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House panel advances bill tying limited well use to groundwater studies to preserve housing options
Summary
After hours of testimony from developers, water-rights groups and conservationists, the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance HB 704, which temporarily limits exempt-well use in targeted areas while commissioning hydrological studies to assess connectivity with surface water and impacts on senior water rights.
Representative Mike Vinton said HB 704 seeks a legislative solution to the court rulings that have complicated development tied to exempt wells and described the bill as pairing temporary limits with a scientific study from the Bureau of Mines and Geology. "This bill allows development to continue in the red areas where they are being studied, but limits to only one half acre-foot per lot," Vinton said.
Proponents, including the Montana Association of Realtors and the Montana Building Industry…
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