Looking for a Water Rights Specialist to Join our Team!

WATER RIGHTS SPECIALIST

HydroSolutions, Inc. (HydroSolutions) seeks a Water Right Specialist to join our team. The position is available in our Helena Montana office, in full- or part-time status.

Job Description:

In this position you will primarily provide assistance with preparing water right permitting documents. Work will primarily be focused on projects in Montana. Typical tasks will include:

• Assist with preparation of Montana DNRC water right permits and change applications.

• Review of DNRC water right files, Water Resource Surveys, and Water Court documents and decisions.

• Data acquisition, compilation, and analysis in support of water resources or environmental projects.

• Geographic Information Systems analysis and mapping.

• Historical aerial imagery analysis and interpretation relating to historical water use.

• Perform site inspections relating to water rights, water resources, or environmental projects. Field work will include stream flow measurements, use of GPS to document conditions, install stream gages, well inspection and pumping tests, environmental baseline assessments, and more.

• Interface and communicating with state agencies including Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP); or Federal agencies like USFS, BLM, BOR, or others.

• Provide technical support and guidance to other technical staff and attorneys regarding water rights, water supply, and Water Court cases.

Required Education, Skills & Experience:

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in natural resources, earth sciences, or engineering.

• Knowledge of Montana water rights permitting processes and at least 1 year of experience with preparing or processing DNRC water right permitting documents.

• Demonstrated ability to prepare written documents with scientific and technical information.

• Strong and effective verbal communication skills.

• Ability to work independently and set own work priorities; ability to work in a team environment.

• Accuracy and attention to details, ability to meet deadlines.

• Experience and ability to complete field work activities.

• Positive client interface and work attitude.

• Ability to organize multiple tasks.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite.

Other Desired Experience & Abilities or Growth Areas:

• GIS software skills (ESRI Desktop/Pro suite) including but not limited to, raster georeferencing, geodatabase management, geoprocessing, and digitization.

• Basic database skills

• Cartographic mapping principles

• Use and interpretation of remote sensing data products

• Familiarity with public sources of spatial data

• Flexibility to work in other service areas of water resources and environmental

• Experience with stream gaging,

• Creativity and ability to learn new skills and areas of practice

Salary Range: Depending on knowledge and experience, starting base pay could be between $29/hour and $37/hour. Salary range may be negotiable based on knowledge and experience.

Benefits and Other Compensation: We provide a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees that promotes employee health, performance, and success which includes medical, dental, vision, paid time off and parental leave, paid holidays, 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match, performance-based bonus eligibility, and potential for end-of-year retirement fund profit share.

Office Location: Helena Montana.

Appointment Type: Full- or Part-Time

About HydroSolutions: HydroSolutions Inc is a Montana-incorporated engineering and environmental consulting firm founded in 1999 specializing in water supply engineering and development, water rights, hydrology, geology, groundwater assessment, and environmental investigation and remediation.

HydroSolutions is proud to serve Montana and the West. We are independent consultants with a solid record of serving ag and ranch, industry, conservation groups, private individuals, and government. We employ an experienced staff of engineers, water rights specialists, hydrologists, geologists, earth scientists, and field technicians.

Interested? Email your resume to info@hydrosi.com and request a job application.

Merry Christmas from all of us at HydroSolutions

HydroSolutions Summer Float

HydroSolutions staff and families out enjoying a beautiful July day on the always fun Missouri River! It was a wonderful day of enjoying each other’s company

Looking for a Water Rights Specialist to Join our Team!

WATER RIGHTS SPECIALIST

HydroSolutions, Inc. (HydroSolutions) seeks a Water Right Specialist to join our team. The position is available in our Helena Montana office, in full- or part-time status.

Job Description:

In this position you will primarily provide assistance with preparing water right permitting documents. Work will primarily be focused on projects in Montana. Typical tasks will include:

• Assist with preparation of Montana DNRC water right permits and change applications.

• Review of DNRC water right files, Water Resource Surveys, and Water Court documents and decisions.

• Data acquisition, compilation, and analysis in support of water resources or environmental projects.

• Geographic Information Systems analysis and mapping.

• Historical aerial imagery analysis and interpretation relating to historical water use.

• Perform site inspections relating to water rights, water resources, or environmental projects. Field work will include stream flow measurements, use of GPS to document conditions, install stream gages, well inspection and pumping tests, environmental baseline assessments, and more.

