Lower Missouri water reservations : identifying the issues

18 Pages·1992·0.83 MB·English

by  Montana. Dept. of Natural Resources and Conservation

S Lower Missouri
333 aOllSwater reservations
N7Lrawr
1992
MONTANASTATELIBRARY
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1992 LOWER
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Identi
the Issues
.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
The potential impacts of reserving water for future consumptive and
existinginstrcam usesin theMilk,LittleMissouri,andMissouribasinsbelow
FortPeckDamwillbethetopicoffivepublicmeetingsthatwillbeheldduring
mid-November. The public is encouraged to attend these meetings to help
identify issues related to this major water allocation program. The public
meetingswill beheldat7:00 P.M. attheplacesanddatesshown below.
November 16 Baker HighSchoolAudioA^isual Room
November 17 WolfPoint HighSchoolAuditorium
November 17 Havre NorthernMontanaCollege, Crowley
Conference Room,Student Union
November 18 Plentywood Courthouse,PublicLibrary
MeetingRoom
November 19 Glasgow CottonwoodInn BanquetRoom
Ifyoucannotattendthesemeetingsbutstillwishtosubmitcommentson
is'juesyoubelieveshouldbediscussedintheenvironmental impactstatement
(EIS),pleasemailyourcommentsbyDecember 15 to:
LarryDolan
WaterManagementBureau
MontanaDepartment ofNatural ResourcesandConservation
1520 EastSixthAvenue
MT
Helena, 59620-2301
THEMISSOUM BASINWATER
RESERVATION PROCEEDING: AN OVERVIEW
In 1985, the MontanaLegislature direaed the Department ofNatural
ResourcesandConservation (DNRC)toinitiateandcoordinateaproceeding
toallowforwatertobereservedintheMissouriandLittleMissouririverbasins.
Thereservation proceedingwasbegun fortworeasons.
1 Thecomprehensiveplanningrequiredinareservationprocesswasseenas
awaytoencourage morecoordinateddevelopmentofthebasins'water.
2. Thereservation proceedingwasregardedasawayforMontanatobuilda
stronglegal foundation to protect its shareofMissouri Riverwater from
downstream states.
Water reservations present the opportunity forwaterto beset aside for
futurediversionandconsumptionandforinstream flowstobemaintainedto
protectfisheries,recreation,andwaterquality. Onlypublicentitiessuchaslocal
governments,conservationdistricts,andstateandfederalagenciescanapplyfor
andholdwaterreservations.
DNRCcoordinatesthewaterreservationproceeding,butitistheBoardof
Natural Resourcesand Conservation (board) which decideswhether to grant
waterreservations. Theseven-memberboard isappointedbythegovernor.
BecausetheMissouribasin issolarge,thereservation proceedinghasbeen
splitintotwopans. Waterreservationapplicationsinthebasin'supperportion,
which encompasses the drainage area above Fort Peck Dam, wereconsidered
first. Afteranenvironmentalreviewwasmadeandacontestedcasehearingheld,
theboardmadeitsfinaldecisiononupperbasinapplicationsonJune30, 1992.
WaterreservationapplicationsinthebasinbelowFortPeckDam,includingthe
LittleMissouriandMilk riverbasins,are nowbeingconsidered.
July 1, 1991,wasthedeadlineforpublicentitiestosubmitapplicationsto
DNRC
reserve water in the lower Missouri basin. received applications for
consumptiveusefi^om 11 conservationdistrictsfor471 irrigationprojects,and
14municipalities. TheDepartmentofFish,WildlifeandParksappliedtoreserve
water for instream flows on 21 stream reaches. More details about these
reservation applicationscanbe found inattachmentstothisbrochure.
THEENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTSTATEMENT PROCESS
The MontanaEnvironmental PolicyAct requires that an environmental-
impact statement be prepared whenever actionsofstategovernment have the
potentialtocausemajoreflfectsonthehumanornaturalenvironment. Because
theboard'sdecision onwater reservation applicationscouldhavesucheffects,
DNRC is required to prepare an EIS. The EIS will inform the board and the
public ofall known or foreseeable beneficial and detrimental effects ofthe
proposed reservations.
The EIS will include a description ofthe existing natural and human
environment inthebasin,hypothetical alternativeactionsbytheboardon the
reservations,thepotential impactsofthesealternatives,andeconomicanalyses.
Ampleopportunitywill beprovidedduringtheEISprocessforthepublic
toparticipateandexpressitsviews. First,thefivescopingmeetingswillbeheld
toidentifyissuesofpublicconcern. Thepublicwillalsohaveanopportunityto
submitwrittencommentsduringthescopingperiod,aspreviouslymentioned.
DNRC
Afterthescopingmeetings, will prepareadraftEISwhichwillthen be
circulated forpublic reviewandcomment. Commentswill be acceptedforat
DNRC
