The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1943-02-11
HARDIN MEN
AT MEETING
Hearing On Compact
Is Held In Helena.
ALLEGATIONS Given

- AAS&A IA 44S4S1x0s
ALLEGATIONS Given
H. w. Bunston, a member of
the Yellowstone river compact
committee, Bert Kronmfller
representing the Two Leggins
Water Users Association, H. A.
Williams, representing the Low
Line Ditch company and Robert
Yellowtail, superintendent of
the Crow Indian reservation, at
tended the senate hearing on
the compact over the distribu-
ton of the waters of the Vel
loWstone watershed held recent
ly in Helena. Each spoke in ia
vor of the legislature adopting
the compact.
The compact between Mon
tana, Wyoming and North Da-
kota must be passed by the leg
1slature of each state before 1t
becomes effective.
Senator Wesley A. D'Ewart of
Park county acted as chairman
of the meeting explaining the
compact provisions. Fred Buck,
state engineer, spoke from an
engineers standpoint and ex-
planned on what basis the allo-
cations of the water were made.
The compact as drawn, pro-
vides for the division of the wa
tiers of the interstate tributar-
les between states under two
schedules. Under the first div
iSion of the Big Horn river the
compact provides that each day
during the period from May l
to Sept. 80 inclusive, of each
year, after supplying the reas-
enable water requirements of
the lands having Indian treaty
water rights in Wyoming, and
the lands having Indian treaty
water rights in Montana served
directly from the main stem of
the Big Horn river, the remain
der of the first $4,000 acre feet
of mean divertible daily flow
of the Big Horn river, deter
mined at the lowest point of di-
version of this stream, shall be
divided 80 per cent to Wyoming
and 10 per cent to Montana.
The Crow Indian lands under
irrigation total approximately
$4,000 acres and the land un-
der the Two Leggins ditch is
about 10000 acres, of which
more than 1000 acres is Indian
Land. There is about $500 acres
under the low line ditch and
some 1000 acres on the lower
Yellowstone.
The division of water even
under the low flow period is
sufficient to meet the water
right requirements of the Big
Horn owners in Montana, it was
stated.
There is another ALLEGATION for
needs of potential irrigable lands
up to 10000 acre feet flow.
Above the 10000 flow the water
is subject to appropriation by
either of the signatory states.
The division of the waters is
only between states and the
compact leaves priorities and
vested water rights to be de-
cided between the people of the
states.
The same principle is used
for dividing the waters of the
interstate streams of the Clark's
Fork, Tongue and Powder riv-
erS.
All divisions are based on the
actual irrigated lands in 1910.
However, owing to the large de-
velopment of irrigated lands
on the Big Horn river in Wyom-
ing since 1910 and the fact the
irrigated lands have remained
the same in Montana since 1910,
consideration is given to this
fact in the division of the wa
ter of the Big Horn.
The compact makes provis-
ions for such adjustment of al
locations as may be found ad-
visable in order that equities
between states shall prevail
during the first ten-year period
of the compact, and if they
are not made, the watershed
area affected may become sus-
pended from the compact and
its status revert to the condition
existing before the execution of
the compact.
Due to the fact that Wyom-
ing does not divert any water
from the main stem of the yell
lowstone in Wyoming, the COM
pact does not allocate the wa
tiers of the upper Yellowstone,
and the whole stream is left to
the exclusive appropriation and
use of the people of Montana.