1. Clark Fork Basin Watershed Management Plan
Clark Fork Symposium
March 5, 2010
Gerald Mueller
Clark Fork Task Force Facilitator

2. Clark Fork Basin Watershed Management Plan
What is the legal basis of the plan?
Who wrote it?
When was it written?
What does it contain, including key conclusions?
How is the plan being implemented?

3. Legal Basis of the Plan Plan mandated by 85-2-350 MCA, enacted in 2001
Address entire Clark Fork
basin
Statute required plan to
include options for protecting
the security of basin water
rights and for providing for
future orderly development
and conservation of water

4. Who Wrote the Plan?
MCA directed the plan to be prepared by the Clark Fork River Basin Task Force
Statute requires the Task Force to be representative of basin in terms of geography and water interests
Members are appointed by DNRC Director
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes can designate a member

5. Current Task Force Members
Organization Area or Interest Represented
Marc Spratt Flathead Conservation Dis. Flathead Basin above Flathead Lake
Caryn Miske Flathead Basin Commission Flathead Lake
Ted Williams Flathead Lakers Flathead Lake
Charles Lapp Flathead Building Association Building industry in the Flathead Valley and Lake County
Holly Franz PPL Montana Hydropower Utilities
Nate Hall Avista Hydropower Utilities
Steve Hughes Joint Board of Control Southern Flathead River subbasin
Jim Elliott Former State Senator, SD7 Lower Clark Fork subbasin
Gail Patton Sanders County Basin Local Governments
Commissioner
Arvid Hiller Mountain Water Company Municipal water companies and the middle Clark Fork River subbasin
Harvey Hackett Bitter Root Water Forum Bitterroot River subbasin
Fred Lurie Blackfoot Challenge Blackfoot River subbasin
Jim Dinsmore Granite Conservation District Upper Clark Fork River subbasin
& Upper Clark Fork River
Basin Steering Committee
Brianna Randall Clark Fork Coalition Conservation/environmental organizations
Bill Gardner Liberty Drilling Montana Water Well Drillers Association
Verdell Jackson State Senator, SD6 Ex Officio

6. When Was Plan Written? Task Force prepared the plan from 2001- 2004
Adopted and sent to governor and legislature in September 2004
In 2005, most of the plan was included in the State Water Plan as separate chapter

7. What does plan contain? Executive summary C1 - History and background
C2 - Vision of basin water
management
C3 - Watershed profiles, including:
Physical availability of water
Existing appropriations
Water available for future use
C4 - Legal framework for water

8. What does plan contain? C5 - Legal and regulatory constraints to water
management
C6 - Hydropower water rights
and basin water use
C7 - Options to protect the security
of water rights
C8 - Strategies to promote the orderly
development of water
C9 - Options for conserving water
C10 - Plan implementation
C11 - Recommendations and
conclusions

9. Key Plan Conclusions
No water supply is reserved for future basin uses.
Lower basin water rights constrain legal availability for new rights and put many junior rights at risk.

10. Basin Water Supply Initiative
Plan recommended DNRC negotiate contract with US Bureau of Reclamation for water stored in Hungry Horse reservoir.
Basin water users would
lease Hungry Horse water
from DNRC at cost.
2007 Legislature modified
statutes to authorize contract
and leases and appropriated
$260k to begin contract
negotiation.

11. Status of Basin Water Supply Initiative
DNRC has requested contract with BOR for 100k acre feet of Hungry Horse water for municipal and industrial uses.
BOR about to issue study reallocating the Hungry Horse costs to existing (hydropower and recreation) and new uses (M&I)
Congress must approve the cost reallocation
NEPA compliance
Determine water availability
Contract negotiation
Set water price
CSKT has requesting an allocation of Hungry Horse water as a part of reserved water rights compact negotiations.

12. Plan Revision Task Force beginning plan revision
Reviewing recommendations and their implementation
Consulting with basin local governments
Possible additional issues/actions
Analysis of the effects of frequent drought
Develop hydrologic model of Clark Fork basin
Re-use of water
Aquatic invasive species
Impact of ground water developments exempt from water right permitting

13. Questions?