Water rights meetings planned

COEUR d'ALENE - A new water rights association has hired one of the state's most prominent water attorneys to represent it during Idaho's water adjudication process.

North Idaho Water Rights Association Chairman Pam Secord said her association has two public meetings planned for next week in St. Maries and Kellogg to educate people on the next steps in the process after rejecting a federal water rights claim.

"There are some time dates that people need to be aware of," Secord said. "Quite a few people - especially in Kellogg - have filed objections to the federal claims on their own."

She said those people will have to appear in court on Feb. 12 to represent themselves or they can withdraw and join NIWRA for $40 a year.

Secord said if objectors want to sign up and be represented by NIWRA's attorney, Norm Semanko, they need to do so by Feb. 10, which gives Semanko time to file court records on behalf of the new members.

Secord said NIWRA has 122 members from all over the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane River Basin, which is actively being adjudicated.

The association formed around collective objections to federal water rights claims that have been filed by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs of behalf of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.

Secord said the Forest Service has since withdrawn its claims, and she expects the BLM to follow suit, but she doesn't expect the Coeur d'Alene Tribe to withdraw.

"They are claiming dates that are unreasonable. They are claiming quantities that are unreasonable," she said. "Their claims will impact everyone's water rights, and that is unreasonable."

Secord said a representative of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe recently stated in a public water forum that "if there is a drought, they will let us drink their water."

"We need to protect our water rights," she said. "What happens if we don't get a water right? We have to get permission from the tribe to drink some water? That is pretty offensive to us."

Secord said the group's attorney has already helped protect their water rights from being issued without delay.

She said the Bureau of Indian Affairs filed a motion on behalf of the Tribe to delay the decrees of legitimate water rights claims in the Plummer, Desmet and Worley area.

Semanko was able to get that motion denied, Secord said.

"That was precedent-setting," she said, adding that if the Tribe had prevailed, they could have delayed water rights all over the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane River Basin.

Secord is encouraging anyone interested in water rights to attend one of two NIWRA meetings next week.

The first meeting will be in St. Maries at 6 p.m. on Monday in the Federal Building conference room. The second meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Kellogg Middle School cafeteria.

Everyone is welcome to attend to learn more about what NIWRA's goals are and how the organization is working to defend water rights.

More details will be given at the meetings, Secord said. Contact NIWRA at niwaterrights@gmail.com or on its Facebook page: Facebook.com/niwaterrights.