Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024

HR 8791 establishes a settlement of water rights for the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana, ratifying a water rights compact between the tribe and the State of Montana. The bill allocates 20,000 acre-feet of water annually from Lake Elwell for the tribe's use on and off the reservation. It creates trust funds to support water management, infrastructure development, and tribal water rights administration, including $29 million for irrigation projects and $157 million for domestic water systems. The legislation also authorizes land exchanges to expand the reservation and includes provisions for improving the Fort Belknap Indian Irrigation Project.