Date: January 11, 2002
For More Information Contact:
Dan Bushnell
DNRC Public Information Officer
406-444-0465
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission Seeking Public Comment on
Confederated Salish & Kootenai Proposal
Helena, Mont. – The Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission (RWRCC) is actively seeking public comment on issues of concern in settlement of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribe's claims to water in Montana. The Tribes have offered a Proposal for Negotiation of Reserved and Aboriginal Water Rights in Montana. The Proposal sent to the RWRCC outlines a framework for water management on the Flathead Reservation.
"Currently negotiations are on-going with the three parties involved, the Confederated Tribes, the United States, and the State of Montana, to come to an agreement that can be approved by all. The Tribes have brought a proposal to the table. At this point, we are seeking public comment on that proposal," stated RWRCC Program Manager, Susan Cottingham. "Anyone that has an issue related to water quantity, associated to the Flathead Indian Reservation, should also make comment now so that those issues can be incorporated into our future discussions." Public participation is an essential element of each settlement negotiation and ensures that the Commission's deliberations, on behalf of the State, address the concerns of the public and incorporate local solutions to water use problems.
Copies of the Proposal are available on the Internet at: http://dnrc.mt.gov/rwrcc/default.asp or hard copies can be obtained by calling the RWRCC at 406-444-6841. Comments may be mailed to: RWRCC, P.O. Box 201601, Helena, Mont. 59620-1601, faxed to RWRCC at 406-444-6721, or emailed to rwrcc@mt.gov. Comments should be submitted no later than January 31, 2002.
The RWRCC is authorized to negotiate settlements with federal agencies and Indian tribes that claim federal reserved water rights within the State. A federal reserved water right is a right to use water that is implied from an act of Congress, a treaty, or an executive order establishing a tribal or federal reservation. The amount of water to which the reservation is entitled depends on the purpose for which the land was reserved. In Montana, reserved water rights have been claimed for seven Indian reservations, allotments for the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe, for national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges, and for federally designated wild and scenic rivers.
