To all SMWOA members with water rights, from Al Verbanac,

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There will be some changes in the way that we manage our water, and they will be changes that will have positive results.

First some background. As you probably know the water court in a preliminary decree has determined that we each individually own our shares of water, and that SMWOA has some management responsibility. The court has left it up to us to decide how to fulfill that responsibility. The Board of Directors has been gathering information and has also asked me to assist.

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The most immediate change and one that will assure equitable distribution of our water this season is that we are petitioning the court to appoint a water commissioner aka "ditch rider" for Nugget Ditch and the north end of North Meadow Creek. The water commissioner has legal authority that will prevent further conflict and will also provide some level of guidance in the use of water and the maintenance of the ditch. Those of us that use water will be required to have operable headgates and to provide a means of measuring our water usage. This is a first step and one that is necessary. At this time it appears that the costs for the water commissioner will be both reasonable and minimal.

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The next step after petitioning the district court for a water commissioner is to form a water rights owners group for the purpose of maintaining Nugget ditch and the headgates. This group could also have a role in managing the use of water in SMWOA. Some of the questions are, "How much will this cost, and how will it work?" We will be gathering more information in the near future to answer these and other questions by contacting other water user groups and learning how they are managing their water. Our goal is to present a plan to the SMWOA water owners that we can discuss and then determine how to proceed. It is also possible that other water owners on our ditches may participate at some level.

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To sum up, we will have a court appointed water commissioner this season who will assure that we all get our fair share of the water. There will be a process of investigation and learning to develop a plan to present to all SMWOA members with water rights which will answer questions of cost and the mechanics of how we will manage the water and maintain Nugget ditch.

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Those of us with water rights will bear the greatest share of any and all costs.

At this point we will hold any costs to the Association to an absolute minimum while understanding that SMWOA still retains a level of responsibility for management of the water. One of our goals is to relieve the general membership ( i.e members who do not own a water right ) of the costs associated with management and maintenance of the water.

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There will be further communications to keep all of us informed of progress. Please check the SMWOA website for more information.

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I know that I am looking forward to achieving better management of our water in a way that will reduce conflict, assure equitable distribution, and improve the level of maintenance of our ditches and head gates. All of these are positives that will add to the value of our properties and further enhance the quality of our lives here in Montana.

If you have specific questions please contact the Board of Directors or myself through the “contact SMWOA” link on www.SMWOA.org. or by emailing smwoa1@gmail.com. Together we will answer with the most current information available.

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On behalf of the Board of Directors and myself, thank you for your interest on this subject,

Al Verbanac May 3, 2013