A. To further the implementation of Indian water rights settlements in this state, an Indian community may accrue long-term storage credits as prescribed by this section.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

B. This section applies only to the settlement of a water rights claim by a federally recognized Indian community in this state if the settlement provides for off-reservation storage of its central Arizona project water and only after the settlement results in a dismissal with prejudice of a class action claim that has been pending in the United States district court for more than five years.

C. Before accruing any long-term storage credits under this section, both of the following conditions apply:

1. A party seeking to participate in the accrual of long-term storage credits under this section shall file written notice with the director that the requirements of subsection B of this section have been met.

2. The director shall find that the requirements of subsection B of this section have been met.

D. Before accruing any long-term storage credits under this section, a party seeking to participate in the accrual of long-term storage credits under this section shall file with the director all of the following information:

1. A written notice of the party’s intent to begin the delivery of central Arizona project water that is available to the Indian community to the holder of grandfathered groundwater rights in an active management area.

2. A sworn statement by the holder of the grandfathered groundwater rights that the holder will use the water delivered off of Indian community lands on a gallon-for-gallon substitute basis instead of groundwater that otherwise would have been pumped pursuant to the grandfathered groundwater rights from within an active management area.

3. A listing and description of the grandfathered groundwater rights that will not be exercised by the holder because of the delivery of the water that is delivered by the Indian community.

4. A hydrologic report assessing the effect of nonexercise of grandfathered groundwater rights under this section on any underground storage facility that was constructed as a state demonstration project and that is located within ten miles of the point of withdrawal for the grandfathered groundwater rights.

E. The director shall review the hydrologic report filed pursuant to subsection D, paragraph 4 of this section and shall make such modifications to the state demonstration project’s underground storage facility permit as the director deems appropriate.

F. If the director determines that the parties have complied with subsection D of this section, the Indian community may begin accruing long-term storage credits for the delivery of central Arizona project water to the holder of the grandfathered groundwater rights, but only if the following apply:

1. By March 31 of each year, the holder of the grandfathered groundwater rights files an annual report with the director for the preceding calendar year. The annual report shall include the following information:

(a) The total quantity of water received from the Indian community during the year for use by the holder under this section.

(b) A listing of those grandfathered groundwater rights that were not exercised during the year by the holder because of the receipt of central Arizona project water delivered by the Indian community.

(c) Such other information as the director may reasonably require.

2. The director finds that the water reported as received by the grandfathered groundwater right holder was used on a gallon-for-gallon substitute basis for groundwater.

3. The Indian community has offered to sell the Arizona water banking authority ten per cent of any long-term storage credits accruable by the Indian community under this section at a price per acre-foot at the time of sale equal to the authority’s cost of delivering and storing water at an underground storage facility that was constructed as a state demonstration project and that is located within ten miles of the point of withdrawal of any of the grandfathered groundwater rights identified in the list filed with the director pursuant to subsection D, paragraph 3 of this section, except that any credits purchased pursuant to such offer may not be recovered within five miles of the exterior reservation boundary of the Indian community.

G. The water that is received under this section by the holder of the grandfathered groundwater right is deemed to be groundwater for all purposes of chapter 2 of this title as if the holder had withdrawn it from a well. The holder is responsible for all records, reports and fees required by chapter 2 of this title relating to the water received.

H. The director shall establish a long-term storage account for the Indian community in accordance with Section 45-852.01 and each year shall credit to that long-term storage account ninety-five per cent of the water received by the holder of the grandfathered groundwater right during the preceding year that meets the requirements of subsection F of this section.

I. Long-term storage credits accrued pursuant to this section may be used or assigned in any manner that is consistent with this chapter.

J. The maximum amount of long-term storage credits that may be accrued by an Indian community under this section in any year is ten thousand acre-feet.