[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75981-75982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9756]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary


Statement of Findings: Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement 
Act of 2003

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Statement of Findings in accordance with Public Law 
108-34.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior is causing this notice to be 
published as required by section 9 of the Zuni Indian Tribe Water 
Rights Settlement Act of 2003 (Settlement Act), Public Law 108-34, 117 
Stat. 782-98. The publication of this notice causes the waiver and 
release of certain claims to become effective as required to implement 
the Settlement.

DATES: In accordance with section 9 of the Settlement Act, the waiver 
and release of claims described in section 7(b) and 7(c) of the 
Settlement Act are effective on December 19, 2006.
    Contact: Address all comments and requests for additional 
information to Christopher Banet, Chair, Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Federal Implementation Team, Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southwest Regional Office, 1001 Indian School 
Road, NW., Albuquerque, NM 87104. (505) 563-3540.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1984, the United States established a 
reservation for the Zuni Indian Tribe (Tribe) in northern Arizona, the 
Zuni Heaven Reservation, for longstanding religious and sustenance 
activities. On June 7, 2002, the Tribe and other parties entered into 
the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Agreement (Settlement 
Agreement), a negotiated settlement of the water rights for the Zuni 
Heaven Reservation in the General Adjudication of All Rights to Use 
Water in the Little Colorado River System and Source. The Settlement 
Agreement resolves all of the Tribe's water rights claims in the 
Arizona portion of the Little Colorado River Basin, assists the Tribe 
in acquiring surface water rights therein, provides for the Tribe's use 
of groundwater therefrom and provides for wetland restoration of a 
portion of the Tribe's Arizona lands.
    The purposes of the Settlement Act are:
    (1) To approve, ratify, and confirm the Settlement Agreement 
entered into by the Tribe and the neighboring non-Indians;
    (2) To authorize and direct the Secretary to execute and perform 
the Settlement Agreement and related waivers;
    (3) To authorize and direct the United States to take legal title 
and hold such title to certain lands in trust for the benefit of the 
Zuni Indian Tribe; and
    (4) To authorize the actions, agreements, and appropriations as 
provided for in the Settlement Agreement and the Settlement Act.
    In order for terms of the Settlement Act and Settlement Agreement 
to be effective, the Secretary is required to make a statement of 
findings that certain conditions have been met.

Statement of Findings

    As required by section 9 of the Settlement Act and as required by 
section 3.1.L of the Settlement Agreement, I find as follows:
    1. The Settlement Act has been enacted in a form approved by the 
parties in paragraph 3.1 of the Settlement Agreement.
    2. The funds authorized by section 4(b) of the Settlement Act have 
been appropriated by the United States and deposited into the Zuni 
Indian Tribe Water Rights Development Fund (Fund), established under 
section 6 of the Settlement Act.
    3. The State of Arizona has appropriated and deposited into the 
Fund the amount required by paragraph 7.6 of the Settlement Agreement.
    4. The Tribe has waived the condition, as provided in paragraph 3.2 
of the Settlement Agreement, that it purchase or acquire the rights to 
purchase 2,350 acre-feet per annum of surface water rights.
    5. The Tribe has waived the condition, as provided in paragraph 3.2 
of the Settlement Agreement, that it acquire conditional approval for 
severance and transfer of surface water rights that the Tribe owns or 
has the right to purchase.
    6. Pursuant to subparagraph 3.1.E of the Settlement Agreement, the 
Tribe and the Lyman Water Company have executed two separate agreements 
relating to the process of severance and transfer of surface water 
rights acquired by the Tribe or the United States and relating to the 
pass-through, use, and storage of the Tribe's surface water rights in 
Lyman Lake and the operation of Lyman Dam. The United States and the 
Arizona Game and Fish Commission were also signatories to the severance 
and transfer agreement, and both agreements were made in consultation 
with the City of St. Johns, Arizona and St. Johns Irrigation Company. 
The Lyman Water Company did not find it necessary to amend any 
operating procedures or by-laws in furtherance of these agreements.

[[Page 75982]]

    7. Pursuant to subparagraph 3.1.F of the Settlement Agreement, all 
parties to the Settlement Agreement have agreed and stipulated to 
certain Arizona Game and Fish Commission abstracts of water uses.
    8. Pursuant to subparagraph 3.1.G of the Settlement Agreement, all 
parties to the Settlement Agreement have agreed to the location of an 
observation well and that well has been installed.
    9. Pursuant to subparagraph 3.1.H of the Settlement Agreement, the 
Tribe, Apache County, Arizona and the State of Arizona have executed an 
Intergovernmental Agreement that satisfies all of the conditions in 
paragraph 6.2 of the Settlement Agreement.
    10. The Tribe has acquired title to the section of land adjacent to 
Zuni Heaven Reservation described as Section 34, Township 14 North, 
Range 26 East, Gila and Salt River Base and Meridian.
    11. The Settlement Agreement was modified to the extent that it was 
in conflict with the Settlement Act and the modification has been 
agreed to by all the parties to the Settlement Agreement.
    12. A court of competent jurisdiction has approved the Settlement 
Agreement by a final judgment and decree.
    As authorized by section 4(a) of the Act, I find as follows:
    1. Pursuant to subparagraph 3.1.J of the Settlement Agreement, the 
Settlement Agreement, as amended, and all exhibits requiring signatures 
have been executed.
    As required by paragraph 6.2.B of the Settlement Agreement, I 
hereby certify to the Governor of the State of Arizona that all of the 
conditions precedent in paragraph 6.2 have been satisfied.

    Dated: December 8, 2006.
Dirk Kempthorne,
Secretary of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 06-9756 Filed 12-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-W7-M