# Arizona Tribes Water Marketing Act of 2022

Arizona is facing a severe drought that's expected to get worse. The Colorado River, which supplies water to millions of people across the Southwest, has been running low since 2000 and is now considered one of the most endangered rivers in the country. This bill addresses that crisis by giving Arizona's Native American tribes a new tool to help manage the water shortage.

Right now, many Arizona tribes have legal rights to specific amounts of water that were granted to them through court decisions. However, these tribes often can't use all of that water on their reservations, and they haven't been allowed to lease or sell their unused water to other communities or businesses. This bill changes that. Starting in 2026, Arizona tribes with court-approved water rights can now lease, exchange, or store their water off their reservations and sell it to other users—like cities, farms, or businesses. In exchange, the tribes would receive payment for that water. The bill limits where this water can be used though: it can only go to the lower Colorado River basin and cannot be used in Navajo, Apache, or Cochise counties.

The practical effect is that tribes gain a new source of revenue while Arizona gains access to additional water supplies during a critical shortage. When a tribe leases water, they keep all the money from that deal—the federal government doesn't take a cut. However, the Secretary of the Interior must approve each agreement to make sure it follows environmental laws and doesn't permanently take away the tribe's water rights. The bill also protects individual tribal members who own land allotments; their water access cannot be reduced by these agreements. Additionally, any existing tribal water settlement agreements that prohibit off-reservation leasing would need to be amended first before a tribe could participate in this program.

Arizona Tribes Water Marketing Act of 2022

O'Halleran, Tom

Arizona Tribes Water Marketing Act of 2022 This bill authorizes Arizona Tribes to enter into an agreement or option to lease, exchange, or store a certain portion of their water to be used or located off a tribe's reservation if it is used or located in the Lower Basin in the state of Arizona and not in Navajo, Apache, or Cochise counties.