Opinion ID: 889045
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Proposed Expansion of the East Bench Irrigation District

Text: ¶ 12 Petitioners are members of EBID and also own land inside the original EBID boundaries. Petitioners sought to expand the boundaries of EBID in January and February of 2007. The petitions requested that the District Court extend the boundaries of EBID to include approximately 585 acres that Petitioners have irrigated with water delivered through EBID irrigation works, but fall outside the original irrigation district boundaries. The canals, ditches, pipelines, and works of the EBID physically are capable of irrigating all of the land described in the petitions. Petitioners have in fact irrigated the lands described in the petitions for decades. The EBID Board of Commissioners and BOR both support the petitions to expand the EBID boundaries. ¶ 13 Open A irrigates lands in the Beaverhead Valley with water rights diverted from the Beaverhead River. Open A holds a water right senior to the water rights held by EBID. Open A is not a member of CCWSC or EBID. Open A filed a Notice of Appearance on February 21, 2007, in the boundary extension proceeding. Open A objected to the EBID boundary extension. Open A's motion also sought to consolidate the boundary extension hearing with the pending contract confirmation hearing. Open A objects to the renegotiated contract between EBID and BOR. ¶ 14 The District Court scheduled a hearing for February 26, 2007, on the petitions to extend the boundaries of EBID. Open A appeared at the hearing and stated its objection to the boundary extension. The District Court noted that Open A's motion to consolidate also was before the court. The District Court deferred resolution of the EBID boundary extension until after it had resolved the question of whether to consolidate the two cases. ¶ 15 Petitioners filed answer briefs to Open A's motion to consolidate. Open A filed a reply brief. The District Court denied Open A's motion to consolidate on April 25, 2007. Open A filed an objection on May 15, 2007, to the petitions to expand the boundaries of EBID. Petitioners requested a scheduling conference before the District Court. Petitioners noted that the statute governing the extension of an irrigation district boundary provided no specific procedure for addressing the objections. Petitioners stated that they anticipate asking the Court to dismiss the objections and respectfully request the Court's guidance in establishing the procedure and schedule to follow. ¶ 16 The District Court conducted the scheduling conference on July 23, 2007. The parties engaged in extensive discovery. Petitioners filed motions for summary judgment on December 5, 2007. Petitioners argued that no genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether they had established the statutory elements to extend the EBID boundaries. Petitioners also contended that Open A had no standing to object to the boundary extension, as Open A had produced no evidence showing that it would be injured or in any way affected by the EBID boundary extension. ¶ 17 Open A filed a cross-motion for summary judgment on December 6, 2007. Open A argued that the District Court should dismiss the petitions to extend the EBID boundaries. Open A argued that Petitioners had not established the legal requirements to expand the boundaries. Open A also claimed that the District Court did not have the authority to extend the EBID boundaries. Open A contended that a determination to expand the boundaries necessarily would involve a determination of existing water rights, and that such a determination rests exclusively with the Montana Water Court. Open A also argued that the District Court's approval of the boundary extension would ratify the Petitioners' past illegal irrigation of land outside the EBID boundaries with EBID water. Open A and Petitioners filed answer briefs and reply briefs to the respective summary judgment motions. ¶ 18 The District Court conducted a hearing on February 4, 2008, on the petition to extend the EBID boundaries. Petitioners and Open A argued their motions for summary judgment and argued the merits of the petitions to extend the EBID boundaries. The District Court granted Petitioners' motion for summary judgment and denied Open A's cross-motion for summary judgment. ¶ 19 The District Court concluded that Petitioners had met their burden to establish the absence of any genuine issue of material fact that would allow Open A to prevail. The court determined that Open A had not presented substantial evidence raising a genuine issue of material fact that would preclude summary judgment. The District Court concluded that Open A had not established that it would suffer injury or threatened injury as a result of the EBID boundary extension. The District Court filed an order, judgment, and decree on March 24, 2008, that extended the EBID boundaries to include the lands of the Petitioners. Open A appeals.