Pueblo leaders joined U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., Thursday at the Santa Fe Indian School to celebrate settlement of a long-running water rights litigation called Aamodt.

The Aamodt deal, along with two other Indian water rights settlements involving Taos Pueblo and the Navajo Nation, were approved by Congress last year. Aamodt is supposed to settle the water rights of Tesuque, Pojoaque, Nambé and San Ildefonso pueblos north of Santa Fe.

Congress also approved some of the funding needed, including $81 million to build a regional water system to import water to valleys north of Santa Fe.

The agreements now have to be finalized in court. Non-Indian water rights holders must agree to the settlements or choose to take their chances defending their water rights in court. Some non-Indian water rights holders involved in both Aamodt and the Navajo settlements are pushing back.

Farmers have filed a lawsuit in the Navajo settlement involving San Juan River water in New Mexico. In Aamodt, some Hispanic and Anglo water-rights holders continue to oppose the regional water system and other details of the settlement.

Still, for federal, pueblo and state officials involved with Aamodt for so many years, the settlement and congressional approval was a cause for celebration, said Bingaman, who authored the bill that settled this long-standing legal case. "This settlement is the product of years of negotiation," he said, "and I want to thank everyone who helped see it through to completion."

Gov. Ernest Mirabal of Nambé Pueblo, Gov. George Rivera of Pojoaque Pueblo, Gov. Perry Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo and Charlie Dorame, chairman of the Northern Pueblos Tributary Water Rights Association, attended Thursday's celebration.

Salazar said construction of the Pojoaque Regional Water System will create jobs as well, through $56.4 million authorized under the Bureau of Reclamation for planning, designing and building the project.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.