Water Rights Program

The Water Rights Program is housed within the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes Natural Resources Department, under the Division of Engineering and Water Resources. The program’s objectives include managing and tracking the Tribes various water rights, registering existing and new uses, advocating for off-reservation water rights, and implementing other instream flows.

The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes—Montana Water Rights Compact is an agreement between CSKT, the State of Montana, and the United States. This agreement was made to fulfill the quantification of the Séliš, Ql̓ispé, and Ksanka water rights as guaranteed through the 1855 Hellgate Treaty.

On April 15, 2015, the Montana Legislature ratified the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes—Montana Water Rights Compact establishing the tribes inherent on-reservation and off-reservation water rights.

Upon the Water Compact effective date (9/17/2021) notable changes in how water rights within the Flathead Reservation are governed took effect including the establishment of the Flathead Reservation Water Management Board under the Unitary Administration & Management Ordinance. The Board is an independent from the tribes’ and state, and is the exclusive regulatory body for water rights administration on the Flathead Indian Reservation.