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<br />4:ZR <br />SUMMARY OF H.R. 2642 AND S. 1415 (as introduced) <br /> <br />COLORADO UTE INDIAN WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT ACT OF 1987 <br /> <br />On December 10. 1986. the United States, Southern Ute Indian <br />Tribe. Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe. State of Colorado. and <br />numerous local water users in southwestern Colorado entered into <br />the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Final Settlement Agreement <br />(the Agreement). The purpose of the Agreement is to settle all <br />claims by the Tribes and by the United States on behalf of the <br />Tribes in the water adjudication proceedings pending in the <br />Colorado District Court for Water Division No.7. which litigation <br />was filed in 1976. <br /> <br />The Agreement was preceded by another document--the June 30. <br />1986. Binding Agreement for Animas-La Plata Project Cost Sharing. <br />This agreement provides for non-federal financing of part of the <br />construction cost of the Animas-La Plata Project. the project being <br />an integral component of the settlement. <br /> <br />In order to implement certain provisions of these two <br />agreements, federal legislation will be reguired. It is for this <br />reason that the subject bills have been introduced. <br /> <br />SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE <br /> <br />Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1987: <br /> <br />SECTION 2. FINDINGS <br /> <br />This section sets forth the congressional findings upon which <br />the legislation is premised. <br /> <br />SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS <br /> <br />This section defines certain terms used in the act. <br /> <br />SECTION 4. PROJECT RESERVED WATERS <br /> <br />Subsection (a) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (the <br />Secretary) to use water from the Animas-La Plata and Dolores <br />projects to supply the project reserved water rights of the two <br />Tribes in accordance with the Agreement. Subsection (b) provides <br />that federal reclamation laws shall not apply to the project <br />reserved water supplied to the Tribes from the projects except to <br />the extent that those laws may also apply to the Tribes' other <br />reserved waters. <br /> <br />SECTION 5. TRIBAL WATER USE CONTRA2TS <br /> <br />Subsection (a) authorizes each Tribe. subject to the <br />secretary's approval. to enter into water use contracts to sell. <br />exchange. lease. or otherwise temporarily dispose of water in <br /> <br />3836E <br />