Be careful what you sign
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Editor,
Flathead Irrigation irrigators, a few weeks ago you were sent a letter from the Montana DNRC about filing water rights according to the CSKT compact. Be careful what you sign, remember that all three irrigation districts filed irrigation, pumping, and stock water rights on March 20, 1982, two weeks before the deadline of April 1, 1982. The BIA magically copied and filed these same water rights in two weeks, and got them to Helena before the deadline. Have you ever seen the BIA do anything in two weeks? The BIA filings are on top of the districts’ filings, which means the districts filed first. A year or so back you were asked to file water rights on springs, creeks, and wells for stock water. We hope you all got that filed. This request from the MT DNRC is under legal review, trying to sort out priority dates for example. Do not let the DNRC bully you into believing your water rights have not been filed. We, the districts, have audio and written testimony how this was accomplished.
One more concern is the fact from the DNRC, that you United States and Montana citizens have 180 days to file, Tribal members have 5 years.
This is Montana, United States, how is this supposed to be constitutional? Be careful.
Tim Orr
Mission District Commissioner
St. Ignatius
