[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3468 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  2d Session

                               H. R. 3468

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

  To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to certain water 
                     rights to Duchesne City, Utah.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3468

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
  To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to certain water 
                     rights to Duchesne City, Utah.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Duchesne City Water Rights 
Conveyance Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 1861, President Lincoln established the Uintah 
        Valley Reservation by Executive order. The Congress confirmed 
        the Executive order in 1864 (13 Stat. 63), and additional lands 
        were added to form the Uintah Indian Reservation (now known as 
        the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation).
            (2) Pursuant to subsequent Acts of Congress, lands were 
        allotted to the Indians of the reservation, and unallotted 
        lands were restored to the public domain to be disposed of 
        under homestead and townsite laws.
            (3) In July 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt reserved 
        lands for the townsite for Duchesne, Utah, by Presidential 
        proclamation and pursuant to the applicable townsite laws.
            (4) In July 1905, the United States, through the Acting 
        United States Indian Agent in Behalf of the Indians of the 
        Uintah Indian Reservation, Utah, filed 2 applications, 43-180 
        and 43-203, under the laws of the State of Utah to appropriate 
        certain waters.
            (5) The stated purposes of the water appropriation 
        applications were, respectively, ``for irrigation and domestic 
        supply for townsite purposes in the lands herein described'', 
        and ``for the purpose of irrigating Indian allotments on the 
        Uintah Indian Reservation, Utah, . . . and for an irrigating 
        and domestic water supply for townsite purposes in the lands 
        herein described''.
            (6) The United States subsequently filed change 
        applications which provided that the entire appropriation would 
        be used for municipal and domestic purposes in the town of 
        Duchesne, Utah.
            (7) The State Engineer of Utah approved the change 
        applications, and the State of Utah issued water right 
        certificates, identified as Certificate Numbers 1034 and 1056, 
        in the name of the United States Indian Service in 1921, 
        pursuant to the applications filed, for domestic and municipal 
        uses in the town of Duchesne.
            (8) Non-Indians settled the town of Duchesne, and the 
        inhabitants have utilized the waters appropriated by the United 
        States for townsite purposes.
            (9) Pursuant to title V of Public Law 102-575, Congress 
        ratified the quantification of the reserved waters rights of 
        the Ute Indian Tribe, subject to reratification of the water 
        compact by the State of Utah and the Tribe.
            (10) The Ute Indian Tribe does not oppose legislation that 
        will convey the water rights appropriated by the United States 
        in 1905 to the city of Duchesne because the appropriations do 
        not serve the purposes, rights, or interests of the Tribe or 
        its members, because the full amount of the reserved water 
        rights of the Tribe will be quantified in other proceedings, 
        and because the Tribe and its members will receive substantial 
        benefits through such legislation.
            (11) The Secretary of the Interior requires additional 
        authority in order to convey title to those appropriations made 
        by the United States in 1905 in order for the city of Duchesne 
        to continue to enjoy the use of those water rights and to 
        provide additional benefits to the Ute Indian Tribe and its 
        members as originally envisioned by the 1905 appropriations.

SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE OF WATER RIGHTS TO DUCHESNE CITY, UTAH.

    (a) Conveyance.--The Secretary of the Interior, as soon as 
practicable after the date of the enactment of this Act, and in 
accordance with all applicable law, shall convey to Duchesne City, 
Utah, or a water district created by Duchesne City, all right, title, 
and interest of the United States in and to those water rights 
appropriated under the laws of the State of Utah by the Department of 
the Interior's United States Indian Service and identified as Water 
Rights Nos. 43-180 (Certificate No. 1034) and 43-203 (Certificate No. 
1056) in the records of the State Engineer of Utah.
    (b) Required Terms.--
            (1) In general.--As terms of any conveyance under 
        subsection (a), the Secretary shall require that Duchesne 
        City--
                    (A) shall allow the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah 
                and Ouray Reservation, its members, and any person 
                leasing or utilizing land that is held in trust for the 
                Tribe by the United States and is located within the 
                Duchesne City water service area (as such area may be 
                adjusted from time to time), to connect to the Duchesne 
                City municipal water system;
                    (B) shall not require such tribe, members, or 
                person to pay any water impact, connection, or similar 
                fee for such connection; and
                    (C) shall not require such tribe, members, or 
                person to deliver or transfer any water or water rights 
                for such connection.
            (2) Limitation.--Paragraph (1) shall not be construed to 
        prohibit Duchesne City from charging any person that connects 
        to the Duchesne City municipal water system pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) reasonable, customary, and nondiscriminatory fees 
        to recover costs of the operation and maintenance of the water 
        system to treat, transport, and deliver water to the person.

SEC. 4. WATER RIGHTS.

    (a) No Relinquishment or Reduction.--Except as provided in section 
3, nothing in this Act may be construed as a relinquishment or 
reduction of any water rights reserved, appropriated, or otherwise 
secured by the United States in the State of Utah on or before the date 
of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) No Precedent.--Nothing in this Act may be construed as 
establishing a precedent for conveying or otherwise transferring water 
rights held by the United States.

SEC. 5. TRIBAL RIGHTS.

    Nothing in this Act may be construed to affect or modify any treaty 
or other right of the Ute Indian Tribe or any other Indian tribe.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 25, 2000.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.