The Blackfeet Nation is beginning to build infrastructure to improve access to clean water.
The Blackfeet Nation and federal Bureau of Reclamation signed a $2 million contract to develop a plan for water diversion and delivery infrastructure across the reservation.
The work is tied into the 2016 Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement which established tribal water rights to over 750,000 acre-feet of surface water. The first step in the process was building a water tank at Heart Butte.
Shane Schiek is an implementation manager for Indian Water Rights Settlements with the Bureau.
“This is really the foundation piece so that the Blackfeet tribe can move forward and address all their water infrastructure needs,” Schiek said.
The plan will guide a multiyear effort to develop city, rural and industrial water systems across the reservation.
