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Resident warns neighbors about DNRC water-rights notices and June 29 water-court deadline
Summary
A resident reported that DNRC water-right notices for basin 76H were delayed or misaddressed and urged neighbors to review decrees and, if necessary, file objections by the water-court deadline of June 29, 2026 to protect ditch-based surface-water rights.
A Lolo resident told the council that many landowners in basin 76H (Clark Fork Division / Bitterroot River) have received late or misaddressed water-right notices from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), and warned that owners should review their decrees and consider filing an objection by the water-court deadline to protect surface-water (ditch) rights.
The resident said they met with the DNRC regional water-division director, identified in the meeting as Jim Navy, who acknowledged that thousands of notices were affected by incorrect addresses. "2200 letters came back to the DNR… because they didn't have the correct addresses," the resident reported, urging neighbors not to ignore the mailed decree and to verify the ditch name listed matches the deed.
The speaker emphasized that decrees use specific ditch names and that clerical mismatches could cause the water court to not recognize a right if the recorded ditch name does not concur with a property's deed. The resident said DNRC staff reviewed maps and online documents with them and encouraged affected owners to file an objection if the decree does not match property records; the transcript reports a filing deadline of June 29, 2026 for objections.
The resident provided contact information for DNRC and the water court and said documents are available online; the meeting recording included the water court phone number read at the meeting as 406-586-4364. The speaker urged residents who did not receive notices to check the water-court public notices page or call with deed information to confirm whether they are affected.
Council members and other residents responded with corroborating comments about utility of DNRC meetings and available phone support, and they thanked the commenter for raising awareness of the timeline. The council did not take a formal action on this report but relayed the deadline and the need for residents to review their records and act promptly.
