Pechanga Band of Indians Water Rights Settlement Technical Amendments Act

Sponsor: Alex Padilla (Democratic-CA)April 28, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held.

Pechanga Band of Indians would get clearer land definitions and more flexible funds for water quality.

This bill would update a law about the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians' water rights. It would clearly define their reservation lands by listing specific historical additions. It would also let the Band use money from a water quality account for a wider range of water quality issues in the Wolf Valley Basin.

What Would Change

Today, the legal definition of the Pechanga Band's "Reservation" does not explicitly list all historical land additions or contiguous trust lands, and their water quality funds are limited to groundwater desalination. If this bill becomes law, the "Reservation" definition would be updated to include specific historical land parcels and contiguous trust lands, and the water quality funds could be used for all activities addressing water quality issues in the Wolf Valley Basin.

Key Provisions

Clarifies that existing water rights would not change.
Defines the Pechanga Band's "Reservation" to include specific historical land additions and certain trust lands.
Lets the Pechanga Band use funds from their Water Quality Account for all activities that address water quality issues in the Wolf Valley Basin, not just desalination.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to update the Pechanga Settlement Agreement to match these changes.
Confirms that the original settlement's conditions were met and remain valid.

View on Congress.gov

S 4417 · 119th Congress · April 28, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 10/10

Pechanga Band of Indians Water Rights Settlement Technical Amendments Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity