Montana legislators are seeking to protect a main source of eastern Montana’s water as wells start to run dry. The aquifer expands from Canada into North Dakota, Wyoming and Eastern Montana.
Sidney rancher Don Steinbeisser told lawmakers in March that there is a serious problem.
"We're having wells go dry already and these wells are all designed to be free flowing, so, as we brought up, you can't put a pump in them. So, we're just out of water," Steinbeisser said,
Sidney Republican Rep. Morgan Theil’s bill would pause new high-volume requests for water while the aquifer is studied over the next two years.
"While there have not been very many permits on this aquifer in the last 10 to 15 years, there are a couple that are pending right now … requesting a fairly large amount of water, so that has kind of sparked concern over this area," he said.
Theil said high volumes of water have historically taken from the aquifer for oil and gas development.
The aquifer also supplies water to ranchers who use it for their stock. And it supplies the municipal water for several eastern Montana towns. Thiel said farmers in the region are reporting issues with well pressure.
The bill passed the House with unanimous support. It is now under consideration by the Senate.
