[Water_news] 5. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE - 8/1/08

 

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

August 1, 2008

 

5. Agencies, Programs, People –

 

 

BONO MACK'S HISTORIC WATER SETTLEMENT BILL SIGNED INTO LAW

California Chronicle- 7/1/08

 

Bill ends Soboba water rights dispute

The Stockton Record- 8/1/08

 

 

Bill ending water dispute becomes law

Riverside Press Enterprise- 7/31/08

 

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BONO MACK'S HISTORIC WATER SETTLEMENT BILL SIGNED INTO LAW

California Chronicle- 7/1/08

California Political Desk

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack´s (CA-45) bill to resolve an ongoing water dispute and bring a long-awaited solution to this issue for the Soboba Tribe, local residents and water districts was signed into law today by the President. The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Settlement Act of 2007, H.R. 4841, will put an end to over 75 years of litigation and create new sources of water for residents in Riverside County.

"This is a historic moment for the Soboba Tribe and our entire community," said Bono Mack. "After over 75 years of hardship, legal battles and negotiation, this law will bring much-deserved relief to those who have been so significantly impacted by water deprivation and ongoing litigation.

"Water is essential to building and sustaining a community. Now that this bill has been signed into law, the Tribe and the San Jacinto Valley will benefit from new sources of water and a consensus-based solution to a very difficult situation.

"Residents throughout the region will benefit for years to come because of the hard work and collaboration by the Tribe, our local water districts, the Federal government, and local leaders. I am honored to have played a role in reaching such a positive resolution to this issue."

The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Settlement Act resolves a lawsuit that was pending in the United States District Court in California for years – Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians v. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Among its provisions, this law provides long-term sustainability of the San Jacinto River Valley´s water supply by bringing new sources of water to local residents. Additionally, the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Settlement Act assists both the Tribe and local residents with critical water infrastructure needs, according to Bono Mack.

Bono Mack´s legislation was broadly supported by Congress, local leaders and residents, including the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, the City of Hemet, the City of San Jacinto, the Metropolitan Water District, Lake Hemet Water District, and Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD). Bono Mack introduced the bill on December 19, 2007, and a hearing was held a few months later, in which Bono Mack and Soboba Chairman Robert Salgado were among those who testified. On May 21, 2008, the House overwhelmingly passed the bill, moving it forward with a voice vote. The Senate passed Bono Mack´s bill by unanimous consent on July 23, 2008, and sent it to the President for his signature.

BACKGROUND: In 1932, Metropolitan Water District´s San Jacinto Tunnel was constructed in order to transport water from the Colorado River to portions of Southern California. Leakage into the Tunnel, however, drained the water from the wells on the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians´ reservation. The lawsuit, filed in April 2000, sought damages and injunctive relief for the continuing drainage of water from the Tribe´s Reservation into the Tunnel. Bono Mack´s legislation will ratify the settlement reached by the Tribe, Metropolitan Water District, EMWD and Lake Hemet Municipal Water District and settle all outstanding legal claims.#

http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/70202

 

 

 

Bill ends Soboba water rights dispute

The Stockton Record- 8/1/08

 

The decades-long San Jacinto River groundwater dispute between the Soboba tribe, the federal government and giant Southern California water providers has been resolved.

President Bush signed into law a bill introduced by Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, that ends litigation and creates new sources of water for San Jacinto Valley residents.

The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Settlement Act, signed Thursday, ends the conflict that at times involved the tribe, the federal government, the Metropolitan Water District and the Eastern Municipal Water District.

It also resolves the tribe's 2000 federal lawsuit against the Metropolitan Water District. The tribe had claimed a tunnel built by the water agency in the 1930s improperly drained water from the reservation.

The law include cash, property and assured water supplies for the tribe, as well as recharging the groundwater basin that serves San Jacinto Valley residents.#

http://www.fresnobee.com/552/story/769201.html

 

 

 

Bill ending water dispute becomes law

Riverside Press Enterprise- 7/31/08

By HERBERT ATIENZA

President Bush signed into law Thursday a long-awaited bill that resolves a decades-old water rights dispute involving the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, communities in the San Jacinto Valley and some of Southern California's largest water providers.

 

The signing of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Settlement Act of 2007 ends more than 75 years of litigation and creates new sources of water for residents, said Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, who introduced the bill.

 

"Now that this bill has been signed into law, the tribe and the San Jacinto Valley will benefit from new sources of water and a consensus-based solution to a very difficult situation," Bono Mack said in a statement.

 

For members of the Soboba tribe, which is in the middle of a high-profile dispute with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department over security issues at the tribe's reservation northeast of Hemet, the signing of the act is welcome news.

 

"We're very pleased with the support from everyone," Soboba tribal council member Rose Salgado said.

 

"It not only affects the tribe but the whole valley."

 

The act ends years of conflict over the limited resources of the San Jacinto River groundwater basin, which at various times has pitted the Soboba Band against the federal government, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Eastern Municipal Water District.

 

The act also resolves a 2000 lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles filed by the tribe against the Metropolitan Water District. The tribe had claimed that a tunnel built by the water agency in the 1930s improperly drained water from the reservation.

 

A proposed settlement among the parties -- which led to the act -- was reached in 2003.

 

Provisions of the newly signed law include cash, property and assured water supplies for the tribe, as well as recharging the groundwater basin that serves San Jacinto Valley residents.#

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_E_water01.475a4f0.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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