FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

SEC. 902. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. (a) Findings.—Congress finds that— (1) the water systems serving residents of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation in the State of Montana— (A) do not meet minimum health and safety standards; (B) pose a threat to public health and safety; and (C) are inadequate to supply the water needs of the Chippewa Cree Tribe; (2) the United States has a responsibility to ensure that adequate and safe water supplies are available to meet the economic, environmental, water supply, and public health needs of the Reservation; (3) the entities administering the rural and municipal water systems in North Central Montana are having difficulty complying with regulations promulgated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.); and (4) the study, defined in section 903(k), identifies Lake Elwell, near Chester, Montana, as an available, reliable, and safe rural and municipal water supply for serving the needs of the Reservation and North Central Montana. (b) Purposes.—The purposes of this title are— (1) to ensure a safe and adequate rural, municipal, and industrial water supply for the residents of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation in the State of Montana; (2) to assist the citizens residing in Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Liberty, Pondera, Teton, and Toole Counties, Montana, 116 STAT. 2860but outside the Reservation, in developing safe and adequate rural, municipal, and industrial water supplies; (3) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior— (A) acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation to plan, design, and construct the core and noncore systems of the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Montana Regional Water System in the State of Montana; and (B) acting through the Bureau of Indian Affairs to operate, maintain, and replace the core system and the on-Reservation water distribution systems, including service connections to communities and individuals; and (4) to authorize the Secretary, at the request of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, to enter into self-governance agreements with the Tribe under title IV of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 458aa et seq.), under which the Tribe— (A) through the Bureau of Reclamation, will plan, design, and construct the core system of the Rocky Boy’s/ North Central Montana Regional Water System, and (B) through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will operate, maintain, and replace (including service connections to communities and individuals) the core system and the on- Reservation water distribution systems.