(3) PLAN.—The term ‘‘plan’’ means the plan 
for the Verde River Basin required by section 
204(a)(1). 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of Arizona. 
(6) VERDE
RIVER
BASIN.—The term ‘‘Verde 
River Basin’’ means the land area designated by the 
Arizona Department of Water Resources as encom-
passing surface water and groundwater resources, 
including drainage and recharge areas with a hydro-
logic connection to the Verde River. 
(7) WATER BUDGET.—The term ‘‘water budg-
et’’ means the accounting of— 
(A) the quantities of water leaving the 
Verde River Basin— 
(i) as discharge to the Verde River 
and tributaries; 
(ii) as subsurface outflow; 
(iii) as evapotranspiration by riparian 
vegetation; 
(iv) as surface evaporation; 
(v) for agricultural use; and 
(vi) for human consumption; and
(B) the quantities of water replenishing 
the Verde River Basin by precipitation, infiltra-
tion, and subsurface inflows. 
SEC. 203. VERDE RIVER BASIN PARTNERSHIP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may participate in 
the establishment of a partnership, to be known as the 
‘‘Verde River Basin Partnership’’, made up of Federal, 
State, local governments, and other entities with respon-
sibilities and expertise in water to coordinate and cooper-
ate in the identification and implementation of comprehen-
sive science-based policies, projects, and management ac-
tivities relating to the Verde River Basin. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—On es-
tablishment of the Partnership, there are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary and the Secretary of the In-
terior such sums as are necessary to carry out the activi-
ties of the Partnership for each of fiscal years 2006 
through 2010. 
SEC. 204. VERDE RIVER BASIN STUDIES. 
(a) STUDIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Partnership shall pre-
pare a plan for conducting water resource studies in 
the Verde River Basin that identifies—
(A) the primary study objectives to fulfill 
water resource planning and management needs 
for the Verde River Basin; and 
(B) the water resource studies, hydrologic 
models, surface and groundwater monitoring 
networks, and other analytical tools helpful in 
the identification of long-term water supply 
management options within the Verde River 
Basin. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—At a minimum, the plan 
shall— 
(A) include a list of specific studies and 
analyses that are needed to support Partnership 
planning and management decisions; 
(B) identify any ongoing or completed 
water resource or riparian studies that are rel-
evant to water resource planning and manage-
ment for the Verde River Basin; 
(C) describe the estimated cost and dura-
tion of the proposed studies and analyses; and 
(D) designate as a study priority the com-
pilation of a water budget analysis for the 
Verde Valley. 
(b) VERDE VALLEY WATER BUDGET ANALYSIS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of 
appropriations, not later than 14 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Di-
rector, shall prepare and submit to the Partnership 
a report that provides a water budget analysis of the 
portion of the Verde River Basin within the Verde 
Valley. 
(2) 
COMPONENTS.—The 
report 
submitted 
under paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) a summary of the information avail-
able on the hydrologic flow regime for the por-
tion of the Middle Verde River from the 
Clarkdale stream gauging station to the city of 
Camp Verde at United States Geological Survey 
Stream Gauge 09506000; 
(B) with respect to the portion of the Mid-
dle Verde River described in subparagraph (A), 
estimates of— 
(i) the inflow and outflow of surface 
water and groundwater; 
(ii) annual consumptive water use; 
and 
(iii) changes in groundwater storage; 
and
(C) an analysis of the potential long-term 
consequences of various water use scenarios on 
groundwater levels and Verde River flows. 
(c) PRELIMINARY
REPORT
AND
RECOMMENDA-
TIONS.—. 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 16 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, using the in-
formation provided in the report submitted under 
subsection (b) and any other relevant information, 
the Partnership shall submit to the Secretary, the 
Governor of Arizona, and representatives of the 
Verde Valley communities, a preliminary report that 
sets forth the findings and recommendations of the 
Partnership regarding the long-term available water 
supply within the Verde Valley. 
(2) CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
The Secretary may take into account the rec-
ommendations included in the report submitted 
under paragraph (1) with respect to decisions affect-
ing land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, in-
cluding any future sales or exchanges of Federal 
land in the Verde River Basin after the date of en-
actment of this Act. 
(3) EFFECT.—Any recommendations included 
in the report submitted under paragraph (1) shall
not affect the land exchange process or the apprais-
als of the Federal land and non-Federal land con-
ducted under sections 103 and 104. 
SEC. 205. VERDE RIVER BASIN PARTNERSHIP FINAL RE-
PORT. 
Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Partnership shall submit to the Secretary 
and the Governor of Arizona a final report that— 
(1) includes a summary of the results of any 
water resource assessments conducted under this 
title in the Verde River Basin; 
(2) identifies any areas in the Verde River 
Basin that are determined to have groundwater defi-
cits or other current or potential water supply prob-
lems; 
(3) identifies long-term water supply manage-
ment options for communities and water resources 
within the Verde River Basin; and 
(4) identifies water resource analyses and moni-
toring needed to support the implementation of man-
agement options. 
SEC. 206. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING. 
The Secretary (acting through the Chief of the Forest 
Service) and the Secretary of the Interior, shall enter into 
a memorandum of understanding authorizing the United
States Geological Survey to access Forest Service land (in-
cluding stream gauges, weather stations, wells, or other 
points of data collection on the Forest Service land) to 
carry out this title. 
SEC. 207. EFFECT. 
Nothing in this title diminishes or expands State or 
local jurisdiction, responsibilities, or rights with respect to 
water resource management or control. 
Æ