ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The promise of a permanent water supply for several American Indian tribes in the West came one step closer to reality last fall when Congress signed off on more than $1 billion worth of water rights settlements.

Now, just months later, New Mexico's top water officials are concerned the state is not on track to meet a federal deadline for paying its share to implement the settlements. Without the state's $130 million share, the settlements could unravel and decades of litigation and negotiation could go down the drain.