• Interface and communicating with state agencies including Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP); or Federal agencies like USFS, BLM, BOR, or others.

• Provide technical support and guidance to other technical staff and attorneys regarding water rights, water supply, and Water Court cases.

Required Education, Skills & Experience:

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in natural resources, earth sciences, or engineering.

• Knowledge of Montana water rights permitting processes and at least 1 year of experience with preparing or processing DNRC water right permitting documents.

• Demonstrated ability to prepare written documents with scientific and technical information.

• Strong and effective verbal communication skills.

• Ability to work independently and set own work priorities; ability to work in a team environment.

• Accuracy and attention to details, ability to meet deadlines.

• Experience and ability to complete field work activities.

• Positive client interface and work attitude.

• Ability to organize multiple tasks.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite.

Other Desired Experience & Abilities or Growth Areas:

• GIS software skills (ESRI Desktop/Pro suite) including but not limited to, raster georeferencing, geodatabase management, geoprocessing, and digitization.

• Basic database skills

• Cartographic mapping principles

• Use and interpretation of remote sensing data products

• Familiarity with public sources of spatial data

• Flexibility to work in other service areas of water resources and environmental

• Experience with stream gaging,

• Creativity and ability to learn new skills and areas of practice

Salary Range: Depending on knowledge and experience, starting base pay could be between $29/hour and $37/hour. Salary range may be negotiable based on knowledge and experience.

Benefits and Other Compensation: We provide a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees that promotes employee health, performance, and success which includes medical, dental, vision, paid time off and parental leave, paid holidays, 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match, performance-based bonus eligibility, and potential for end-of-year retirement fund profit share.

Office Location: Helena Montana.

Appointment Type: Full- or Part-Time

About HydroSolutions: HydroSolutions Inc is a Montana-incorporated engineering and environmental consulting firm founded in 1999 specializing in water supply engineering and development, water rights, hydrology, geology, groundwater assessment, and environmental investigation and remediation.

HydroSolutions is proud to serve Montana and the West. We are independent consultants with a solid record of serving ag and ranch, industry, conservation groups, private individuals, and government. We employ an experienced staff of engineers, water rights specialists, hydrologists, geologists, earth scientists, and field technicians.

Interested? Email your resume to info@hydrosi.com and request a job application.

HydroSolutions Welcomes New Water Rights Specialist

We are happy to welcome Russ Radliff to the HydroSolutions team as our newest Water Rights Specialist!

Russ is an experienced Water Right Specialist with a longstanding history working in the private sector and in the public sector for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and Wyoming State Engineers Office (SEO). Skilled in Montana DNRC Water Right Permitting and Water Court and District Court Expert Witness Testimony and Technical Assistance. Russ frequently provides water right technical advice, water rights research, due diligence reports and water right mapping services to attorneys and clients. 

 B.S., Earth Sciences, Montana State University

Merry Christmas From HydroSolutions

Comprehensive River Management Planning Resumes

Forest Service News Release

Contact: Tami MacKenzie   
tamara.mackenzie@usda.gov

Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River: Comprehensive River Management Planning Resumes

Kalispell, MT, November 4, 2021- The Flathead National Forest, in coordination with Glacier National Park, is excited to announce that after a year-long delay, planning efforts will begin once again on the Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) for the Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River. The project will continue to be coordinated by HydroSolutions Inc, a Helena, Montana natural resource consulting firm.

In the fall/winter of 2020 the project team was working on an initial draft of the CRMP. This plan along with an environmental assessment was anticipated to be released for public comment in January of 2020, with a final decision in the summer of 2020. The CRMP project was delayed due to lack of funding for completing the contract as well as staffing and capacity issues. In January 2021, the Forest Service secured additional funding to extend the contract with HydroSolutions through August 2022.

The purpose of the project is to fulfill the requirements of Section 3(d)(1) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act that states that “the Federal agencies charged with the administration of each component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System shall prepare a comprehensive management plan…to provide for the protection of river values and Section 3(d) (2) that requires that river management plans for Wild and Scenic Rivers designated prior to 1986 be reviewed for conformity with the Act. Prior to developing the proposed action, six public engagement sessions were held to discuss water quality, wildlife, cultural and ethnography features, fisheries, geology and botany, and recreation and scenery. The Proposed Action was then drafted and released in late summer 2019, which included a 45-day public scoping period that generated 126 written comments and included two public meetings attended by approximately 180 people.

