Northern Montana Water Security Act of 2025

Water Rights Security: The bill ratifies and confirms the water rights of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, ensuring they are held in trust and are not subject to loss through non-use, forfeiture, or abandonment (Section 105(a) and 105(c)).

Irrigation and Infrastructure Improvements: The Act authorizes the rehabilitation, modernization, and expansion of the Fort Belknap Indian Irrigation Project to improve water delivery (Section 109(a)).

Land Acquisition: The bill provides for the exchange of certain Federal and State lands to be taken into trust for the benefit of the Fort Belknap Indian Community (Section 106(a)(5)).

Water Storage Access: The community is allocated 20,000 acre-feet per year of water stored in Lake Elwell for beneficial purposes (Section 107(a)).

Debt Relief: The Secretary is directed to cancel and eliminate all debts or liens against the allotments of land held by the Fort Belknap Indian Community (Section 115(c)).

Resource Restoration: The bill directs activities to restore the St. Mary Canal and associated facilities (Section 108(a)).

Water Infrastructure Development: The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to use up to $250,000,000 to plan, design, construct, operate, maintain, and replace community water distribution and wastewater treatment facilities for the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana (Section 201).

Funding Flexibility: The Fort Belknap Indian Community is permitted to seek additional funds for Tribal programs or purposes, or seek funding from the United States or the State based on their status as an Indian Tribe (Section (f)).

Water Rights and Acquisition: The Fort Belknap Indian Community, its members, or allottees can acquire or exercise water rights under State law outside the Reservation through purchases or State law applications (Section (g)).

Water Storage Opportunities: The community is not prevented from participating in projects to import water or add storage in the Milk River Basin (Section (h)).

Waiver of Claims: The Fort Belknap Indian Community and the United States must execute a waiver and release of various water rights claims within the State of Montana as part of the settlement (Section 111(a)).

Land Use Restrictions: Certain land transferred to the community, specifically the Dodson Land, will be subject to a perpetual easement for the use of the Bureau of Reclamation (Section 106(d)(2)).

Gaming Limitations: Land held in trust for the Fort Belknap Indian Community under this act cannot be used for class II or class III gaming (Section 106(f)).

Water Usage Limitations: The water allocation from Lake Elwell is subject to specific agreements and cannot be increased by any year-to-year carryover storage (Section 107(c) and 107(f)).

Financial and Obligation Risks: The United States is not held liable for failing to carry out obligations or activities authorized by this title if Congress does not provide adequate appropriations or if the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund does not have enough funds (Section 116).