Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Rights Adjudication topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Water-court judge and DNRC brief WPIC on adjudication process under 85-2-281, MCA
Summary
DNRC adjudication staff and the Chief Water Judge outlined water-rights adjudication procedures under 85-2-281, MCA; committee members asked procedural questions and public commenters responded. No formal decisions were taken.
The Water Policy Interim Committee received a briefing on water-rights adjudication and related rule review at its Jan. 12 meeting.
Alexis Sandru (Legislative Services Division) introduced the rule-review segment. Todd Netto, bureau chief for adjudication enforcement and distribution at DNRC, reviewed procedural elements of the adjudication process. Judge Stephen Brown, chief water judge of the Water Court, described court procedures and administrative coordination related to 85-2-281, MCA. Committee members questioned the presenters about timelines and case-processing issues.
Public commenters, including representatives of Montana Trout Unlimited and the Montana Stock Growers Association, offered remarks during the adjudication segment. The minutes record discussion and questions but do not print verbatim testimony or detailed procedural timelines beyond the speakers’ presence in the record. No committee motion or formal vote was recorded in the minutes for this item.
