Our instream water right leases are mutually beneficial for landowners, streamflows, and communities.  Our work has proven that an agricultural community does not have to choose between economic viability and the conservation of its most precious natural resource.

Streamflow Prior to Leasing (see the diagram on the left)
As each irrigator (Smith, Johnson, and Brown) diverts the full amount of their water right from the stream, the native fish population downstream is left with a mere 6 cubic feet per second (cfs) of instream flow.  During the hot dry summer months that correspond with the irrigation season, it is likely that the stream will run com pletely dry, depleting aquatic habitat entirely.  This is the case each year for 4,000 miles of dewatered streams throughout Montana.

Streamflow with Leasing (see the diagram on the right )
By leasing just a portion of each irrigator’s consumptive water right, and transferring the rights to instream flow, MWT puts 6 cfs of water back into the stream for fish habitat.  Our projects target streams where a small amount of water can maintain habitat connectivity for native fish species now facing serious threats, such as bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.  Notice that there are more fish where there is more water left instream.