Montana Title 85. Water Use § 85-7-203. Petition, hearing, and order

Whenever the owners of land and water rights, as described in 85-7-202, desire to organize for the purposes mentioned in this part, a petition to that effect, signed by not less than 60% of the individual landowners who represent not less than 51% of the irrigable acres to be affected by the proposed district and 51% of the cubic feet of water per second decreed or adjudicated in the stream from which the irrigation district is to operate, shall be filed with the clerk of the district court of the county or counties in which the district is to be created. For the purpose of determining whether the requirements of acreage and cubic feet of water per second have been met by the petition, water diverted from the adjudicated stream and distributed under irrigation districts other than the one to be created under this part may not be considered; however, such water and acreage shall be required to pay all assessments the same as other water and acreage affected by irrigation districts created under this part. Upon filing of the petition, the court shall set a date for a hearing on the petition and a written notice shall be mailed, not less than 5 days prior to the hearing, to each landowner or water right owner affected by the proposed district. If the court finds from such hearing that an irrigation district, as prayed for in the petition, is feasible and practical, the court shall issue an order creating the irrigation district. The order shall constitute the authority for the district to function for the purposes and intent as outlined in this part. The court shall appoint five commissioners who are landowners or water right owners affected by such district to act until the first annual meeting.