Committee advances H 789 to ratify Coeur d'Alene Tribe water-rights settlement and create rental bank

The Senate Resources & Environment Committee voted to send H 789, which ratifies the 2026 Coeur d'Alene Tribe Water Rights Settlement Agreement, to the floor with a do-pass recommendation after testimony from the Tribe's legislative director and pro-settlement stakeholders.

Tyrel Stevenson, Legislative Director for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, explained the bill would ratify and provide for implementation of the settlement, and would authorize the Idaho Water Resource Board to appoint a local rental committee to operate a water supply bank for off-reservation leases of consumptive-use water rights held by or on behalf of the Tribe within the Coeur d'Alene–Spokane River Basin. "The Tribe had a number of different water rights under the terms of the settlement agreement that were non-consumptive," Stevenson said, and he clarified that some rights were consumptive and could be leased for off-reservation use.

Mr. Stevenson said the Tribe's rights totaled about 17,000 acre-feet when accounting for in-stream flows, lake rights and other non-consumptive claims, and that the Tribe agreed to recognize an additional 10,000 acre-feet for future state law-based rights within the basin. Garrett Kitamura of Parsons Behle & Latimer testified in favor of the bill on behalf of private parties and property-owner coalitions that signed the settlement, calling the agreement the culmination of nearly two years of negotiations and stating that the signatories were satisfied with the outcome.

Senator Curt Guthrie moved to send H 789 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation; Senator Harris seconded, and the motion carried by voice vote. The committee record shows the bill will proceed to the full Senate for further consideration.