23 Management of Hydrologic and Geologic Resources I

Thursday, 16 May 2024
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Maple Ballroom

COMPACTS AS A TOOL TO MANAGE WATER: A MONTANA PERSPECTIVE

Paper number: 23-8
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM

Authors

Abstract

Montana is the only western state to approach the determination of reserved water right claims through proactive and comprehensive negotiations of water right quantifications through compacts instead of through piecemeal litigation. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) is tasked with implementing 18 water rights compacts which are diverse in their technical, administrative, and legal requirements. Collaboration between the citizens of Montana and federal, state, and tribal governments has been critical to the negotiation, ratification, and implementation of these water right compacts. The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of three water right compacts: the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes-Montana Compact, U.S. Department of Interior National Park Service-Montana Compact, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service-Montana Compact. We will highlight how these compacts have resulted in more effective management and planning for water conservation, development, utilization, and sustainability.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56, No. 4

doi: 10.1130/abs/2024CD-399147

© Copyright 2024 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.