The purpose and need for the Flathead River CRMP Project, as stated in the proposed action is:

• To protect and enhance the outstandingly remarkable values identified in the original designation.

• To update the existing river management plan as required to maintain compliance with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and to reflect changes that have occurred since designation (1976) in forest and park management, special status species, and other laws that affect resources within the Wild and Scenic River corridor.

This plan will be implemented through three primary mechanisms including intergovernmental coordination, individual agency action, and partnerships with non-governmental organizations and the public. This plan provides management direction and information on the desired river conditions as well as monitoring indicators, triggers, and thresholds for the Flathead Wild and Scenic River into the future. Future projects and site-specific activities must be consistent with the regulatory guidance provided in the CRMP as well as the Flathead Forest Plan.

Because some time has passed since the release of the proposed action, we encourage interested public to review the proposed action document and project background materials. The Proposed Action document highlights the elements of the CRMP that address the current status of the outstanding remarkable values along these river segments, outlines goals and desired conditions, describes the user capacity determination process, and proposes a monitoring strategy, indicators, and management direction to carry forward. The proposed action can be accessed at the Flathead Comprehensive River Management Plan project website and the CRMP Project Background link on the Flathead NF CRMP Website includes all the materials from the 2018 Pre-scoping public engagement meetings and detailed project background. 

The new project timeline anticipates that a Draft CRMP and environmental assessment will be released in the spring of 2022 for public review and comment. The project team plans to hold a public engagement session to provide more information and facilitate public input on the Draft Plan. The final decision and CRMP is expected to be released late summer 2022.

The Forest appreciates the public’s continued engagement and interest in the Flathead CRMP Project and look forward to receiving more input as we move forward. The Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River is a nationally and locally important resource. The Forest/Team is committed to developing a CRMP that will meet the requirements of the Wild and Scenic River Act and continue to protect and enhance the rivers free flowing conditions, water quality, and the outstandingly remarkable values for current and future generations.

New Service Looks to Match Buyers, Sellers of Montana Water Rights

On Sunday August 23, 2020, Lee Newspapers around the state of Montana published an article about Western Water Market’s launch in Montana and HydroSolutions participation as Montana’s founding member. The article was published in the Helena Independent Record, the Missoulian, the Billings Gazette, and the Montana Standard. HydroSolutions was the first participant in Montana and the first participant to post water rights for sale outside the state of Washington. Western Water Market continues to expand into more states and water right sellers, buyers, and professionals continue to post more and more listings to the website.

Check out the article here: https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/new-service-looks-to-match-buyers-sellers-of-montana-water-rights/article_23a28265-0a60-5fb8-899c-b7d4fa673d52.html

And check out HydroSolutions and our water rights listings on Western Water Market here: https://app.westernwatermarket.com/en/hydrosolutions

HydroSolutions becomes Montana founding member of Western Water Market, posts 3 sets of water rights for sale

HydroSolutions is proud to announce that our firm has become the first Montana-based participant to join Western Water Market. Western Water Market is an online water right listing service that was launched in February 2020 and is helping to connect water right buyers and sellers in communities across the West. The platform started in Washington State and has been steadily expanding into Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah. In addition to connecting water right buyers and sellers, Western Water Market is “also building a network of the top water right professionals to assist water right holders, buyers and sellers along every step of the way - from evaluating needs and assets, to listing on the market, to executing water right transactions and transfers with ease and confidence.”

HydroSolutions staff has over 50 years of combined experience helping water right owners with a variety of projects including change applications, new permit applications, adjudication support, GIS analysis and expert witness testimony. We’re excited about the value Western Water Market membership adds for our clients, and we think this will help lubricate the market by providing opportunities for agricultural producers, conservation organizations, municipal water providers, and industry to address water supply challenges.

We’d like to give special recognition to our longtime client, Centennial Livestock, who became the first water right owner to list water rights for sale outside of Washington. Ranchers, conservation organizations, and developers should look into these great opportunities to acquire water rights on Tenmile Creek, Prickly Pear Creek, and the West Fork of the Madison River.

If you are interested in buying or selling water rights, or if you need any other professional services related to water rights, please give us a call at our Helena office: 406-443-6169.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year from all of us at HydroSolutions!