Water Rights Presentation This presentation explains the background and history on the water negotiation process. It briefly covers how federal laws have influenced the process, and how the negotiation process has evolved to its current state. Now the matter could go to court or it could be negotiated out of court. However these talks turn out, the end result will impact every user of reservation water and those of the surrounding communities for decades to come. Consider this presentation as a primer on the water rights issues in Western Montana.