Articles with the Tag: Water rights
POLSON — With a public meeting on Sept. 4 from 7 to 10:30 p.m. and a negotiating session on Sept. 5 at 9 a.m., water rights were on the front burner at the KwaTuqNuk Resort and Casino last week. At the evening public meeting, Wade Irion, a professional engineer with DOWL HKM, a regional engine...
Editor, The Hellgate Treaty of 1855, Article III, guaranteed the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes the exclusive right of taking fish, together with the privilege of hunting, gathering roots and berries, etc., within the external boundaries of their reservation (as they were accustomed); and also th...
RONAN — More than 150 people attended the Flathead Joint Board of Control’s public meeting on Aug. 20 regarding proposed farm turnout allowances outlined for the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project in the current water rights negotiations between the federal government, the state of Montana and th...
Editor, It’s not about “water rights;” it’s about the right to put available water to beneficial use. It’s about understanding the agreed-upon baselines for applying this assumed right to use the water resource that exists on earth. It’s not about general platitudes and...
RONAN — To say the current water rights negotiation is an emotionally-charged issue in the Valley may be an understatement. “There’s been a lot of misinformation the past month-and-half,” said water rights compact commission member and irrigator Dan Salomon. “The number...
Editor, I have been a resident of the Flathead Reservation for 32 years now. I own property that was taken out of “trust” status and put up for sale as “fee” property. I’ve read with interest several letters regarding the water rights negotiations here on the reservation. ...
Editor, The water compact for the Flathead Reservation between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the State of Montana and the feds has been ongoing for more than 10 years. The “team” representing the state is comprised of nine members: four appointed by the governor, two appointed b...
Editor, The Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes, and non-Indian water users in Wyoming have been in court since the 1980s fighting over water rights on the Wind River Reservation. Untold millions and millions of dollars have been spent, and though some issues have been resolved, many are still to...
POLSON — A public information meeting about the proposed Flathead water rights settlement drew a crowd of about 100 on Wednesday, Aug. 1. The meeting was held because all the parties involved may be getting close to settling the compact. John Carter, attorney for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai...
A team of Montana, CSKT and United States officials together created this document of frequently asked questions on water rights. Given the high level of interest in the Flathead Reservation water rights settlement process, this FAQ was developed to help explain this long-running process and help people find...
