Bitterroot Valley Irrigation 101

Bitterroot Valley Irrigation 101

This is a complicated subject, with many moving parts but here's an overview:

The irrigation water in the Bitterroot Valley is primarily managed by local irrigation districts and water user associations, with oversight and regulation from state and federal agencies.

There are several irrigation districts in the Bitterroot Valley, including the Bitter Root Irrigation District, the Darby Irrigation District, and the Corvallis Irrigation District. These districts are responsible for managing the distribution of water from the Bitterroot River and other sources to their respective users.

In addition to the irrigation districts, there are also water user associations in the Bitterroot Valley, which are typically smaller organizations that manage water for specific groups of users, such as residents of a particular subdivision or owners of a small parcel of land.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) plays a role in regulating irrigation water use in the Bitterroot Valley, through its Water Resources Division. The DNRC issues water use permits and administers the state's water rights system, which is based on the principle of "first in time, first in right." This means that water users with older, established water rights have priority over users with more recent water rights.

The United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) also has a role in managing water resources in the Bitterroot Valley, particularly in relation to the Bitterroot Project, a federal irrigation project that was established in the early 1900s to provide water to farmers in the valley. The USBR operates several reservoirs and diversion structures that are used to manage water flows in the Bitterroot River and its tributaries, and works with local irrigation districts to ensure that water is allocated fairly and efficiently.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) is responsible for administering the state's water rights system, including the allocation of new water rights in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.

However, due to the limited availability of water resources in the Bitterroot Valley and the status of the Bitterroot River as a closed basin, the DNRC has imposed restrictions on the allocation of new water rights in the valley.

In 1996, the DNRC implemented a "closure" of the Bitterroot River, which means that no new water rights can be granted without an exchange of water rights, which involves retiring or transferring an existing water right. The closure was put in place to ensure that the amount of water being used in the Bitterroot Basin does not exceed the amount available, and to protect existing water users' rights.