Zuni River Watershed Act of 1992
PL 102-338 (H.R.4026), enacted 08/11/1992

106 STAT. 866 
PUBLIC LAW 102-338—AUG. 11, 1992 
Public Law 102-338 
102d Congress 
An Act 
Aug. 11, 1992 
[H.R. 4026] 
Zuni River 
Watershed Act 
of 1992. 
Conservation. 
To formulate a plan for the management of natural and cultural resources on 
the Zuni Indiain Reservation, on the lands of the Ramah Band of the Navtgo 
Tribe of Indians, and the Navig'o Nation, and in other areas within the Zuni 
River watershed and upstream from the Ztmi Indian Reservation, 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 dted as the "Zuni River Watershed Act of 
1992". 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress 
finds 
that— 
(1) over the past century, extensive damage has occurred 
in the Zuni River watershed, including— 
(A) severe erosion of i^cultursd and grazing lands; 
(B) reduced productivity of renewable resources; 
(C) loss of nonrenewable resources; and 
(D) loss of water; 
(2) the portion of the Zuni River watershed that is upstream 
from tiie Zuni Indian Reservation includes— 
(A) Federal land; 
(B) State land; 
(C) Zuni Indian Trust land; 
(D) Navcg'o Indian Tribal Trust and fee land; 
(E) Ramah Band of the Navego Tribe of Indians Trust 
land; 
(F) individual Indian allotment lands; and 
(G) private land; 
(3) the Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, the Zuni Indian Tribe, the Ramah Band of the Navajo 
Tribe of Indians, and the Navsgo Nation agree that corrective 
measures are required to prevent continued degradation of 
natural and cultiu*al resources throughout the Zuni River 
watershed; 
(4) with the passage of the Zuni Land Conservation Act 
of 1990 (PubUc Law 101-486), the Zuni Indian Tribe has the 
ability to take these corrective mea8iu*es within the Zuni Indian 
Reservation; 
(5) the implementation of a watershed man£igement plan 
within the Zuni Indian Reservation will be ineffective without 
the implementation of a corresponding plan for the manage-
ment of the portion of the Zimi River watershed that is 
upstream 
firom 
the Zuni Indian Reservation; 
(6) most of the portion of the Zuni River watershed that 
is upstream fix)m the Zuni Indian Reservation is within the 
Cibola National Forest or Indian Trust lands; 
PUBLIC LAW 102-338—AUG. 11, 1992 
106 STAT. 867 
(7) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief 
of the Forest Service and the Chief of the Soil Conservation 
Service, the Secretaiy of the Interior, acting through the Assist-
ant Secretaiy for Indian Affairs, and the Tribes, have the 
technical expertise to formulate a plan for the management 
of liie portion of the Zuni River watershed that is upstream 
from the Zuni Indian Reservation on Federal, State, Indian, 
and private lands; 
(8) an effective watershed management plan for the Zuni 
River watershed requires voluntary cooperation among the— 
(A) Soil Conservation Service; 
(B) Forest Service; 
(C) Bureau of Indian Affairs; 
(D) Zuni Indian Tribe; 
(E) Ramah Band of the Navigo Tribe of Indians; 
(F) N
a
v
f
i
Q
O Nation; 
(G) State of New Mexico; and 
(H) private landowners; and 
(9) all persons Uving within the Zuni River watershed will 
benefit from a cooperative effort to rehabiUtate and manage 
the watershed. 
SEC. 
3
. 
STUDY, 
PLAN, 
AND 
REPORT. 
(a) STUDY A
N
D PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture, acting 
through the Chief of the Soil Conservation Service and the 
Chief of the Forest Service, the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, and the 
Tribes, shall— 
(A) conduct a study of the portion of the Zuni River 
watershed that is upstream from the Zuni Indian Res-
ervation, as depictea on the map entitled "Zuni River 
Watershed" which shall be on file and available for public 
inspection in the— 
(i) New Mexico State Office of the Soil Conservation 
Service; 
(ii) Albuquerque Area Office of the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs; and 
(iii) tribal offices; and 
(B) prepare a plan for watershed protection and 
rehabiUtation on boui pubUc and private lands. 
(2) PLAN COMPONENTS.—^The plan required by paragraph 
(IXB)shaU include— 
(A) a watershed survey describing current natural and 
cultural resource conditions; 
(B) recommendations for watershed protection and 
rehabilitation on both pubUc and private lands; 
(C) management guidelines for maintaining and improv-
ing the natural and cultural resource base on both pubUc 
and private lands; 
(D) a system for monitoring natural and cultural resource 
conditions that can be coor(unated with the system devel-
oped by the Zimi Indian Tribe; 
(E) proposals for voluntary cooperative programs, that 
implement and administer the plan required by paragraph 
(IXB), among— 
(i) the Department of 
Agriculture; 
106 STAT. 868 
PUBLIC LAW 102-338—AUG. 11, 1992 
(ii) the Department of the Interioi^ 
(iii) the Zuni Indian Tribe; 
(iv) the Ramah Band of the Navigo Tribe of Indians; 
(v) the Naviyo Nation; 
(vi) the State of 
New Mexico; 
(vii) private landowners within the portion of the 
Zuni River watershed that is upstream from the Zuni 
Indian Reservation; and 
(viii) other pubUc or private agencies; 
(F) a project plan that— 
(i) outlines tasks necessary to implement the plan 
required by paragraph dXB); 
Ui) reconunends completion dates; and 
(iii) estimates the costs of the tasks; and 
(G) a monitoring plan that— 
(i) outlines tasks for monitoring and maintaining 
the watershed; and 
(ii) estimates the annual cost of performing the tasks, 
(b) REPORT.—^Not later than 4 years after the date that funds 
are made available for the study and the preparation of the plan 
as required bv subsection (aXl)> the Secretary of Agriculture, the 
Secretary of me Interior, and the Tribes shall submit to the Select 
Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 
on Interior and Insular Affairs of the House of Representatives 
a written report containing— 
(1) the full te3ct of the study and the plan; and 
(2) an executive summary of the stuoy and the plan. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out this Act 
Approved August 11, 1992. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4026: 
S?,J/5SJSI??5T?" ^^^Zl^^ 
^^™™- on !«*«"<«• and Insular Affairs). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 138 (1992): 
July 27, considered and pa^ed House. 
July 29, considered and passed Senate.