Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Soboba Band of 
Luisen˜o Indians Settlement Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Soboba Band of Luisen˜o Indians is a 
federally recognized Indian tribe whose Reservation 
of approximately 6,000 acres, extending east and 
north from the banks of the San Jacinto River in 
Riverside County, California, was created by an Ex-
ecutive Order dated June 19, 1883, and enlarged 
and modified by subsequent Executive Orders, pur-
chases, and an Act of Congress. 
(2) The Tribe’s water rights have not been 
quantified, and the Tribe has asserted claims for 
interferences with the water resources of its Res-
ervation, which the Tribe maintains have rendered 
much of the Tribe’s Reservation useless for habi-
tation, livestock, or Agriculture. On April 20, 2000, 
the Tribe filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan 
Water District of Southern California for inter-
ference with the Tribe’s water resources and dam-
ages 
to 
its 
Reservation 
allegedly 
caused 
by
Metropolitan’s construction and operation of the San 
Jacinto Tunnel, which is part of the Colorado River 
Aqueduct. The lawsuit, styled Soboba Band of 
Luisen˜o Indians v. Metropolitan Water District of 
Southern California, No. 00–04208 GAF (MANx), 
is pending in the United States District Court for 
the Central District of California. 
(3) The Tribe also has made claims against 
Eastern Municipal Water District and Lake Hemet 
Municipal Water District, located adjacent to the 
Reservation, seeking to secure its water rights and 
damages arising from alleged past interference with 
the Tribe’s water resources. 
(4) After negotiations, which included participa-
tion by representatives of the Tribe, the United 
States on behalf of the Tribe, The Metropolitan 
Water District of Southern California, Eastern Mu-
nicipal Water District, and Lake Hemet Municipal 
Water District, a Settlement Agreement has been 
developed to determine the Tribe’s water rights, re-
solve all of its claims for interference with the water 
resources of, and damages to, its Reservation, pro-
vide for the construction of water projects to facili-
tate the exercise of the Tribe’s rights, and resolve
the lawsuit referenced in paragraph (2) of this sec-
tion. 
(5) The Settlement Agreement provides that— 
(A) Eastern Municipal Water District and 
Lake Hemet Municipal Water District acknowl-
edge and assure the Tribe’s prior and para-
mount right, superior to all others, to pump 
9,000 acre-feet of water annually from the San 
Jacinto River basin in accordance with the limi-
tations and other conditions set forth in the 
Settlement Agreement; 
(B) Eastern Municipal Water District and 
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern 
California will contract to supply water to East-
ern Municipal Water District and Eastern Mu-
nicipal Water District will use this water to re-
charge water supplies into the basin; and 
(C) the three water districts will make sub-
stantial additional contributions to the settle-
ment, including the conveyance of certain re-
placement lands and economic development 
funds to the Tribe, to carry out the Settlement 
Agreement’s provisions. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to approve, ratify, and confirm the Settle-
ment Agreement entered into by the Tribe and non- 
Indians entities; 
(2) to achieve a fair, equitable, and final settle-
ment of all claims of the Soboba Band of Luisen˜o 
Indians, its members, and the United States on be-
half of the Tribe and its members, to the water of 
the San Jacinto River basin; 
(3) to authorize and direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to execute and perform all obligations of the 
Secretary under the Settlement Agreement; and 
(4) to authorize the actions and appropriations 
necessary to meet obligations of the United States 
under the Settlement Agreement and this Act. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) RESTORATION FUND.—The term ‘‘Restora-
tion Fund’’ means the San Jacinto Basin Restora-
tion Fund established by section 6. 
(2) DEVELOPMENT FUND.—The term ‘‘Devel-
opment Fund’’ means the Soboba Band of Luisen˜o 
Indians Water Development Fund established by 
section 7. 
(3) RESERVATION.—
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Reserva-
tion’’ means the Soboba Indian Reservation cre-
ated by Executive Order dated June 19, 1883, 
and enlarged and modified as of the date of en-
actment of this Act by Executive Orders and an 
Act of Congress. 
(B) EXCLUSIONS.—For the purposes of 
this Act, the term ‘‘Reservation’’ does not in-
clude— 
(i) the 950 acres northwest of and 
contiguous to the Reservation known as 
the ‘‘Jones Ranch’’, purchased by the 
Soboba Tribe in fee on July 21, 2001, and 
placed into trust on January 13, 2003; 
(ii) the 535 acres southeast of and 
contiguous to the Reservation known as 
the ‘‘Horseshoe Grande’’, purchased by the 
Soboba Tribe in fee in seven separate 
transactions in June and December 2001, 
December 2004, June 2006, and January 
2007; and 
(iii) the 478 acres north of and con-
tiguous to the Reservation known as ‘‘The 
Oaks’’, purchased by the Soboba Tribe in 
fee on April 4, 2004.