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Engineering & Water ResourcesConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, home page

The CSKT-Montana Water Compact

A Tribal, State and Federal agreement that quantifies and protects the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' federally reserved water rights under the 1855 Hellgate Treaty.

The Compact is an agreement between CSKT, the State of Montana and the United States, made to fulfill the quantification of the Séliš, Ql̓ispé and Ksanka water rights as guaranteed through the 1855 Hellgate Treaty.

It was approved by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the Montana Legislature and the United States Congress, and became effective on September 17, 2021, following approval by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

On May 12, 2026, the Montana Water Court approved the Compact, marking the completion of decades of negotiation and legal proceedings. The final decree confirms the Tribes' water rights and establishes the legal framework for administering them.

How water rights are governed now

When the Compact took effect, the Flathead Reservation Water Management Board was established under the Unitary Administration and Management Ordinance. The Board is independent of the Tribes and the State, and is the exclusive regulatory body for water rights administration on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Tribal members or allottees who wish to register an existing use as part of the Tribal Water Right should contact the Tribal Water Rights Registration Office. The deadline for existing use registrations is September 17, 2026.

Tribal-language names on this page are taken from DEWR's current website. In the live site, Salish and Kootenai words and place names are reviewed by the Culture Committees through DEWR before publication (Addendum 1, Q28 and Q29).

Milestones

Approved by the Montana Water Court

On May 12, 2026 the Water Court approved the Compact. The final decree confirms the Tribes' water rights.

Questions about the Compact

Common questions answered from DEWR's published information, with a link to the source every time.

Concept for the optional “Seth Bot” (Addendum 1, Q48). It answers only from DEWR-approved text and always shows its source.

Compact appendices

44 documents, with Montana DNRC maps where they exist. Filter by keyword or appendix number. Proposed Ordinance (Appendix 4).

44 of 44 appendices