CSKT-MT Compact Registrations of Existing Uses
Registrations Filed Between September 17, 2021, and March 16, 2022
The Unitary Administration & Management Ordinance (Ordinance) allowed for certain unrecorded water uses to be registered with the Flathead Reservation Water Management Board (Board) within 180 days of the Compact's Effective Date on September 17, 2021. DNRC mailed this Public Notice Letter to landowners on the Flathead Reservation the week of October 11, 2021. The registration deadline was March 16, 2022.
DNRC received these registration forms on behalf of the Board during the 180-day period when they could be filed. DNRC’s role is limited to assistance in the preparation and initial receipt of forms 602F, 605F, and 222F. Once the Board's Office of the Engineer staff are hired and open for business, DNRC will transfer the physical forms to the Board along with the application fees received over the 180-day filing period. Registration applications will be reviewed and processed by the Board's Office of the Engineer.
Previously Filed Registrations
Water rights filed between August 22, 1996, and September 17, 2021, have been held, but not processed, by DNRC and given a "Suspended" status. The 1996 Montana Supreme Court Ciotti decisions prevented DNRC from processing these registrations. In accordance with the Ordinance, DNRC will transfer these Suspended Registrations to the Board for processing. If you filed one of these Suspended Registrations, you do not need to do anything further. The Board's Office of the Engineer has sole authority to process these applications.
Tribal Registrations
The Ordinance allows the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, their members, and Allottees to register an existing use of the Tribal Water Right that was not quantified by the Compact and that was in existence on or before September 17, 2021, to be registered with the Board within five years of the Compact’s Effective Date. That registration deadline is September 17, 2026. During the five-year registration period, the Tribes’ will assist Tribal Members and Allottees in preparing registrations for filing with the Board. For more information related to registering an existing use of the Tribal Water Right, please contact CSKT’s Christina Courville at 406-675-2700 ext. 1169.