Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 102 Part 3.djvu/1023

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PUBLIC LAW 100-000—MMMM. DD, 1988

PUBLIC LAW 100-585—NOV. 3, 1988

102 STAT. 2975

exchanged, leased, used, or otherwise disposed of under State law. Federal law, interstate compacts, or international treaty pursuant to a final, nonappealable order of a Federal court or pursuant to an agreement of the seven States signatory to the Colorado River Compact. (c) U S E OF WATER RIGHTS.—(1) The use of the rights referred to in

Contracts.

subsection (a) within the State of Colorado shall be governed solely as provided in the Agreement as modified pursuant to section 11 of this Act and this subsection. The Agreement is hereby modified to provide that a Tribe may voluntarily elect to sell, exchange, lease, use, or otherwise dispose of any portion of a water right confirmed in the Agreement and final consent decree off its reservation. If either the Southern Ute Indian Tribe or the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe so elects, and as a condition precedent to such sale, exchange, lease, use. or other disposition, that portion of the Tribe's water right shall be changed to a Colorado State water right, but be such a State water right only during the use of that right off the reservation, and shall be fully subject to State laws, Federal laws, interstate compacts, and international treaties applicable to the Colorado River and its tributaries, including the appropriation, use, development, storage, regulation, allocation, conservation, exportation, or quality of those waters. (2) The characterizations in the Agreement of any water rights which may be used off the reservation of the respective Tribe as either "project reserved water right" or "nonproject reserved water right" are hereby expressly disapproved ana any claim to water rights so characterized shall be extinguished when the final consent decree is entered. (d) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act or in the Agreement shall— (1) constitute authority for the sale, exchange, lease, use, or other disposal of any Federal reserved water right off the reservations; (2) constitute authority for the sale, exchange, lease, use, or other disposal of any water held pursuant to a Colorado- State water right, or of any Colorado State water right, outside the State of Colorado; or (3) be deemed a congressional determination that any holders of water rights do or do not have authority under existing law to sell, exchange, lease, use, or otherwise dispose of such water or water rights outside the State of Colorado. SEC. 6. REPAYMENT OF PROJECT COSTS.

(a) MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER.—(1) The Secretary shall defer, without interest, the repayment of the construction costs allocable to each Tribe's municipal and industrial water allocation from the Animas-La Plata and Dolores Projects until water is first used either by the Tribe or pursuant to a water use contract with the Tribe. Until such water is first used either by a Tribe or pursuant to a water use contract with the Tribe, the Secretary shall bear the annual operation, maintenance, and replacement costs allocable to the Tribe's municipal and industrial water allocation from the Animas-La Plata and Dolores Projects, which costs shall not be reimbursable by the Tribe. (2) As an increment of such water is first used by a Tribe or is first used pursuant to the terms of a water use contract with the Tribe, repayment of that increment's pro rata share of such allocable construction costs shall commence by the Tribe and the Tribe shall commence bearing that increment's pro rata share of the allocable annual operation, maintenance, and replacement costs. (b) AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION WATER.—(1) The Secretary shall defer, without interest, the repayment of the construction costs

Contracts.