Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024

The Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024 ratifies a water rights compact between the Fort Belknap Indian Community (Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes) and Montana, confirming the Tribe's water rights held in trust by the United States. It allocates 20,000 acre-feet of water annually from Lake Elwell for the Tribe's use on or off the Reservation, authorizes land exchanges to expand the Reservation, and establishes two trust funds to support water infrastructure development and management. The bill requires the Tribe to create a Tribal water code for administering water rights, mandates waiver of historical claims against the United States, and sets an enforceability date for implementation.