Deadline to file exempt water right claims is June 30

HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) recently reminded water right owners that the deadline for filing a claim on their exempt water rights is June 30, 2019.

The 2017 Montana Legislature created the opportunity for owners of exempt water rights to file claims when it passed HB 110. Since the filing period began on May 7, 2017, DNRC Director John Tubbs said the Department has received more than 7,000 exempt claim filings.

An exempt water right is defined as a water right that was in existence before July 1 of 1973. Water rights in this time period...