The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 outlines the contents of the law dealing with the settlement of water rights for certain tribes in northeastern Arizona. It covers the allocation and management of the Colorado River water, establishes various trust funds, discusses water rights and settlement agreements, and details funding and legal provisions related to the enforcement and implementation of these agreements.

The purposes of this Act are to settle water rights claims in the State for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, ensure the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement is followed, assign duties to the Secretary of the Interior, and provide necessary funding for these actions.

This section provides definitions for various terms related to land, water rights, and governance within the context of Native American tribes in Arizona. It specifies meanings for terms like “Hopi Tribe,” “Navajo Nation,” “San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe,” and details about water rights agreements and projects, legal entities, land designations, and key infrastructure projects as addressed in specific legal and contractual contexts.

The section authorizes and confirms the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement, requiring the Secretary to sign the agreement and ensure it complies with all environmental laws. It details how costs for compliance will be covered by specific trust funds, except for the iiná bá – paa tuwaqat’si pipeline, which will use its own fund.

This section confirms and protects the water rights of the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and their allottees as per a Settlement Agreement. It sets out rules and conditions for how these water rights can be used, held in trust by the United States, and protected from loss or dispute, while ensuring these rights cannot be sold or used outside specified areas.

The section outlines the allocation, use, and storage of Arizona's Colorado River water for the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe. It details the water distribution agreements, usage restrictions, storage rules, and transportation provisions, ensuring both tribes can use, store, and transport water within state limits while maintaining compliance with existing laws and agreements, including setting conditions for conservation efforts and curtailment during shortages.

The section describes the conditions under which the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe can lease or exchange their water rights from the Colorado River for use and storage, both on and off their reservations. The leases must comply with federal and state laws and cannot permanently transfer water rights; additionally, lessees are responsible for paying all costs associated with the delivery of water, including any charges related to using the Central Arizona Project (CAP) system.

The iiná bá – paa tuwaqat’si pipeline section outlines the planning, construction, and ownership transfer of a water pipeline to supply potable water to the Navajo and Hopi Tribes. It involves setting up committees for consultation, determining construction and design processes, specifying conditions for ownership transfer to the tribes, and excluding the application of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to the pipeline's development and maintenance.

The iiná bá – paa tuwaqat’si pipeline Implementation Fund Account is a special non-trust, interest-bearing account established and managed by the Secretary to help carry out the tasks outlined in the Act. The account will receive funds from specific allocations and can be used for activities related to section 8, such as acquiring power, with any interest earned also available for these purposes.

The section establishes the Navajo Nation Water Settlement Trust Fund, managed by the Secretary of the Treasury. This fund consists of various accounts for purposes like water projects, conservation, and renewable energy for the Navajo Nation. It outlines how funds can be deposited, managed, withdrawn with an approved plan, and the specific uses for each account. It also covers the roles and liabilities of the Secretary and the Navajo Nation, ensuring that funds support specific projects without per capita payments to members.

The bill establishes the Hopi Tribe Water Settlement Trust Fund to manage and finance various water-related projects for the Hopi Tribe. The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for overseeing the fund, while the Hopi Tribe can withdraw money following specific plans approved by the Secretary. The funds can be used for purposes such as groundwater projects, agricultural improvements, and acquiring water rights, but they cannot be distributed to tribe members as individual payouts.

The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe Water Settlement Trust Fund section sets up a special trust fund managed by the Secretary to support water projects and improvements for the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. This fund, which includes various accounts for specific purposes, allows the Tribe to withdraw and use the money for approved projects like groundwater and agricultural conservation, while also requiring annual expenditure reports and ensuring funds are not distributed to individual Tribe members.

The text outlines the financial provisions for the iiná bá – paa tuwaqat’si pipeline and water settlement trust funds for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. It includes details about funding allocations, timing for fund availability, adjustments for cost fluctuations, and conditions for using supplemental funds to ensure the pipeline's completion and the proper use of trust funds.

The section outlines the terms for waiving, releasing, and retaining claims related to water rights and injuries to water rights by various Native American tribes and the United States. It specifies different scenarios under which these claims can be waived or retained, involving the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and relevant stakeholders, with conditions and exceptions tied to a Settlement Agreement.

The section describes how water rights and other benefits are provided to different Native American tribes, such as the Navajo, Hopi, and San Juan Southern Paiute tribes, as part of a Settlement Agreement. The agreement ensures that these tribes and their members will receive certain benefits and water resources, replacing any prior claims they might have had, but does not establish new water rights for individual tribal members.

The section explains that the Settlement Agreement, along with related waivers and claims, will be enforceable once certain conditions are met, such as revising and signing the agreement by key parties, executing necessary contracts, securing funding, and obtaining court approvals. If these conditions are not met by June 30, 2035, the act will be repealed, and any actions or agreements will be void, except for the section regarding the San Juan Southern Paiute Reservation, which will remain effective.

This section outlines the rules for accounting water deliveries from the Colorado River to the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe within Arizona. It specifies how various types of water are classified depending on their origin and intended use, details conditions under which water diversion and delivery can occur, and clarifies how these actions interact with pre-existing legal agreements, such as the Colorado River Compact and the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act.

In this section, the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and the United States acting as trustee for each tribe agree to waive their legal immunity in specific legal cases. They consent to be part of certain lawsuits solely about understanding or enforcing agreements, as long as these lawsuits do not demand money, court costs, or lawyer fees from them.

The text outlines the ratification and implementation of a treaty that establishes the San Juan Southern Paiute Reservation. It assigns specific responsibilities to the Secretary of the Interior, like executing the treaty, carrying out surveys, and marking boundaries while allowing the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe jurisdiction over the reservation lands.

The Secretary is allowed to use the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project to handle up to 12,000 acre-feet per year of water from the Navajo Nation in the Upper Basin of the Colorado River, provided that certain conditions are met, including approvals and coordination with various parties. The costs and construction related to this increase in capacity are the responsibility of the Navajo Nation, and any impact on the existing water project timelines requires mutual agreement.

The section outlines that the Act does not change existing water rights or claims for Indian tribes, the United States on their behalf, or public domain allottees unless stated in the Settlement Agreement. It specifies that there is no financial liability for the U.S. if Congress doesn't approve funding, and it does not alter other laws or set precedents for water rights issues, while preserving existing rights and encouraging efficient water use in specific projects.