Pechanga Band of Indians Water Rights Settlement Technical Amendments Act
Sponsored By: Representative Issa, Darrell [R-CA-48]
Introduced
Summary
Clarifies and expands the Pechanga Reservation boundary. The bill would list historical Executive orders and define which contiguous trust lands in the Santa Margarita River Watershed count as Reservation land, and it would broaden Wolf Valley Basin program language to cover activities that address water quality.
Show full summary
- Pechanga Band: Would enumerate historic land set‑asides and add clear rules for including contiguous trust lands, making the Reservation boundary clearer for the tribe and agencies.
- Local water managers and communities: Would replace a narrow reference to groundwater desalination with broader authority to pursue a wider range of water quality activities in the Wolf Valley Basin.
- Secretary of the Interior: Would be authorized to promptly execute amendments to the Pechanga Settlement Agreement and any exhibits so they conform with the technical changes.
- Existing water rights holders: The bill would preserve any water right in existence on enactment and would not change the satisfaction status of specified condition precedents or the validity of a 2020 finding.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Water quality and rights for Pechanga
This bill would let the Pechanga Water Quality Account pay for a wider set of projects in the Wolf Valley Basin. It would replace a rule limited to "groundwater desalination activities" with the broader phrase "activities to address water quality issues within the Wolf Valley Basin." The bill would also say that nothing in these changes would alter any water right that exists on the date of enactment. It would preserve the Secretary's October 1, 2020 finding (85 Fed. Reg. 61966) and the recorded satisfaction of settlement conditions.
Clearer reservation land for Pechanga
This bill would list the specific lands that count as the Pechanga Band reservation. It would name lands set aside by Executive Orders dated June 27, 1882 and January 9, 1907 and lands added on August 29, 1893; March 11, 1907; February 21, 1931; May 25, 1931; August 12, 1971; August 8, 1988; November 1, 1988; and October 10, 2008. It would also include contiguous land held in trust on the enforceability date and contiguous land in the Santa Margarita River Watershed placed into trust after the enforceability date. The bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to promptly sign amendments to the Pechanga Settlement Agreement so it matches these changes.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Issa, Darrell [R-CA-48]
CA • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41]
CA • R
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov