FJBC is 12-member board
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Editor,
Recently, a number of letters to the editor have appeared in newspapers across Western Montana regarding the proposed water use agreement for the Flathead Indian Irrigation project. Some of the letters or op-ed articles have left the misleading impression that three commissioners speak for the entire Flathead Joint Board of Control. That is not true. The joint board is a 12-member board. Recently, the FJBC voted by a margin of 7-4 to recommend to irrigators to vote for the agreement in an upcoming irrigator referendum. The upcoming referendum will likely occur in late February or early March and will consist of a mail-in ballot.
Water is an important and divisive issue in an agricultural community like ours. The proposed water use agreement will determine the future of water availability for agricultural producers from Evaro to Polson to Hot Springs. The proposed water use agreement and the compact to which it will be attached can be found on the joint board’s website flatheadjointboard.com. We urge all irrigators to become informed of the issues before the upcoming referendum.
Walter Schock
Chairman, Flathead Joint Board of Control
St. Ignatius
