H. R. 4841 
One Hundred Tenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and eight 
An Act 
To approve, ratify, and confirm the settlement agreement entered into to resolve 
claims by the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians relating to alleged interferences 
with the water resources of the Tribe, to authorize and direct the Secretary 
of the Interior to execute and perform the Settlement Agreement and related 
waivers, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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 Executive Order dated June 19, 1883, and enlarged 
and modified by subsequent Executive Orders, purchases, 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 Reservation, which the Tribe maintains have 
rendered much of the Tribe’s Reservation useless for habitation, 
livestock, or Agriculture. On April 20, 2000, the Tribe filed 
a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Water District of Southern 
California for interference with the Tribe’s water resources 
and 
damages 
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 Munic-
ipal 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 participation by rep-
resentatives of the Tribe, the United States on behalf of the 
Tribe, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 
Eastern Municipal Water District, and Lake Hemet Municipal
H. R. 4841—2 
Water District, a Settlement Agreement has been developed 
to determine the Tribe’s water rights, resolve all of its claims 
for interference with the water resources of, and damages to, 
its Reservation, provide for the construction of water projects 
to facilitate the exercise of the Tribe’s rights, and resolve the 
lawsuit referenced in paragraph (2) of this section. 
(5) The Settlement Agreement provides that— 
(A) Eastern Municipal Water District and Lake Hemet 
Municipal Water District acknowledge and assure the 
Tribe’s prior and paramount right, superior to all others, 
to pump 9,000 acre-feet of water annually from the San 
Jacinto River basin in accordance with the limitations and 
other conditions set forth in the Settlement Agreement; 
(B) Eastern Municipal Water District and The Metro-
politan Water District of Southern California will contract 
to supply water to Eastern Municipal Water District and 
Eastern Municipal Water District will use this water to 
recharge water supplies into the basin; and 
(C) the three water districts will make substantial 
additional contributions to the settlement, including the 
conveyance of certain replacement 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 Settlement Agree-
ment entered into by the Tribe and non-Indians entities; 
(2) to achieve a fair, equitable, and final settlement of 
all claims of the Soboba Band of Luisen˜o Indians, its members, 
and the United States on behalf 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 ‘‘Restoration Fund’’ 
means the San Jacinto Basin Restoration Fund established 
by section 6. 
(2) DEVELOPMENT FUND.—The term ‘‘Development Fund’’ 
means the Soboba Band of Luisen˜o Indians Water Development 
Fund established by section 7. 
(3) RESERVATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Reservation’’ means the 
Soboba Indian Reservation created by Executive Order 
dated June 19, 1883, and enlarged and modified as of 
the date of enactment of this Act by Executive Orders 
and an Act of Congress. 
(B) EXCLUSIONS.—For the purposes of this Act, the 
term ‘‘Reservation’’ does not include— 
(i) the 950 acres northwest of and contiguous to 
the Reservation known as the ‘‘Jones Ranch’’, pur-
chased by the Soboba Tribe in fee on July 21, 2001, 
and placed into trust on January 13, 2003;
H. R. 4841—3 
(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 contiguous to the 
Reservation known as ‘‘The Oaks’’, purchased by the 
Soboba Tribe in fee on April 4, 2004. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Interior or a designee of the Secretary. 
(5) SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT.—The term ‘‘Settlement Agree-
ment’’ means that agreement dated June 7, 2006, as amended 
to be consistent with this Act, together with all exhibits thereto. 
The parties to the Settlement Agreement are the Soboba Band 
of Luisen˜o Indians and its members, the United States on 
behalf of the Tribe and its members, The Metropolitan Water 
District of Southern California, Eastern Municipal Water Dis-
trict, and Lake Hemet Municipal Water District. 
(6) TRIBE, SOBOBA
TRIBE, OR
SOBOBA
BAND
OF
LUISEN˜ O 
INDIANS.—The terms ‘‘Tribe’’, ‘‘Soboba Tribe’’, or ‘‘Soboba Band 
of Luisen˜o Indians’’ means the body politic and federally recog-
nized Indian tribe, and its members. 
