Water Rights & Land Ownership
This page brings together two essential public tools for understanding land and water in Meagher County: the Montana DNRC Water Rights Query System (WRQS) and the Montana Cadastral land ownership database. Together, they let you search water rights by owner or source, view parcel boundaries and ownership on a map, and connect the two — every parcel in the Cadastral carries a 17-digit geocode that links directly to water rights in the DNRC database.
Meagher County spans 2,391 square miles of central Montana, with ranching operations spread across three main watersheds: the Smith River (flowing north to the Missouri), the Musselshell River (flowing east), and Sixteenmile Creek (flowing south to the Missouri). Key irrigation infrastructure includes Newlan Creek Reservoir (14,030 AF) serving 29 water users and roughly 11,000 acres through the Southside Canal, and Martinsdale Reservoir on the Musselshell. Many streams become critically dewatered during summer, and the proposed Black Butte Copper Mine on Sheep Creek has made water rights a high-profile issue in this county.
How these tools work together
The workflow for researching water on a property is straightforward:
- Find your parcel in the Cadastral map below — search by owner name, address, or zoom to the location and click the parcel. Note the 17-digit geocode shown in the parcel details.
- Search water rights using the WRQS search tool on this page — select “By geocode / PLSS,” paste the geocode, and click “Search WRQS.” This opens the state database filtered to all water rights attached to that parcel.
- View on the map — the interactive watershed map between these tools shows where major diversions, rivers, and irrigation areas are located across Meagher County, so you can see the broader context for any property.
Montana Cadastral — Meagher County Parcels & Land Ownership
The Montana Cadastral is the state’s official parcel mapping system, maintained by the Montana State Library and Department of Revenue. Every parcel in Meagher County is mapped with owner names, addresses, assessed values, agricultural use classifications, tax districts, and geocodes. Public land (USFS, BLM, state trust) appears as larger unsubdivided parcels. Search by owner name, geocode, or address in the top-left search bar, or click any parcel on the map to view its details.
What the Cadastral tells ranchers
- Parcel boundaries & ownership — verify legal descriptions and current owners when buying, selling, or leasing ranch land
- Agricultural classification — the Department of Revenue classifies land by use (irrigated cropland, dryland hay, grazing, forest) which directly affects property tax assessments
- Public land adjacency — identify Lewis & Clark National Forest and BLM land bordering your operation, critical for grazing allotments
- Geocode → water rights — every parcel’s 17-digit geocode links to the DNRC water rights database. This is the fastest way to find all water rights attached to a property
Water Rights Map & Search
The interactive map below shows the Smith River, Musselshell River, Sixteenmile Creek, and their tributaries along with major points of diversion, irrigation infrastructure, and the proposed Black Butte Copper Mine site. Click any diversion point (colored dot) for details including the type of use, water source, and priority date. Below the map, the search tools connect directly to the Montana DNRC’s Water Rights Query System (WRQS) and WaterMapper.
Click any diversion point for details
Meagher County holds approximately 3,800 active water rights across three main watersheds: the Smith River (flowing north to the Missouri), the Musselshell River (flowing east), and Sixteenmile Creek (flowing south to the Missouri). Key infrastructure includes Newlan Creek Reservoir (14,030 AF) and Martinsdale Reservoir. Many streams become critically dewatered during summer. The proposed Black Butte Copper Mine on Sheep Creek remains a major water rights controversy.
Search tips for Meagher County
41H 12345 00Irrigated Acres — USDA Census
Meagher County reported 34,291 irrigated acres in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, down from 52,074 in 2017 — a change of −17,783 acres (−34.1%). These are acres that actually received irrigation that year, not all land equipped for irrigation.
Source: USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, Table 10 (irrigated land, acres). Measuring Montana Moisture →
Quick links
- Montana Cadastral (full screen) — Montana State Library parcel & ownership database
- WRQS — Montana DNRC Water Rights Query System
- WaterMapper — DNRC interactive GIS map of diversions, ditches & waterways
- GWIC Mapper — Montana Bureau of Mines groundwater wells & well logs
- Save Our Smith — Smith River watershed protection & Black Butte Mine updates
Data Sources
- Montana State Library / MT Department of Revenue (Cadastral & ORION database)
- Montana DNRC Water Rights Database
- DNRC Water Rights Query System (WRQS)
- DNRC WaterMapper / ArcGIS
- Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (GWIC)
- NRCS Meagher County Long Range Plan (2019)