Salomon a friend to farmers
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Editor,
Dan Salomon has lived here all of his life. He is a businessman, a farmer and an irrigator. He also has one of the larger acreages under the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project. He knows, more than most, what we have to lose if the tribes assert their in-stream flows and the federal government asserts their ESA. As much was said in a recent letter from the United States Department of Interior.
To quote a portion, “Any actions increasing flows to better meet the Tribes reserved in-stream flow water rights and to comply with the ESA would necessarily have an impact on the water supply available for the FIIP and non FIIP water diversions on the Reservation.”
It goes on to say should negotiations fail, these new terms could be implemented as early as this year and that the BIA retains ultimate responsibility and ownership of FIIP. “Pathways to improving FIIP could be implemented in the near-term” at project users expense.
The negotiated settlement allots 75 percent of the irrigators on the project more water than they have ever been allocated. Those irrigators who need more water have a three-to-five-year period to establish higher use up to 2 acre feet at no extra charge. Higher use farms, if they are in a serviceable area, can purchase more water. If C.B.’s ruling stands, we get nothing. If the naysayers win, we get a big bill and a rundown water project with less water than we have ever had.
As an irrigator, Representative Dan Salomon knows how devastating this would be to farms and ranches on the reservation. Some who have retired here to hobby farm or just to enjoy the beauty of our valley don’t have much to lose. Farmers do. Dan is one of us, and he is fighting for us. We have enemies, but Dan Salomon is not one of them.
Susan Lake
Ronan
