Affected Groups
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians (approximately 260 enrolled tribal members as of recent records; gains senior water right and $500M fund), tribal allottees (individual members with beneficial land interests on reservation; entitled to just and equitable irrigation water from 20,000 AFY), Riverside County (loses ad valorem tax revenue on possessory interests but receives equivalent distributions), other public agencies in Riverside County (schools, fire, flood control entities that receive county property tax apportionment; now receive tribal tax distributions instead), Coachella Valley Water District (approximately 110,000 served customers; obtains facility land, continues domestic water service, avoids litigation), Desert Water Agency (serves approximately 10,000 customers; continues operations), non-tribal groundwater producers and agricultural users in Indio Subbasin (lose junior water rights access to 20,000 AFY)
Political Subtext
Proponents argue this bill: (1) achieves long-overdue federal trust responsibility to Native Americans by confirming senior water rights and providing infrastructure funding; (2) resolves 13-year litigation (EDCV 13-883, EDCV 20-174) that created uncertainty for water agencies and tribal economic development; (3) protects tribal self-governance by authorizing tribal water ordinances, tax authority, and administration; (4) ensures allottees receive equitable water for irrigation as promised under 1887 Dawes Act. Critics argue: (1) the $500M appropriation is costly to federal taxpayers; (2) the water right (20,000 AFY) is substantial and may constrain non-tribal water users; (3) Tribal Tax preemption of county property tax raises federalism concerns; (4) waiver of past claims forecloses future litigation even if tribe later discovers damages. Non-partisan evidence: Bureau of Reclamation has historically supported Indian water rights settlements as cost-effective alternatives to prolonged litigation; similar settlements (e.g., Fort Hall tribes, Crow tribes) have achieved long-term water certainty. No independent fiscal impact assessment or CBO score cited in bill text.
Real-World Stakes
If this passes: Agua Caliente gains confirmed water rights and funding for tribal water infrastructure, water treatment, recycling, and aquifer recharge projects. Tribal members can develop irrigation and domestic water services under tribal control. Water agencies (CVWD, DWA) avoid years of appellate litigation and uncertainty, can plan infrastructure confidently. Non-tribal groundwater users must accommodate the tribe's 20,000 AFY senior right, reducing their access. If this expires (fails to meet December 31, 2035 deadline): litigation resumes, all waivers void, federal funds revert to Treasury, and disputes over water rights remain unresolved. Precedent: Yavapai-Apache Nation water rights settlement (1994, Arizona); Fort Hall Tribes water rights settlement (1990, Idaho); Crow Nation water rights settlement (1999, Montana)—all resolved through similar comprehensive agreement-and-settlement statutes that quantified tribal rights, funded infrastructure, and required waivers of past claims. These settlements generally stabilized regional water markets and enabled tribal economic development. The bill text provides no non-partisan fiscal impact assessment or CBO scoring.
Sponsor
Sponsor information not available.
Vote Record
No recorded votes.
Campaign Finance — Primary Sponsor
No campaign finance data available yet.
501(c)(4) disclosure: Contributions from 501(c)(4) "dark money" organizations are not required to be publicly disclosed and are not reflected in the figures above. Data sourced from FEC public disclosure filings.
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