US SB563

Settles all water rights claims of Ohkay Owingeh (formerly Pueblo of San Juan) in the Rio Chama Stream System in New Mexico, ratifying a July 2023 agreement between the Pueblo, the State, and other parties

Establishes the Ohkay Owingeh Water Rights Settlement Trust Fund with $745,000,000 in federal mandatory appropriations for water infrastructure, bosque restoration, irrigation improvements, and water rights management

Requires New Mexico to contribute $98.5 million for acequia improvements, $32 million for City of Española water projects, and $500,000 for groundwater impairment mitigation

Places Pueblo Water Rights in federal trust, protecting them from forfeiture or abandonment, and allows the Pueblo to lease water rights for up to 99 years with Secretary of Interior approval

Requires Ohkay Owingeh to waive all past water rights claims against the United States and other parties in exchange for the settlement benefits, with the agreement expiring if enforceability conditions are not met by July 1, 2038