least30 days following publication ofthedraft. will alsohold public
meetingsduringthistimetocollectadditionalcommentsonthedraftEIS. Based
onthesecommentsandanynewinformation,afinalEISwillbeprepared. The
EIS processwillendwiththepublication ofthefinalEIS.
THECONTESTED CASE HEARING PROCESS
WaterrightholdersintheMilk,lowerMissouri,andLittleMissouribasins,
alongwith otherindividualsandgroups thatcouldbe affected bythe reserva-
tions,willreceivenoticeofthereservationapplications. Partiesmaythensubmit
formalobjectionstoanyoftheapplications. Oncetheobjectionperiodcloses,
acontestedcasehearingprocessontheproposedreservationswillbescheduled.
Acontestedcasehearingisanadministrativelegalproceedingsimilartoatrial,
butwithoutajury. Ahearingexaminerwillbehiredtoconductthehearingfor
theboard. Theapplicantsandpartiesthathavefiledobjectionsmustappearat
theformalpanofthehearing,wheretheymaypresentevidenceandbesubject
tocross-examination. In addition, informalhearingswill beheldatlocations
throughoutthebasinwherepersonscantestifyiftheydonotwishtoparticipate
in the formal hearings. Shortlyafterthehearings, thehearingsexaminerwill
presenthisorherfmdings,includingaproposeddecision,totheboard. Dates
for the noticing and hearing have not been set, but will be published in
newspapersofgeneral circulation.
QUESTIONSABOUT
THE RESERVATION PROCESS
A number ofquestions are commonly asked about water reservations.
Several oftheseareansweredbelow.
Questiont Doexistingwaterrightshavepriorityoverreservations?
Answer: WaterrightswithaprioritydatebeforeJuly1, 1985,intheMissouri
andMilkbasins,andbeforeJuly1,1988,intheLitdeMissouribasin,
aresenior(higherin priority)toreservations.
Question: Whycan't individualsorprivatebusinessesapplyforreservations?
Answen Toavoid the State'shaving to processa large number ofspeculative
applications, the Montana Legislature allows only public entities to
reserve water. However, individuals can have their proposed water
developmentprojectsincludedinconservationdistriawaterreservation
applications.
Question: Why is the Montana Department ofFish, Wildlife and Parks
(DFWP)applyingto reservewaterforinstream flows?
Answen ReservationsaretheonlymechanismavailableunderMontanalawto
establishwaterrightstoprotectinstreamflowsforfish,wildlife,and
recreation. DFWPbelieves it needsto reservewater in some basin
streamstoensure that adequate flows remain in the future for fish,
wildlife,and recreational resources.
Question: Couldn't instream reservations leave no water available for new
storageprojects?
Answer: Reservationsofanykindcouldleavelesswateravailableforstorage.
However, partly in response to such concerns, the legislature has
limitedinstream reservationstoone-halftheaverageannual flowon
gaugedstreams.
Question: Why are reservations being considered before the adjudication
processiscompleted?
Answen Montanans have been appropriating water without a completed
statewideadjudicationsincethelate 19thcentury. Theadjudication
will take at least 15 more years to complete. Action on new
applicationsforwater,betheybypermitsorreservations,cannotbe
suspended forthislong.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Public participation is an important part of the
reservation process. Eachstageoftheprocess is tailored
to solicit and use comments from the public. These
stages include:
• Issue identification
• Comments on thedraft environmental impact
statement
• Participationinthefinaldecision-makingprocess
In the issue identification stage, interested parties
canattendthepublicmeetingslistedinthisbrochureand
speakinperson,ortheycansubmitwrittencommentsto
DNRC. This isthetime foryou tospecifythetypeof
informationtheenvironmentalimpactstatement(£IS)
should contain to fullyaddress environmental, social,
and economic issues relatingto the reservations.
After the draft EIS is prepared, the public will be
DNRC
invited to comment on it. will hold public
meetings to accept these comments, or comments may
be mailed. Any new information obtained at this stage
will be used in revising thedraft EIS into a final EIS.
Following issuance ofthe final EIS, the board will
providelegalnoticetoallpotentiallyaffeaedwaterright
holders and the public regarding the proposed reserva-
tions. People can then object to anyorall reservations.
A contested case process will follow, with both formal
andinformalhearings. Afterthesehearings,theBoardof
Natural Resources and Conservationwill make its final
decision to grant, grant in part, or deny the proposed
reservations.
1
7t
SummaryofWaterReservationApplicationsintheLowerMissouri Basin
CitiesandTowns