President Barack Obama signed H.R.4783, the Claims Resolution Act of 2010, into law on Wednesday, ending decades of litigation over tribal water rights in northern New Mexico.

The bill includes two water rights settlements. One is for Taos Pueblo and the other is for Pojoaque Pueblo, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo and Nambe Pueblo.

"Now we know the exact amount of water we will have," Nelson Cordova, a Taos Pueblo council member, told The Albuquerque Journal. "We've had to put projects on hold because of uncertainty, but now we can move forward."

For Taos, the bill provides $66 million in immediate funding and authorizes $58 million in future spending, subject to appropriations. For other tribes, it provides $81.8 million for the deal and authorizes $92.5 million in future funding, also subject to appropriations.

Get the Story:
Obama Signs Aamodt Deal Suit Over Water Went on 44 Years (The Albuquerque Journal 12/9)

Related Stories:
Pueblo tribes in New Mexico win approval for water settlements (12/1)
Senate passes water rights settlements for tribes in three states (11/22)