Fellow Montanans,

We have been given the opportunity to defend our water rights against the over-reach of the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) Water Compact.  I am writing this letter to shed light on the CSKT Compact, and share the process for submitting an objection to the Water Court.

Yes, your water rights will be impacted by the pending CSKT Compact! The specifics of the Compact are not yet clear, but surface and groundwater both on and off the reservation will be placed under the control of the CSKT through the Flathead Water Management Board created by the Compact.  The Montana Water Use Act of 1973 will no longer apply, and we will lose water rights within our private property.  

The Montana Water Court’s preliminary decree was only mailed to approximately 68,000 of the 300,000 residents affected by the CSKT compact. This violates the citizen’s right to know as found in our Montana Constitution.  The powers pushing the CSKT Compact are attempting to keep this out of the public’s eye because they know if the people get wind of what is going on there will be significant pushback.  Furthermore, the Compact violates US Amendment IV, V, X, and XIV, as well as Montana Article II Section 3, and Article IX Section 3.  Both Federal and State Constitutions are being ignored to a shocking degree.

So what can we do to stop this attack on our rights? All concerned people need to submit an objection to the Montana Water Court via their website.  All submissions are due no later than February 9^th, 2023.  It is imperative that we follow their directions exactly or the submittal will be rejected.  Please pass this information onto family and friends and together we can defeat this attack on our property.

For some history and recent blogs on this topic please check out the Western Montana Water Rights website.