FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is your office or the Board going to meter all of our wells?
- Will your office be charging us for our water use?
- Is your office a Tribal office? Is your office a State office?
- Will your office set the fees and delivery quotas for the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project (FIIP)?
- Who needs authorization to drill a well and put water to use on the Reservation
- What is the status of my pending or suspended state-based registration?
- I didn’t file a registration for my existing use, what do I do now?
- When will your office start accepting applications for water uses other than Domestic Allowances?
- Does your office have jurisdiction over water right administration off the Flathead Reservation?
- Will your office be charging us for our water use?
Hello from the Office of the Water Engineer.
Our office works on behalf of the Flathead Reservation Water Management Board and is charged with administering water rights on the Reservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our office receives some common questions that are asked of us, so we thought it might be useful to provide some answers here:
1. How can I get help with my water right application?
We’re happy to help! You may schedule an appointment with a staff member from the Office of the Engineer for assistance with your application materials. Our office is located at 400 Main Street in Ronan, Montana, and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
You can contact us by email at contact@FRWMB.gov or by phone at (406) 201-2531 to make an appointment or ask questions.
2. What type of water right applications can I apply for on the reservation?
Residents of the Flathead Reservation can apply to drill new wells for individual or shared domestic purposes or for small subdivisions. These water rights require preapproval before you construct your well and the lawn and garden size is limited to 0.7 acres. You can also apply for stock water wells or pits, geothermal heating/cooling wells, uses of the Flathead System Compact Water and others here. In the coming months, we anticipate that other water right applications will become available like new appropriation permits and change in use authorizations to existing water rights.
3. What is the status of my suspended or pending state-based water right on the Reservation?
Before our office and the FRWMB were established, the Montana department of natural resources (DNRC) accepted water right applications on the Flathead Reservation. However, due to a federal stay on all Reservation water rights resulting from the Ciotti cases, DNRC did not fully review or issue these applications. Instead, the water rights were placed in suspended status pending future review.
Jurisdiction to evaluate these suspended applications now rests with our office. We are responsible for validating existing uses and making final determinations to either issue or deny each application. There are approximately 3,000 water rights currently in suspended status, and we are actively working to process them. We appreciate your patience as we complete this work.
4. Can I still file for a water right on an existing, unregistered well or developed spring?
Yes. If your use qualifies under an individual or shared domestic allowance application, you may apply for a water right to cover your existing use. However, the water right will not receive a senior priority date.
5. Is your office or the Board going to meter all of our wells?
No. We do not plan to require metering for most wells on the Reservation.
Metering may be required in limited circumstances, including:
- Wells serving subdivisions that are applied for as a Development Domestic Allowance;
- Larger new wells that could adversely affect senior water users; and
- Wells involved in a water right complaint, where adjacent water users have filed complaints and metering would help resolve the issue. We expect these situations to be uncommon.
6. Will your office be charging us for our water use?
No. We do charge a one-time application fee for new water right applications. Our application fees directly mirror the fees of DNRC water right applications.
7. Is your office a State or Tribal office?
Our office operates independently from the direct control of both Tribal and State governments, but it is authorized under the laws of both. The Office of the Engineer is governed by the six-member Flathead Reservation Water Management Board. Two voting members are appointed by the Governor of Montana, two voting members are appointed by the Tribal Council, and a fifth voting member is selected by the other four. The sixth member is non-voting representative, appointed by the federal government.
Funding for the office and Board operations comes in part from application fees, as well as matching appropriations provided by both the Tribes and the State.
8. Will your office set the fees and delivery quotas for the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project (FIIP)?
No. FIIP fees and quotas for the FIIP are set by the FIIP operator, not our office.
9. Who needs authorization to drill a well and put water to use on the Reservation
Everyone needs to get advanced authorization before drilling a new well for a new use, this includes Tribal and Non-Tribal members. If you have questions, we are happy to help.
10. Does your office have jurisdiction over water right administration off the Flathead Reservation?
No, our office only has jurisdiction over water rights on the Reservation, DNRC retains jurisdiction everywhere else in Montana.