A view of the area affected by the Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act. Photo from Freeport Minerals Corp / Planet Ranch Project Fact Sheet

A bill to ensure the Hualapai Tribe of Arizona and tribal allottees have sufficient access to water is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature.

H.R.4924, the Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act, cleared the Senate by unanimous consent on Tuesday. The move came after the House approved the bill by a voice vote on Monday.

"Senate passage of the Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement marks yet another positive step forward in Arizona’s long history of proactive water management,” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) said in a press release. “If signed by the president, this settlement will help to foster economic growth in northwestern Arizona, while safeguarding the Hualapai tribe’s culturally significant water uses in the Big Sandy River basin.”

The bill also resolves a dispute over a mining operation. For that reason, it remains controversial in Mohave County, whose leaders oppose the transfer of water rights for the mine.

Get the Story:
Water rights transfer approved: County opposes legislation, saying it would harm development for I-11 (The Mohave Daily News 12/3)

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