Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 2025-02-13 Introduced in Senate Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025

This bill recognizes and settles certain water rights claims in New Mexico of the pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh. It also establishes and provides funding for a settlement trust fund.

Specifically, the bill authorizes, ratifies, and confirms a specified water rights settlement agreement entered into by Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico, and others, thus satisfying claims to water rights in the Rio Chama Stream System in New Mexico.

The bill establishes and provides funding for the Ohkay Owingeh Water Rights Settlement Trust Fund. This trust fund may only be used for five specified purposes, including for activities related to water production, treatment, or delivery infrastructure.

The bill also (1) specifies the water rights of the pueblo; and (2) outlines waivers, releases, and retentions of claims by the pueblo and the United States.

]]> text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.