HELENA — The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have filed paperwork claiming water use rights in Montana both on and off the Flathead reservation.
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation accepted the 2,815 claims Thursday.
The claims were filed as placeholders while the state and CSKT wait for Congress to ratify a negotiated water compact. State law requires CSKT to file by July 1 or forfeit their right to do so.
Tribal attorney John Carter said Thursday they will file for a stay on the claims until a final decision is made on the compact. The claims preserve CSKT’s water rights should the compact fail to gain approval.
State attorneys say it could be years before the settlement, which was approved by the Montana legislature this year, gains its final approvals.