Look to original documents for answers
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The Flathead Reserved Water Rights Compact was designed by the Montana Legislature-created Compact Commission, along with other “derelicts of duty” who can’t or won’t follow the laws mandated by the U.S. Congress for the citizens west of the 100th meridian.
Look to the Department of Interior records: Circulars No.102, 178 and 108-194 that define the laws to be followed by homesteaders who were enticed to this area by the federal government for the purpose of creating a ranching and farming base for the nation.
I was talking on the phone to one of our State senators the other day and was asked to highlight relevant portions of these documents as our legislators are sent truckloads of material everyday. Now I understand why they were skeptical of the Compact – its sheer size alone sent signals of impropriety. We have been highlighting the past Acts of Congress for over a year now. Thanks to all legislators who voted against the Flathead Water Compact this last session.
The Department of the Interior has taken or helped themselves to our Reclamation Funds (called net power revenues), since 1915 or before. We can find this in Circular 102, pages 3, 7, 11, 13 and 15. Seventeen states are involved and affected by this.
I picked out Circular 194, wondering what the intent was, under “Right of way over Public Lands,” paragraph 3-4: “Congress granted control of the flow and use of the water to states and territories, the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior being limited to the approval of maps over the public lands.” Do we see why the Department of Interior is trying to buy back the “water”? Look to page 6 and 7: “If the right to appropriate the water has not been ‘Adjudicated,’ under local laws, a certified copy of the notice of ‘Appropriation’ will be sufficient.”
If you have any problems or questions, they are on file at your local County courthouse in Book A and Book B of the water rights certificates and also the Reclamation Office on the projects.
I handed out these documents last week at our FJBC meeting to help our new board members understand the objections of the past members concerning the fraud that has been happening for over 100 years.
We have all been shorted the water that was appropriated, sold and patented to “our lands” by acts of the U.S. Congress, approved by them and the Presidents at the time.
Now we can understand why the BPA is taking advantage of our neighbors, buying lands with the best water rights and holding it in trust for them.
The 1855 Hellgate treaty states the promise to commit no depredations upon the property of such citizens.
