S. 4368 settles all water rights disputes involving the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians by establishing the Tribe's entitlement to 20,000 acre-feet of groundwater per year with priority dating to 1876-1877, the highest priority in the Indio Subbasin. The settlement resolves claims between the Tribe, Coachella Valley Water District, Desert Water Agency, and the federal government, with Congress appropriating $500 million to a settlement trust fund for development projects, groundwater augmentation, water management, and operations. The agreement becomes legally enforceable only after the Secretary of the Interior confirms all parties have signed, Congress has funded required accounts, and the court approves the settlement, with a deadline of December 31, 2035 to achieve enforceability or the entire deal becomes void. The bill also transfers approximately 2,582 acres of federal land to the Tribe as part of the settlement and establishes that the benefits received constitute full satisfaction of all the Tribe's water rights claims against the United States, preventing future litigation.
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