Public lands; Public water? Negotiating instream flows for the national forests in Montana

The United States is negotiating with the Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission for federal reserved water rights in Montana. The U.S.D.A. Forest Service is negotiating for the instream flow and consumptive use water rights necessary to manage the national forests, while the State is interested in protecting existing water rights and reserving some measure of water for future development. Public interest in this process is intense, and the range of views held by various interest groups is broad. This effort provides a significant opportunity to settle the legal rights to water necessary for public purposes in the national forests. Cooperation between the Forest Service and the State of Montana continues to be a partnership effort and technical information is shared freely between the parties. While difficult issues remain, negotiations are proceeding in sharp contrast with the litigious, divisive, and expensive adjudications in other states.