(7) WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘Water Manage-
ment Plan’’ means the plan, approved by the Soboba Tribe 
and the Secretary, developed pursuant to section 4.8, paragraph 
A of the Settlement Agreement to resolve the overdraft of 
the San Jacinto basin. 
SEC. 4. RATIFICATION OF SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT; AUTHORIZA-
TION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The United States hereby approves, ratifies, 
and confirms the Settlement Agreement, except to the extent it 
conflicts with the provisions of this Act. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary is authorized and directed 
to execute, and take such other actions as are necessary to imple-
ment, the Settlement Agreement and any amendments approved 
by the parties necessary to make the Settlement Agreement con-
sistent with this Act. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) RESTORATION FUND.—There is authorized to be appropriated 
to the San Jacinto Basin Restoration Fund established in section 
6 of this Act the amount of $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2010 and 2011 to pay or reimburse the costs associated with con-
structing, operating, and maintaining the portion of the basin 
recharge project that the United States is responsible for under 
the Settlement Agreement. These costs are described in section 
4.5 of the Settlement Agreement and are necessary to accommodate 
deliveries of the supplemental imported water under section 4.4 
of the Settlement Agreement. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT FUND.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Soboba Band of Luisen˜o Indians Water Development 
Fund established in section 7 of this Act the amount of $5,500,000 
for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 to pay or reimburse costs 
associated with constructing, operating, and maintaining water and 
sewage infrastructure, and other water-related development 
projects.
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(c) LIMITATION.—No funding of any construction, operation, 
maintenance, or replacement other than those funds authorized 
under subsections (a) and (b) shall be the responsibility of the 
Federal Government under the Settlement Agreement or this Act. 
SEC. 6. RESTORATION FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be established within the 
Treasury of the United States a non-interest bearing account to 
be known as the ‘‘San Jacinto Basin Restoration Fund’’, consisting 
of the amounts authorized to be appropriated in section 5(a) of 
this Act. 
(b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Restoration Fund shall be adminis-
tered by the Secretary for the purposes set forth in subsection 
(d) of this section. 
(c) AVAILABILITY.—The funds authorized to be appropriated 
pursuant to section 5(a) of this Act shall be available for expenditure 
or withdrawal only after the effective date set forth in section 
10(a). 
(d) EXPENDITURES AND WITHDRAWALS.— 
(1) EXPENDITURE PLAN.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Eastern Municipal Water District, 
on behalf of the Water Management Plan, shall submit 
to the Secretary for approval an expenditure plan for use 
of the Restoration Fund. 
(B) 
REQUIREMENTS.—The 
expenditure 
plan 
shall 
require that any funds be expended or reimbursed in 
accordance with the purposes described in section 5(a) of 
this Act. 
(2) WITHDRAWALS.—On approval by the Secretary of the 
expenditure plan described in this section, Eastern Municipal 
Water District, on behalf of the Water Management Plan, may 
expend or be reimbursed monies from the Restoration Fund 
as provided in the plan. 
(3) ENFORCEMENT.—The Secretary may take judicial or 
administrative action to enforce the provisions of any expendi-
ture plan to ensure that monies expended or reimbursed from 
the Restoration Fund under the plan are used in accordance 
with this Act. 
(4) LIABILITY.—If Eastern Municipal Water District, on 
behalf of the Water Management Plan, exercises the right 
to expend or be reimbursed monies from the Restoration Fund, 
neither the Secretary nor the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
have any liability for the expenditure or reimbursement. 
(5) ANNUAL
REPORT.—Eastern Municipal Water District 
shall submit to the Tribe and the Secretary an annual report 
that describes all expenditures or reimbursements from the 
Restoration Fund during the year covered by the report. 
SEC. 7. DEVELOPMENT FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be established within the 
Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the ‘‘Soboba 
Band of Luisen˜o Indians Water Development Fund’’, to be managed 
and invested by the Secretary consisting of the amounts authorized 
to be appropriated in section 5(b). 
(b) MANAGEMENT.—The Secretary shall manage the Develop-
ment Fund, make investments, and make monies available for 
distribution consistent with the American Indian Trust Fund 
Management Reform Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.) (referred