Honest Cattle · Lincoln County
Water Rights
Water Rights & Land Ownership
Lincoln County occupies Montana’s NW corner, bordering Idaho and British Columbia. Libby is the county seat on the Kootenai River, with Lake Koocanusa backing into the SE corner from Libby Dam. The Yaak River drains the northern Cabinet Mountains; the Fisher River drains the central county. About 8,700 active rights, mostly stock and small irrigation in mountain valleys.
8,714Active water rights
Irrigation & StockPrimary uses
3,675 mi²County area
76C · 76D · 76BDNRC basins
Active rights pulled live from DNRC WRQS on 2026-06-01. Lincoln spans five basins: 76B (Kootenai upper), 76C/76D (Kootenai main & tribs), 76LJ (Pleasant Valley side), 76N (Lower Clark Fork edge).
Lincoln County Watershed Map
Rivers / Lake Koocanusa Kootenai R. Yaak R. Fisher R.
Search Lincoln County water rights
DNRC WRQSOwner, priority, abstract — pre-filter on basin 76C. DNRC WaterMapperKootenai, Yaak, and Fisher R. diversions. Montana CadastralParcel boundaries — large USFS holdings. GWIC MapperWells & aquifer data.
- Water right format:
- 76C 12345 00 (Kootenai main) · 76D (trib.) · 76B (upper Kootenai).
- Primary basins:
- 76B Upper Kootenai · 76C Kootenai main · 76D Kootenai trib · 76LJ Pleasant Valley · 76N Lower Clark Fork edge.
- Libby Dam / Koocanusa:
- USACE Bonneville Power Administration coordinated reservoir — Kootenai flow allocation governed by US-Canada Columbia River Treaty.
- International note:
- Kootenai headwaters in BC, downstream into Idaho — multi-jurisdictional flow management.
- DNRC regional office:
- Kalispell Regional Office, 406-752-2288.
- Clerk & Recorder:
- Lincoln County, 406-283-2306.
Quick links
Data sources: Montana DNRC, MSL/DOR Cadastral, MBMG GWIC, USACE, BPA. Active rights pulled live from DNRC WRQS on 2026-06-01. Informational only.