On March 25, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 cleared a final hurdle and passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a 285-140 vote. Included in the nearly 170 separate provisions of the massive bill sponsored by New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman, is a provision that settles a decades long water rights dispute in the San Juan River Basin. The legislation recognizes the rights of the Navajo Nation to about 600,000 acre-feet per year of water. In addition, the legislation authorizes $870 million to build a water pipeline that, once completed, will provide 80,000 Navajos and the community of Gallup with running water.
In 2005, an agreement was reached and signed between the State of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation settling the decades long dispute. However the agreement could not take effect until being officially enacted by Congress. President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law on March 30.