Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024

This bill establishes a final settlement for water rights claims of the Fort Belknap Indian Community (comprising the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes) in Montana. It ratifies a water rights compact between the tribe and the State of Montana, allocating 20,000 acre-feet of water annually from Lake Elwell for tribal use on and off the reservation. The bill authorizes land exchanges between federal and state governments, establishes trust funds for water resource management, and includes provisions for rehabilitating irrigation systems on the reservation. This settlement resolves longstanding water rights disputes while providing a framework for managing water resources for tribal members and the reservation.