The Bulletin relies on links so the entire document is available to our readers. Always check our Active Cases page for up-to-date notices and documents.
On November 5th, 2025, the Office of the Special Master and the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) are hosting a workshop to develop a public education plans for the upcoming adjudication proceedings in the Verde River Watershed. This workshop will take place at ADWR from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. ADWR’s address is 1110 W. Washington St. Suite 310, Phoenix, AZ.
On November 7th, 2025, the Verde Natural Resource Conservation District and Arizona Adjudications Project are hosting a workshop regarding upcoming adjudication proceedings in the Verde River Watershed. The workshop will take place at the Camp Verde Community Library from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. The address of the Camp Verde Community Library is 130 Black Bridge Loop Road Camp Verde, AZ.
On November 21st, 2025, the Verde Sustaining Flows Council is hosting a webinar regarding AZ water law and General Stream Adjudication, with a focus on the Verde Watershed. The webinar will take place from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Please register here.
Contested case W1-11-1511 concerns multiple claims for stockponds registered, but not yet certificated under the Stockpond Registration Act. In other cases, the Adjudication Court has approved nearly 175 abstracts for uncertificated, but registered stockponds.
To determine which documents may serve as bases of right for stockponds under the Stockpond Registration Act, the Special Master declared an issue of broad legal importance (“IBLI”). On September 16, 2025, the Special Master decided the IBLI, holding that a stockpond application cannot serve as a basis of right for a de minimis stockpond. Further, the Special Master ruled that no immediate action would be taken with respect to already-approved abstracts for uncertificated, but registered stockponds. With respect to those abstracts, the Special Master instructed ADWR to present a schedule for review and disposition of the underlying stockpond applications.
On May 24, 2023, Arizona Department of Water Resources ("ADWR") filed a technical report proposing a revised map of Hydrographic Survey Report (“HSR”) investigation areas and a schedule for the completion of HSRs and technical reports. The new map is based on the United States Geological Survey's Hydrologic Unit Code ("HUC") system.
On March 25, 2024, the Special Master issued a report proposing further revisions to the HSR boundary map and a sequence for issuance of future HSRs in both the Gila River and Little Colorado River Basins. Objections to the Special Master’s March 25, 2024, Report were received by September 23, 2024. The Honorable Judge Scott Blaney approved most of the Special Master’s recommendations, but modified the map for the Special Master’s proposed “Salt River Valley HSR” and clarified that the Verde Canyon Watershed and Lower Verde Valley Watershed HSRs will not be completed simultaneously.
On March 13, 2025, pursuant to Judge Blaney’s order, ADWR filed an “adjudication map” depicting the approved Salt River Valley HSR area. The current adjudication map, historical adjudication map, and hydrological reference map can all be found here.
On September 5th, 2025, ADWR filed its subflow zone delineation report for the Lower Little Colorado River Subwatershed. The report culminates years of work to map a subflow zone within the 17,387 square mile Lower Little Colorado River Subwatershed. Once approved by the Adjudication Court, the subflow zone will allow the court to determine whether certain wells are pumping appropriable water.
The report documents the hydrological, geological, and historical methodology that ADWR used to map the subflow zone. The map itself may be viewed here. Claimants may file objections to the subflow zone delineation by March 4, 2026.
This case deals with various pre-1919 water rights claims in Aravaipa Ranch, PZ Ranch, and Robinson Ranch, all located near the San Pedro River’s confluence with the Gila River. Multiple parties filed motions for summary judgment on August 22nd, 2025.
The Special Master had scheduled a trial for these claims for November 17, 2025, but stayed all proceedings in W1-11-2801 in light of the federal government shutdown. A conference to reschedule the trial will be scheduled once funds have been appropriated for the Department of Justice to operate.
In re Subflow Technical Report, W1-103On February 20, 2024, ADWR filed a preliminary Upper San Pedro groundwater flow model intended to underlie the cone of depression and subflow depletion tests for the San Pedro Watershed. ADWR anticipates finalizing the groundwater flow model by March 2029.
To streamline the objection process for the future updated model and expedite the updates themselves, the parties and ADWR have formed a technical committee. The committee has met monthly and has routinely reported progress to the Special Master. Currently, the committee is focused on developing the structure of the groundwater flow model, specifically determining elevations for geologic layers and cell size for the model grid.
In order to ensure active participation on the committee, the Special Master has clarified that participation on the committee by a party’s expert will not affect the party’s ability to assert objections and will not have evidentiary implications for the party.
Significant progress has been made toward the settlement of the water rights claims of the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. On May 24, 2024, a unanimous Navajo Nation Council and the Navajo Nation President approved the proposed Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement. The Hopi Tribe and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe have also approved the proposed settlement. Because the proposed settlement relies on the provision of federal funds, Congress must now ratify the settlement.
The proposed settlement would resolve all Hopi, Navajo, and San Juan Southern Paiute claims to surface water from the Little Colorado River Basin; claims to groundwater from the Navajo Aquifer, Coconino Aquifer, and nearby alluvial aquifers; and claims to surface water from the Gila River Basin. The proposed settlement would also settle tribal claims to the Upper and Lower Basins of the Colorado River. A summary of the proposed settlement created by the Navajo Nation can be found here. An overview of the proposed settlement provided by the Kyl Center for Water Policy can be found here.
After the introduction of bills proposing the ratification of the settlement, the leaders of the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs as to the importance of the settlement. On March 11, 2025, Senator Mark Kelly reintroduced the Senate bill. On the same day, Representative Juan Ciscomani reintroduced the House bill.
Parties now await Congressional action. If Congress enacts the settlement, parties will gather again to sign any revisions necessitated by the legislation. After, the Department of the Interior will review the settlement. Following Department approval, the parties to the agreement will provide broad notice of the agreement and notice of an opportunity to object to the agreement. The Court will then consider objections to the settlement agreement and decide whether to issue a decree binding all parties to the adjudications to certain terms of the settlement.
Yavapai-Apache Nation SettlementAfter decades of on and off negotiations with neighboring water users, the Yavapai-Apache Nation is close to reaching a water rights settlement. On June 26, 2024, the Yavapai-Apache Nation Tribal Council voted to ratify the Yavapai-Apache Nation Water Rights Settlement Agreement. An overview of the settlement can be found here. If enacted by Congress and subsequently recognized in an adjudication decree, this settlement will permanently resolve the Yavapai-Apache Nation’s rights to water in the Verde River Watershed and the Gila River Basin.
On July 10, 2024, Senator Mark Kelly introduced a bill proposing Congressional approval of the agreement. Representative David Schweikert introduced a similar bill on July 8, 2024. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a hearing to consider the Senate bill on September 25, 2024. Because a new session of Congress has begun since the introduction of these bills, the bills must be reintroduced in order to be considered.
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