Comment period extended for Draft Agreement for Water Use

ST. IGNATIUS — Chairman Walt Schock of the Flathead Joint Board of Control announced on Friday, June 22, that the Flathead Joint Board of Control was extending the comment period on the Draft Agreement for Water Use on the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project. Schock said the comment period was being extended by two weeks, to July 16. “We want to give people an opportunity to provide comments on the proposed water use agreement for the irrigation project. We are working under time constraints imposed by state law and recognize the need to move this along, as part of the Compact process, but we also need to give people time to review the draft water use agreement.”

The FJBC is asking for all comments and questions to be submitted in writing. The FJBC said that all comments and questions would receive written responses, before the FJBC takes final action. According to Schock, the date of the FJBC meeting to consider final action has not been set, and will depend on the number of comments and questions that need responses.

The FJBC and CSKT hosted an open house on June 21 that was well attended, said Schock, with irrigators having an opportunity to discuss both technical and legal questions on the proposed agreement. Copies of the draft agreement can be obtained at the Flathead Joint Board of Control office in St. Ignatius, or at the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project headquarters in St. Ignatius. PDF copies are also available for download by clicking here or here