Water Rights
Navigating the Tricky Landscape of Water Rights
Protect, Manage, and Secure your Water RightsHydroSolutions, specializes in providing comprehensive water rights consulting services to landowners, municipalities, attorneys, developers, and concerned stakeholders. With decades of experience in Montana’s complex water right system, our team of water right specialists are committed to helping you protect, manage, and secure your water rights.
Providing Water Rights Services Since 1999
What We Offer
DNRC Water Right Permitting
We provide comprehensive support for navigating the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) water right permitting process. Our services include:
- Water Right Permits – Assistance in obtaining new water right permits, including technical documentation and application preparation, mitigation plans in closed basins, pumping tests for physical availability and adverse effects analysis.
- Water Right Change Applications – Guidance and preparation of applications to modify existing rights, historical use analysis and adverse effects analysis.
- Exempt Wells – Assess and file for exempt well notices, evaluation of small domestic and stock wells to determine compliance with Montana exempt well regulations.
Water Court Adjudication Support
We assist clients and their attorneys with the technical aspects of Montana Water Court cases. Our expertise helps ensure accurate representation of water rights during adjudication. Services include:
- Water Rights Mapping – Creation of precise maps showing points of diversion, places of use, and conveyance systems; owner and surrounding property ownership mapping.
- Water Rights Research – Historical research and analysis to support claims, corrections, or defense of water rights.
- Flow Measurement and Estimation – Field data collection and technical calculations to determine water use and delivery capacity.
Expert Witness Services
Our team provides credible, defensible expert testimony for water-related legal proceedings. We work closely with attorneys and clients to present clear, technical evidence in:
- Montana Water Court Cases
- District Court Proceedings
- DNRC Contested Case Hearings
Field & Site Visit Services
On-the-ground data collection is always critical in water rights cases. We offer a range of site visit services, including:
- Historical Use Investigations – Field verification of past water use to support water right claims.
- Flow Measurement – Measurement and monitoring of streamflow, ditch capacity, and well production rates.
- GPS Survey and Data Collection – Accurate location and mapping of diversion points, pipelines, ditches, places of use, and water elevations.
- Wells and Springs – Physical availability assessment, pumping tests (aquifer testing), water level measurement and monitoring, assessment of impacts from neighboring water use.