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Senate hears companion bill to bolster streamflow measurement and data
Summary
Senate Bill 61, presented as a companion to SB55, would reaffirm state policy that streamflow measurement and monitoring are essential to determine physical and legal water availability. Sponsor Bruce "Butch" Gillespie and multiple water organizations supported the bill in committee testimony.
Senator Bruce "Butch" Gillespie introduced Senate Bill 61 to the Senate Natural Resources Committee as a companion measure that similarly emphasizes the importance of streamflow measurement for determining physical and legal water availability.
Gillespie said Montana's constitution declares surface and underground waters are state property subject to appropriation and that accurate, real-time streamflow measurements are essential to determine when water is physically and legally available for new uses while protecting existing water rights.
Proponents included Rayleigh Honeycutt, Mike Murphy of the Montana Water Resources Association, Brian Thompson of the Senior Water Rights Coalition and Nicole Rolfe of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation; Trout Unlimited's Jeff Lucas also testified in support. Anna Pakenham Stevenson, DNRC water resources division administrator, served as an informational witness and answered technical questions from the committee.
Supporters reiterated points made in the SB55 hearing: some USGS gauges have been discontinued, leaving state and tribal partners to fill gaps; losing a single gauge can compromise the integrity of the monitoring network; and statutory language that previously supported gauge maintenance had expired and needs renewal.
Senator Gillespie closed by asking the committee to pass the bill. No formal committee vote appears in the hearing transcript.
The hearing record contains no recorded vote; proponents and agency staff emphasized the operational and legal reasons for maintaining an intact stream-gauging network.
